Trump considering a 'massive attack' on Iran in wake of Jordan base bombings
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump wants "a head for an eye" after Iranian attacks on U.S. bases resulted in the deaths of four service members.
Trump says Xi, Putin told him China and Russia won't sell weapons to Iran
President Donald Trump announced Friday that China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin both agreed not to sell weapons to Iran.
"President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran — And that statement included Chinese Companies. Considering our relationship, I take him at his word and, besides, l am doing him very big favors," Trump wrote in a Friday post on Truth Social.
"Likewise, President Putin, despite the horrible War going on in Ukraine (The relationship remains, as it does with President Zelenskyy), told me that he would not sell Weapons to Iran. He understands that I do not sell Weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO Countries. They pay full price, and how those Weapons are distributed, I have no idea," Trump's message continued.
"Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests," he concluded.
Qatar urges return to memorandum of understanding in sit-down with new UK Prime Minister
Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani urged a return to the previously agreed-upon memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran on Friday.
Al-Thani made the plea while meeting with newly minted United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Qatar's capital Doha on Friday.
"The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed during the meeting the importance of ensuring all parties were committed to dialogue, diplomacy, and implementing the MoU reached between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the freedom of navigation at the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining security in the region, protecting the gains made, and enhancing regional stability," a readout from the state-affiliated Qatari News Agency read.
Leaders from the U.S. and Iran formally signed the MOU on June 17, agreeing to a framework that included a cessation of restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, the stoppage of U.S. Treasury sanctions on Iran and a deal to end Irani's nuclear program.
However, after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired rockets at civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the MOU fell apart. President Donald Trump declared "the MOU is dead" during remarks at the NATO Summit in Turkey on July 8.
US sanctions four individuals and nine entities linked to Iran
The U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four individuals and nine entities which OFAC claimed were linked to Iran.
Solmaz Bani, Sukhrob Oimakhmadov, Mehdi Rezazadeh and Bahareh Morteza Zanjani were all added to OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, OFAC announced Friday. Bani is a Dutch national, Oimakhmadov is from Tajikistan while Rezazadeh and Zanjani hail from Iran.
Additionally, OFAC added the following companies to the SDN list: BZ Dimaond DMCC, Dot One Value Creation Group, Dotone Airlines Company, Dotone Barter Company, Dotone Gold Company, Dotone Rail Company, Dotone Trip, Zedpay Finansal Sistem Ve Hizmetleri Anonim Sirketi and ZEDX DMCC.
The Dotone companies are linked to the Iranian umbrella corporation Dot One Value Creation Group. BZ Diamond and ZEDX are based out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while Zedpay is based out of Turkey.
EU slaps Iran with human rights sanctions
The European Union's European Council announced Friday that it is imposing restrictive measures on six Iranian individuals for "serious human rights violations."
"Today, the EU imposed new restrictive measures on Iranian judges responsible for serious human rights violations, including the persecution of political dissidents and religious minorities," Kaja Kallas, the Vice-President of the European Commission, wrote in an X post Friday.
"We also sanctioned a leading figure of a cyber group who enabled the regime’s repression of information," she added.
"As Tehran intensifies its domestic crackdown, the EU will continue to hold those responsible to account," Kallas concluded.
The judges, according to the council, targeted dissidents such as Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi, who is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence for what Iranian officials called "collusion against state security."
Mohammadi won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to lead the 2022 protests that followed the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, who died in Iranian police custody after morality police detained her for not covering her hair properly.
The EU has now sanctioned over 269 Iranian officials and 53 entities, according to a Friday EU statement. Those sanctions include asset freezes, travel bans, export bans and more.
Eyewitness footage shows US strikes on key Iranian port city
Eyewitness footage obtained by Reuters shows the moment U.S. strikes produce explosions in Bandar Abbas, a key Iranian port city on the Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions were seen in the Tappe Allah Akbar neighborhood of the city early in the morning July 24, marking the U.S.'s 13th straight day of attacks on Iran.
The fresh round of strikes followed an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attack on civilian crafts in the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters contributed to this post.
Oman says Strait of Hormuz should stay open
Oman's foreign minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi said that the Strait of Hormuz, which his country borders, should remain open and unrestricted during Friday remarks.
"On maritime affairs, His Excellency reaffirmed the Sultanate of Oman's steadfast position that vital waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz, remain open and accessible for navigation, free from any measures that would impede freedom of navigation and international trade flows," Oman's Foreign Ministry wrote in a Friday morning post on X.
"His Excellency stressed that international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, constitutes the foundation for maritime security, and that respect for its provisions safeguards freedom of navigation, which holds utmost importance for global trade, food security, and energy security," the post added.
Officials in Oman, which sits across Iran on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz, have discussed with Iran and with European allies the possibility of charging foreign tankers tolls or maintenance fees to use the Strait of Hormuz, though Al Busaidi has publicly downplayed the likelihood of tolling.
Bahrain sounds missile alarms as Iran sends warning to avoid US hotels, Trump family-owned sites
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior warned citizens to shelter in place as missile alarms rang in the small Persian Gulf state amid apparent strikes from Iran on Friday.
"The siren has been sounded, Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the Ministry of Interior wrote in a Friday morning X post.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for Friday attacks on Bahrain and issued a warning to other Gulf States through its media operations center on the social messaging platform Telegram.
"To all citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria: For your safety, you are urged to immediately stay away from military and security bases, facilities, and headquarters, as well as locations where U.S. forces are deployed. Do not approach any area witnessing military movements or exceptional security measures," the message read.
"Immediately maintain a distance of at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) from any covert or concealed accommodations used by U.S. military personnel," the message continued.
"These locations include American hotels, American banks, American companies, high-rise towers, properties owned by the Trump family, and investments associated with them," it concluded
Iran flew IRGC commanders, advisers and munitions to Yemen to support Houthi terrorists: report
Iran reportedly flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisors and munitions to Yemen to assist the Houthi terrorists in attacking vessels in the Red Sea, Reuters reported, citing Yemen's information minister.
The IRGC made the delivery on a July 13 flight from Tehran to Yemen's Red Sea port city Hodeidah, Reuters reported, also citing three other sources, including two Iranian sources.
Between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including IRGC commanders, were on the flight.
The IRGC brought the Houthi rebels gold to fund the attacks.
Houthi spokesman Abdel Rahman al-Ahnomi, who was on the flight, denied the report as "lies and fabrications," claiming all the flight's passengers were civilians.
The news corroborates statements Secretary of State Marco Rubio made Wednesday.
"They decided to send direct flights from Tehran into Yemen, carrying IRGC elements and others into the country," Rubio told reporters. "And the Saudis responded to it."
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that have been at war with Yemen's government for over a decade, fired rockets at two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, opening a new front in the Iran war and sending global crude oil prices higher.
Reuters contributed to this post.
Explosions heard across Iran amid fresh US strikes: report
Explosions were heard across multiple parts of Iran on Thursday after the U.S. military launched another wave of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities, according to local media.
An explosion was heard on the southern coast of Qeshm Island, Iran's state broadcaster reported, according to Reuters.
The outlet also said multiple explosions were reported in the southern city of Ahvaz, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.
A separate explosion was heard west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran's state broadcaster reported, also according to Reuters.
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