Latest war news. Trump: ‘Without what we want, full-scale war will resume’

The US Senate has rejected yet another resolution on the President’s war powers, the latest attempt by the Democrats to put an end to Trump’s military intervention without Congressional approval. “We were told that this president would bring peace and lower prices,” said Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the sponsor of the resolution. “What is President Trump doing? He is squandering billions of taxpayers’ dollars on an indefinite war with Iran.” The result – according to the Associated Press – was 49 votes in favour and 50 against. Three Republicans – Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky – joined the majority of Democrats in supporting the resolution. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined the Republicans in opposing it. Since the start of the war earlier this year – the AP notes – Democrats in the House and Senate have tabled more than a dozen resolutions on war powers, but none has been passed by both chambers.

Today, Saudi Arabia chaired a meeting of 43 countries, plus a delegation from the European Union, concerning the creation of a multinational maritime defence coalition. This was announced by the Saudi Ministry of Defence, as reported by the international media, explaining that the coalition would aim to increase cooperation in the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – an area affected by renewed threats from the Houthis, the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels. During the meeting, participants discussed the possibility of Riyadh hosting the mission’s headquarters. The Saudi Ministry of Defence specified that any country that “shares the objectives and principles” may join the effort. Fourteen countries have signed a joint declaration in support of the alliance: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.

Kuwait’s Chief of Staff, General Khaled al Shuraian, held talks in Saudi Arabia with a “maritime defence coalition” aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the Bab el Mandeb Strait. This was reported by Kuwait’s official news agency.

Turkey is ready to participate in any international initiative aimed at supporting security and safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty once the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires this coming December. This was stated by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference held in Ankara alongside his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun. According to reports by the Anadolu news agency, Erdogan also stated that Ankara “is closely monitoring the diplomatic initiatives launched to put an end to the Israeli attacks and occupation” and that it is ready to provide “all possible support” for the reconstruction of southern Lebanon.

The Revolutionary Guards claim “that three US F-35 stealth fighters and three other aircraft were destroyed during a recent Iranian attack on a US airbase. No US aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the recent Iranian attack attempts. All missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach their target areas.” This was stated on X by the US Central Command (Centcom). “Iranian state media report that a commercial oil tanker, the M/T Nora, has breached the US blockade. The merchant vessel did not breach the US ‘steel wall’. Over 20 US warships, hundreds of aircraft and thousands of military personnel remain on high alert and continue to fully enforce the blockade,” it added.

Iran denies any responsibility for yesterday’s drone attack on two vessels in the port of Damietta, Egypt, and has suggested that Israel may have been involved in the attack. “We did not target the port of Damietta in Egypt,” a Foreign Ministry source told the Lebanese media outlet Al Nahar, adding that Tehran “never intended” to carry out such an operation. The source emphasised that “the deep and friendly relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and between the Iranian and Egyptian peoples, are firmly established and strong, based on mutual respect and shared interests”. The source then alluded to the possibility of Israeli involvement in the attack, citing “a long history of disinformation and psychological warfare operations, including those known as false-flag operations”. The source added that “in recent months, Ukraine has also engaged in this type of false-flag operation”. The Iraqi National Security Adviser revealed the activities of elements linked to Ukraine who are conducting disinformation operations in the region, in collaboration with the Zionist entity, with the aim of expanding the scope of the war.”

The thousands of ships that have been stationary for months in the Strait of Hormuz risk triggering an event with negative repercussions for the economy and the environment linked to so-called biofouling, namely the unwanted accumulation of microorganisms on submerged surfaces or those in contact with water. These include algae, microbes and invertebrates that have a ‘high probability’ of being spread once the ships resume their journeys. This is why the phenomenon is referred to as a ‘superspreader’ event. This is the finding of a study by the University of Maryland and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The scientists involved in the research argue that the estimated 1,500 ships currently moored could carry “invasive species that are harmful to the economy and the environment”. The threat described is not new in wartime scenarios. However, the new study warns that current regulations are insufficient to manage its potential impact.

Pakistan has insisted that negotiations between Iran and the United States are ongoing, whilst Washington has carried out a “heavy wave of attacks” against Tehran in retaliation for new attacks targeting Jordan. “Negotiations between the parties are ongoing, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalation,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad after, over the past two days,Saudi Arabia, alongside the United States, had struck pro-Iranian militant groups in Iraq, whilst today Jordan reported that it had intercepted incoming Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day, and Kuwait stated that an Iranian attack on a building belonging to a Chinese company had killed one person. Pakistan had helped broker an agreement between the warring parties, laying the groundwork for negotiations on a permanent resolution, and Andrabi said the country was doing “its utmost to bring all parties back” to the technical talks provided for in the agreement. Previous talks between the two sides following an April truce had stalled, with the ceasefire collapsing earlier this month and Iran once again closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for Middle Eastern oil and gas. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said today that two oil tankers attempting to pass through the strait with US support had turned back.

Le bandiere nazionali iraniana e pakistana sono esposte lungo una strada in vista dell'arrivo del presidente iraniano Masoud Pezeshkian a Islamabad, in Pakistan, il 23 giugno 2026. REUTERS/Waseem Khan/Foto d'archivio

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today lodged a protest with his Bulgarian counterpart, Velislava Petrova, over Sofia’s authorisation for the United States to use military bases on Bulgarian territory. He urged his counterpart to reconsider this decision and warned that the Islamic Republic “will not hesitate to defend its national interests”. In a telephone call, Araghchi stated that Bulgaria’s action was “repugnant, unacceptable and contrary to the traditional and friendly relations between the two countries”. He criticised the Bulgarian authorities for giving the go-ahead for the Bezmer airbase, located in the province of Yambol, to host eight US KC-135 tanker aircraft and 250 American military personnel, as part of Washington’s offensive against Iran. “We hope that the Bulgarian government will urgently reconsider its decision. Iran will not hesitate to defend its national interests and its security against any aggression or hostile action,” said the Iranian Foreign Minister, according to a press release issued by the Ministry.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed responsibility for an attack on “the US Ali Al-Salem base” in Kuwait, stating in a statement reported by Iranian media that it had “destroyed two drone hangars and a fuel depot for aeroplanes and helicopters”.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement expressing “firm condemnation of Iran’s ongoing and flagrant aggression against Jordan, and reaffirming its solidarity with any measures Jordan may take in response to these Iranian attacks, which constitute a violation of international law and the principles of good neighbourliness”.

US Vice-President JD Vance and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a “frank and direct” discussion about their differences during their face-to-face meeting last Tuesday in Washington. Axios reported this today, citing Israeli and US officials.

Vance has been the most vocal critic of Netanyahu within US President Donald Trump’s inner circle since the start of the war against Iran; and as the conflict has dragged on, his criticism has grown harsher, not least in the face of growing discontent amongst the American public and the MAGA base regarding the conflict and support for Israel.

From Iraq to Jordan and Lebanon, and on to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, where a drone struck an American LNG tanker in the port of Damietta yesterday. After days of apparent calm, the conflict with Iran – which began with attacks by the United States and Israel on 28 February – is escalating dangerously, with a growing number of countries becoming involved. Saudi Arabia – besieged on three fronts by Iran, the Yemeni Houthis and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq – has put an end to its reluctance and, on 29 July, together with the United States, struck targets belonging to the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq. During the night of 28–29 July, Iran, for its part, launched ballistic missiles at a US base in Jordan. Last night, however, came a swift response from the United States in the form of air strikes on Iran, in line with statements by US President Donald Trump, who had promised to strike Tehran hard following the attack on the US base. Following an Iranian air strike in Kuwait today, an employee of a Chinese company in the north of the country has died. The escalation, notes the *New York Times*, “comes as attempts to resume peace negotiations have stalled and the scope of the conflict appears to have widened”. Since the breakdown of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, groups linked to Tehran across the region have opened new fronts and reopened old ones, involving forces in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. “Saudi Arabia’s involvement in Wednesday’s attacks,” writes the US newspaper, “marked an escalation. The kingdom had so far avoided becoming an overt, direct combatant in the US-Israeli war against Iran.” The Saudi military had launched a number of retaliatory strikes against Iran, but these had been carried out in secret, according to senior US officials. This reaction from Riyadh comes after Saudi Arabia faced dozens of drone attacks on its oil facilities this week. The attacks on Saudi oil tankers by Houthi militants, Iran’s ally in Yemen, which controls large swathes of that country along the Red Sea, have further threatened oil shipping routes, with potentially disastrous consequences for the Gulf states that rely heavily on supplies from the Middle East. “The spread of fighting in the Middle East,” the New York Times points out, “risks complicating the Trump administration’s ability to extricate itself from this unpopular war” – and this as the US mid-term elections scheduled for this autumn draw nearer. The latest escalation risks worsening the economic situation and, in particular, triggering a fresh surge in oil prices, thereby pushing up inflation.

The US military explained that Wednesday’s raids in Iraq were in retaliation for more than 30 drone attacks carried out by Iranian proxy groups over the previous 72 hours. A US official reported that the targets were members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a coalition of Iraq-based militias with links to Iran. The raids killed around 20 Iranian advisers, including senior technical advisers and liaison officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. No Iraqi militia group has claimed responsibility for the drone attacks. Indeed, today, Sabah Al-Numan, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s spokesperson, told the Iraqi news agency that there is no evidence that Iraqi territory was used to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia earlier this week: “No party has so far provided any evidence to support these claims.” The ceasefire in Lebanon is also holding together with great difficulty, whilst Israel and Lebanon are trying to implement the agreement to end months of fighting, which has been rejected by Hezbollah. Yesterday, the Israeli army accused Hezbollah of a “blatant violation of the ceasefire”, claiming that the Iranian-backed militant group had launched a drone at an Israeli vehicle in the area of southern Lebanon currently controlled by the Israeli army. According to Dana Stroul, a senior Pentagon official during the Biden administration, quoted by the *Washington Post*, both Trump and Tehran appear to be in a stalemate, as neither side sees any advantage in continuing the conflict nor believes that negotiations can lead to a decisive outcome. “There is growing pessimism in both capitals regarding the parties’ inability to reach a diplomatic agreement,” she noted. Stroul, now director of research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, added that “it almost seems as though both sides are continuing to launch military attacks from a position of weakness”. According to her analysis, Trump appears reluctant to launch large-scale military operations that could jeopardise support from his electoral base ahead of the mid-term elections, whilst Iran seems to believe it is in “a unique moment of maximum strategic leverage”. So far, according to the Pentagon, 18 US military personnel have been killed in the conflict and over 600 wounded. The Iranian Ministry of Health, however, puts the number of Iranian deaths at over 3,500.

“Things seem to be moving in the right direction: it appears that Hamas has given in and is agreeing to complete and total disarmament.” This was stated to Ynet by an Israeli source involved in the negotiations on Hamas’s disarmament. The Israeli newspaper reports that a series of developments are underway that could lead to “a breakthrough” towards an agreement between Israel and Hamas on the implementation of Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources cited by Ynet, a statement announcing that agreements have been reached could be published today.

A clear winner emerged from the NATO summit in Ankara: Erdogan’s Turkey. As well as receiving praise from US President Donald Trump – something the Europeans no longer enjoy – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured significant victories in the defence, diplomatic and economic spheres.

The Americans have promised to lift the CAATSA sanctions imposed on the Turkish defence industry by the first Trump administration following the acquisition of the Russian S-400s in 2020.

“I don’t think Turkey will receive the F-35s in the near future.” This was stated by the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in an interview with Israeli military radio today. “Turkey has a problem since it decided to purchase the S-400 air defence systems from Russia, and this makes the sale illegal. I think it’s unlikely to happen, unless there are significant changes in Turkey’s stance towards our regional allies. Let’s just say I wouldn’t bet on this deal,” said Huckabee.

“The President has always been clear that Iran will not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons or retain enriched uranium on its own soil,” he added, responding to a question about the aim of the negotiations with Iran.

Shell’s profits soared in the second half of 2026 , reaching $10.8 billion – three times the figure recorded in the same period of 2025. This is confirmed by the financial results published today by the British oil giant, which has benefited from soaring oil and gas prices against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East triggered by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in recent months and the resulting stalemate over the passage of commercial maritime traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

“Shell’s operational performance has ensured very solid results during this period of severe tensions in global energy markets,” said Chief Executive Wael Sawan, commenting on the figures. The figures also showed a 45 per cent jump in revenue, rising to $96.4 billion.