🚢 Threats to the Strait of Hormuz were accompanied by attacks on commercial shipping.
The Iranian Army warned that states cooperating with the United States could face difficulties using the strait. The IRGC claimed two oil tankers attempting to use the southern route exploded and stopped moving following what it called U.S. instigation. Fars published footage it said showed one or both vessels being targeted.
Reuters reported that a Greek cargo ship caught fire after being hit by an unidentified projectile near the strait. UK Maritime Trade Operations said a vessel was struck 17 nautical miles east of the UAE; no casualties were reported.
The IRGC also claimed that an MQ-9 drone was intercepted and shot down over Eslamabad-e Gharb.
The United Nations warned: “The threats made by the Houthis to target ships are likely to lead to a significant escalation of tensions in the region”.
🌊 The Houthis placed Saudi shipping and Bab el-Mandeb under additional pressure.
The Iranian proxy announced an immediate naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, citing the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen, and said it would close Bab el-Mandeb. Saudi Arabia has reportedly shifted 75% of its oil exports to the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
🤝 Mediators proposed a 10-day pause while Washington sought broader guarantees.
A senior Iranian official cited by Reuters said mediators proposed suspending strikes for 10 days to revive the interim U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement reached last month.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said negotiations could continue in accordance with national interests, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “open to a diplomatic solution with Iran.”
Officials close to Trump are reportedly pressing him to accept Qatar’s proposal. The United States has not ruled out a ceasefire but is seeking a longer arrangement tied to specific understandings concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s interior minister was expected to arrive in Pakistan with a delegation of six ministers and meet Pakistan’s army chief, according to a Pakistani Interior Ministry source cited by Al-Mayadeen.
🏛️ Washington and Jerusalem were working to coordinate a Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
Ynet reported that Netanyahu seeks to travel to Washington next week and attend Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral service on July 27.
Trump said Netanyahu would not be arrested “in any way, shape, or form” while in the United States. He linked that position to Israel’s conflict with Iran and accused the Iranian regime of killing 52,000 protesters and American soldiers over the past 47 years.
⚖️ The Prime Minister’s Office rejected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ICC claims.
After Mamdani described Netanyahu as a war criminal, the PMO called the International Criminal Court a “kangaroo court” without jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.
It argued that the warrant was issued by former prosecutor Karim Khan shortly before sexual-misconduct allegations became public and defended Israel’s wartime measures to reduce civilian harm.
The PMO said Israel was confronting Hamas, which uses Palestinians as human shields and deliberately targets Israeli civilians, and accused Mamdani of diverting attention from his policies in New York.
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