★IRAN
Pezeshkian Declares Full-Scale War With United States
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Islamic Republic is now engaged in a “full-scale war” with the United States and must accept the consequences of continuing what he described as resistance. The declaration represents one of Tehran’s clearest official acknowledgments that the confrontation has moved beyond a limited dispute over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran Pursues Pakistan Talks While Declaring Full-Scale War
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad with a high-level delegation as Tehran simultaneously escalates its war rhetoric and preserves indirect channels with Washington. President Masoud Pezeshkian has described the conflict as a “full-scale war,” but Pakistani reporting says Momeni’s meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir will also address efforts to revive the Pakistan-mediated U.S.-Iran agreement. As interior minister, Momeni oversees internal security, borders, law enforcement, and provincial administration, suggesting the mission extends beyond diplomacy to wartime coordination, border security, trade, energy, transit, and contingency planning. The visit therefore reflects Iran’s parallel strategy of continuing military resistance while exploring terms that could limit or suspend the fighting.
Explosions Near Dinar Kuh As Western Iran Claims Strike
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that several explosions were heard early Tuesday in the western city of Abdanan. Governor Behzad Nourmohammadi said facilities in the nearby Dinar Kuh area were targeted but provided no details on the nature of the facilities, casualties, or the party responsible. As of publication, neither Iranian authorities nor independent sources have verified additional details, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Tanker Crew Abandons Ship After Projectile Strike Near Oman
A tanker crew abandoned its vessel in the Strait of Hormuz after an unidentified projectile struck the ship approximately eight nautical miles east of Limah, Oman. The vessel and its owner remain unidentified. Iran’s IRGC separately claimed that explosions caused fires aboard two tankers using the U.S.-facilitated southern transit route, but Reuters could not verify that claim or establish whether the incidents were connected.
Tehran Silent After Israel Claims Secret Centrifuge Relocation Underground
Iranian officials have not publicly responded to a Wall Street Journal report that Israeli intelligence believes Tehran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain complex last fall. Iran previously described the site near Natanz as an underground replacement facility for manufacturing advanced centrifuges, while satellite analysts say its current function remains unverified.
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★USA
CENTCOM Strikes Iranian Command And Maritime Capabilities
CENTCOM announced the completion of another wave of strikes inside Iran targeting military command centers, naval capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air-defense systems. The command said the operation was intended to reduce Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The broadcast provided no independent details on the number of targets struck, weapons used, casualties, or damage assessments.
Report: Trump Weighs Expanded Strikes On Iran
An unnamed U.S. official told Fox News that President Donald Trump is expected to decide within days whether to expand military operations against Iran. According to the report, an expanded campaign could include strikes on Tehran and Iranian nuclear facilities and would be broader and more intensive than previous U.S. operations. The official also said Israel could enter the conflict if Trump approves the expansion. A separate U.S. official told Al Hadath that American strikes would continue unless Trump orders otherwise and said Washington intends to impose costs for Iran’s alleged violations of the ceasefire memorandum and actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Barrack Unveils Regional Plan To Reduce Hormuz Dependence
U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Presidential Envoy Tom Barrack said Washington is coordinating with Egypt, Syria, Türkiye, Lebanon, and Jordan on a regional network of pipelines, ports, railways, and trade corridors designed to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz. Barrack said the initiative follows a “precautionary delivery” model and could make Hormuz strategically secondary within two years by creating alternative routes for energy exports and commercial trade. Former Iraqi Oil Minister Luay al-Khatteeb challenged Barrack’s timeline, arguing that while Gulf states have already invested in bypass pipelines, no combination of existing alternatives can replace Hormuz’s role in global oil, gas, and commercial shipping without roughly a decade of construction and more than $1 trillion in additional infrastructure investment.
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★GULF STATES
Houthis Threaten Bab Al-Mandab Closure As Iran War Expands
The Houthis threatened to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait and target Saudi tankers, raising the prospect of a second major maritime chokepoint being disrupted alongside the Strait of Hormuz. The report said Iran had asked the group to prepare to close Bab al-Mandab if U.S. attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure intensified. Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi accused the Houthis of trying to drag Yemen into Iran’s war, while analysts warned that any closure could widen the conflict, threaten Red Sea shipping, and disrupt global energy supplies.
Saudi Arabia Condemns Houthi Maritime Threats
Saudi Arabia condemned Houthi accusations that the kingdom is blockading Yemen and rejected the group’s threatened restrictions on Saudi maritime traffic. Riyadh urged enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions protecting navigation and said it would take all necessary measures under international law to protect its vessels. The Saudi-led coalition separately pledged to defend commercial shipping through Bab al-Mandab and respond forcefully to threats. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki called the Houthi blockade narrative misleading, saying more than 300 commercial vessels entered Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Isa during the first half of the year.
Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan And Oman Push Ten-Day Truce
Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and Oman are urging Washington and Tehran to accept a ten-day ceasefire intended to halt the fighting and revive the June memorandum. The proposal reportedly seeks Iranian guarantees for unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for renewed negotiations. Reuters said mediators delivered the plan to Tehran, while Iranian officials confirmed that diplomatic exchanges with Washington remain active. Neither side has publicly accepted the proposal.
Qatar Takes Iranian Attacks To UN Security Council
Qatar sent formal letters to the UN secretary-general and Security Council condemning Iranian attacks on its territory and holding Tehran legally responsible for the resulting damage. Doha cited Iran’s July 7 attack on the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat and a July 12 ballistic-missile assault that Qatar said injured three people, including a child, through falling interception debris. Qatar described the attacks as a direct threat to its security and regional stability and reiterated that it retains the right to respond and take measures necessary to defend its sovereignty.
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★ISRAEL
Israel Helps Plan US Campaign, Prepares For Possible Entry
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a restricted security meeting as Israeli officials assessed that U.S. military operations against Iran could intensify in the coming days. Israeli reporting said operational plans are ready and awaiting President Donald Trump’s decisions on the campaign’s next phases. Washington currently prefers to keep Israel outside direct combat, but Israel remains actively involved in intelligence sharing, operational consultations, and planning with U.S. officials. Israeli forces are maintaining heightened readiness for a scenario in which Iranian attacks draw Israel directly into the conflict.
Hamas Elects Khalil Al-Hayya Political Bureau Chief
Hamas reportedly elected senior official and chief ceasefire negotiator Khalil al-Hayya as head of its political bureau, succeeding Yahya Sinwar. Al-Hayya defeated former bureau chief Khaled Mashaal during a third round of internal voting after neither candidate secured the required threshold in the first two rounds. The broadcast described his appointment as a temporary transitional term that is more likely to preserve Hamas’s current direction than produce a major ideological or strategic shift. Al-Hayya has held senior political and parliamentary positions and became one of the movement’s most prominent negotiators following Sinwar’s death.
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★ LEBANON
Lebanon Pilot Begins, But Only One Zone Requires Withdrawal
The Times of Israel said Lebanese army pilot operations had begun in Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya under the U.S.-brokered framework. Lebanese and regional reporting presents a different picture. The army said it was continuing existing missions in Froun and Srifa, not entering them for the first time, while only Zawtar al-Gharbiya requires an Israeli withdrawal before deployment. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces were not stationed inside Froun or Zawtar when the zones were selected, raising concerns that Israel could claim withdrawals from areas it did not fully occupy. Froun’s municipality also said the village was outside Israel’s security line. Lebanese critics further cite the absence of a full withdrawal timetable and Israel’s demand that Hezbollah disarm first. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejects the framework in its current form, while the Lebanese army has avoided Israel’s “Hezbollah-free safe zones” language and says it will enter Zawtar only after Israeli forces withdraw.
Aoun Meets Trump During Lebanon-Israel Negotiations
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in Washington as U.S.-sponsored negotiations continue over implementing the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire and accompanying framework. The broadcast described the trip as the first official visit by a Lebanese president to the United States since President Michel Sleiman met Barack Obama in 2009. The talks are expected to address Lebanese sovereignty, Israeli withdrawals, the Lebanese army’s expanding role in the south, Hezbollah’s weapons, reconstruction, and the implementation of the pilot-zone arrangement.
France Offers Troops To Monitor Lebanon Agreement
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said France could deploy French and European personnel to Lebanon if requested by the Lebanese authorities. The proposed units would verify implementation of the Lebanon-Israel agreement, including the Lebanese army’s disarmament of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Paris said such monitoring could support the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty while helping establish the long-term security conditions sought by Israel.
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★IRAQ
Kurdish Leaders Unite Against Iranian Attacks
Political leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan presented a unified response following reported Iranian ballistic-missile attacks on Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Bafel Talabani said targeting any part of Kurdistan constituted an attack on the entire region and warned that restraint should not be interpreted as weakness. Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called for the attacks to stop, stressing that the region was not participating in regional conflicts and posed no threat to neighboring states. Al Hadath claimed Kurdistan had faced more than 900 missile and drone attacks since the U.S.-Iran conflict began in February.
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★TUNISIA-NORTH AFRICA
Tunisia Protests Widen Over Power And Water Cuts
Several Tunisian provinces witnessed protests over prolonged electricity and water outages during the second consecutive week of an intense heat wave. Demonstrators in Monastir reportedly blocked a major highway, while residents complained of hours-long service interruptions. Tunisia’s state electricity and gas company introduced rotating nationwide power cuts to prevent the national grid from collapsing. The disruptions intensified public anger over deteriorating infrastructure, service delivery, and the government’s management of rising summertime demand.
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★ Disclaimer: This publication is a digest of various news sources compiled by the Early Phoenix team and edited by Rania Kisar. The items are curated, concise summaries of news items hyperlinked within each story. The items and summaries presented do not necessarily represent the views of the American Center for Levant Studies.
