Armed conflicts and attacks
Middle Eastern crisis
Explosions are reported in the Iranian cities of Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas, and the islands of Kish and Qeshm. (Middle East Eye)
Iran fires projectiles at two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz associated with the United Arab Emirates, killing two mariners and injuring 14 others. (Xinhua)
U.S. president Donald Trump cancels a proposal to implement a 20% fee on cargo ships transiting through the strait. (AP) (BBC News)
2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
The United States military reimposes the naval blockade of Iran that ended on June 17 last month in response to ship attacks. (AP) (France 24)
July 2026 United States strikes against Iran
The United States Central Command launches a new round of strikes against Iran in an effort to degrade capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the naval blockade. (CNBC)
Kuwait's military says that Iran struck a navy vessel, injuring four personnel, while its air defences intercept one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles, and 33 drones aimed at civilian facilities. (AFP via Arab News Pakistan)
2026 Israel–Lebanon peace talks
The first day of direct negotiations and the sixth round of peace talks between Israel and Lebanon begins at the U.S. embassy in Rome, Italy. (AA) (The Times of Israel)
The Israeli military strikes a police station in Gaza, killing eight people, according to Gaza's civil defence agency and Al-Shifa Hospital, violating the ongoing ceasefire. (AFP via CNA)
Iraqi conflict
Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq
Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaidi and the U.S. defense department says that all remaining American troops will withdraw from Iraq by September 30, ending a 23-year presence in the country that started with the 2003 U.S. invasion. (AP) (DW)
Sudanese civil war
The Sudanese Armed Forces say that the 4th Infantry Division's 13th Brigade have taken control of the Blue Nile town of Fashfoun following days of clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North. (TRT Afrika) (Yeni Şafak)
Colombian conflict
Colombia's military says it has rescued 39 civilians kidnapped by the National Liberation Army on a highway in Chocó Department, with two soldiers killed during the operation. (AFP via Vanguard)
Arts and culture
A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed Gus sells for US$50.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York City, United States, setting an auction record for a dinosaur fossil. (AFP via CNA)