![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3227.jpg\")
An explosion at Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran as US attack drones hit. Photograph: US Central Command\/AP<\/p>\nInterim summary<\/p>\n
In case you\u2019re just joining us, here\u2019s a quick recap of the latest as the Middle East crisis escalates once again. It\u2019s 9.30am in Tehran and 2am in Washington DC.<\/p>\n
The US carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday and two tankers came under fire in the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump said the US would reinstate its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf. It would begin at 4pm ET on Tuesday, US Central Command said.<\/p>\n
Trump said the Hormuz strait would stay open \u201cwith or without Iran\u201d but that the US would start charging fees on ships transiting through the waterway, in an apparent policy reversal. A 20% fee would be levied \u201cfor any and all costs necessary\u201d to provide security and safety for vessels, the president said.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s top \u200cjoint military command said the US had no role in determining the strait\u2019s future and would not be allowed to intervene. Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would \u201cforever\u201d be the guardian of the strait.<\/p>\n
Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran\u2019s Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulf shortly after the US military announced the renewed strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n
An explosion at Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran as US attack drones hit. Photograph: US Central Command\/AP<\/p>\n
The United Arab Emirates said Iranian cruise missiles struck \u2060two Emirati oil tankers while transiting the southern lane of the vital energy transit route in Omani territorial waters, killing a crew member and injuring eight.<\/p>\n
Oil prices roes 2% to their highest in four weeks amid heightened uncertainty about energy \u2060flows through the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed 2% \u200bto $84.98 a barrel by 0051 GMT on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.1% to $79.79. Brent crude surged 9.6% in \u2060the previous session \u2013 its biggest daily gain since May 2020.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.14 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Bahrain\u2019s defence force condemned Iran\u2019s missile and drone attacks against the country that targets its civilians and private property, actions it says constitute a \u201cflagrant violation\u201d of international law.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s air defence systems intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial attacks this morning and the general command\u2019s weapons and units remain on \u201chigh alert\u201d to protect citizens from hostile threats, a statement read.<\/p>\n \u201c’The General Command also urges everyone to exercise caution, avoid approaching any strange or suspicious objects resulting from the remnants of the brutal Iranian aggression, and report them immediately,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n Earlier, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that a patriot radar, the US Navy\u2019s fifth fleet air control radar, and an early warning radar system were destroyed in an attack on the country.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre has said two tankers reported being hit by a missile while sailing \u201coutbound\u201d of the strait of Hormuz via the southern route on Monday.<\/p>\n The US has urged vessels to use the southern route through the strait that hugs the coast of Oman instead of the northern route Iran<\/a> wants ships to take.<\/p>\n The UKMTO said the incident happened 13 nautical miles southeast of Limah, Oman, and said authorities are investigating what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cVessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n Iran map.<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.35 EDT<\/p>\n Two members of the Islamic State group were executed after they were convicted of armed rebellion against Iran<\/a>, Iranian state television reported.<\/p>\n The report identified the men as Mohieddin Abdollahi and Hossein Palani. It said they belonged to an Islamic State cell that formed after the group\u2019s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria and had planned attacks inside Iran.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israel sets October date for first elections since Hamas attacks in 2023 Israel will hold national elections on 27 October, giving its citizens their first chance to pass judgment on the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a>, and his coalition since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023.<\/p>\n The Knesset, Israel\u2019s parliament, will be dissolved on Friday. With just a few days left in session, the most far-right government in Israel\u2019s history is now rushing to pass several controversial laws in an attempt to bolster its position before polling day.<\/p>\n A deadly campaign of extremist violence<\/a> to expand Israeli control in the occupied West Bank is expected to continue until election day, as settler militants and their political backers exploit their seat at the cabinet table.<\/p>\n Netanyahu, 76, may be fighting for his personal freedom as well as his political future. He is on trial for corruption, despite interventions from Donald Trump<\/a> calling for a pre-emptive pardon in the long-running case.<\/p>\n Current polling indicates voters will kick him out of office, although the man who has led Israel for much of the last three decades is a consummate political survivor who has repeatedly defied expectations. You can read the full story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, has condemned the \u201chostile\u201d Iranian attacks on Gulf countries (and Jordan) that he says are designed to keep the \u201centire region in a state of permanent tension and anxiety\u201d.<\/p>\n In a statement published by the Lebanese presidency, Aoun pledged complete Lebanese solidarity \u2013 both officially and \u201cpopularly\u201d – with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and all the Gulf states, whose security is an \u201cintegral\u201d part of wider \u201cArab national security\u201d and who share \u201cdeep historical\u201d ties with Lebanon.<\/p>\n Joseph Aoun has condemned Iranian attacks on regional countries, denouncing them as a violation of sovereignty. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir\/Reuters<\/p>\n As a reminder, Yemen\u2019s Iran-backed Houthis said they struck Saudi Arabia\u2019s Abha international airport with ballistic missiles and drones in retaliation for a strike on Sanaa\u2019s international airport<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jordan, meanwhile, reportedly intercepted four missiles this morning, resulting in no casualties or \u201cmaterial damage\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.10 EDT<\/p>\n Over the last six hours, Bahrain\u2019s interior ministry posted six times on social media urging residents to seek the nearest shelter as sirens were activated.<\/p>\n Earlier, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that a patriot radar, the US Navy\u2019s fifth fleet air control radar, and an early warning radar system were destroyed in an attack on the country.<\/p>\n We have not been able to independently verify these claims.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.23 EDT<\/p>\n Interim summary<\/p>\n In case you\u2019re just joining us, here\u2019s a quick recap of the latest as the Middle East crisis escalates once again. It\u2019s 9.30am in Tehran and 2am in Washington DC.<\/p>\n The US carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday and two tankers came under fire in the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Donald Trump said the US would reinstate its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf. It would begin at 4pm ET on Tuesday, US Central Command said.<\/p>\n Trump said the Hormuz strait would stay open \u201cwith or without Iran\u201d but that the US would start charging fees on ships transiting through the waterway, in an apparent policy reversal. A 20% fee would be levied \u201cfor any and all costs necessary\u201d to provide security and safety for vessels, the president said.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s top \u200cjoint military command said the US had no role in determining the strait\u2019s future and would not be allowed to intervene. Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would \u201cforever\u201d be the guardian of the strait.<\/p>\n Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran\u2019s Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulf shortly after the US military announced the renewed strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n An explosion at Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran as US attack drones hit. Photograph: US Central Command\/AP<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates said Iranian cruise missiles struck \u2060two Emirati oil tankers while transiting the southern lane of the vital energy transit route in Omani territorial waters, killing a crew member and injuring eight.<\/p>\n Oil prices roes 2% to their highest in four weeks amid heightened uncertainty about energy \u2060flows through the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed 2% \u200bto $84.98 a barrel by 0051 GMT on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.1% to $79.79. Brent crude surged 9.6% in \u2060the previous session \u2013 its biggest daily gain since May 2020.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.14 EDT<\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s announcement that the US will begin charging ships for safe passage through the strait of Hormuz is not only an about-face for his administration but upends hundreds of years of American policy supporting freedom of navigation around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re protecting a very rich portion of the world,\u201d the president said. \u201cWe\u2019re spending money. And so, what we\u2019ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a shift in US policy that, until now, said the strait should remain open to all without tolls \u2013 as it was before the US and Israel<\/a> attacked Iran on 28 February. But as the Associated Press reports, any attempt by the US or Iran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and raise tensions, likely causing further economic disruption far beyond the region.<\/p>\n The US navy has fought for freedom of navigation on the seas since the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.<\/p>\n A woman at the water\u2019s edge on the strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, as smoke rises in the background after an explosion on Monday. Photograph: Razieh Poudat\/AP<\/p>\n Trump said on Monday the US was \u201ctaking over\u201d the Hormuz strait and would be paid for its operations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to \u200ckeep the strait, and we\u2019ll probably run it. We\u2019ll become the guardian \u200cof the strait,\u201d he told Fox News. Wealthy nations would have to reimburse the US.<\/p>\n double quotation markWe\u2019re going to get paid for guarding it. A lot of money, but we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger.<\/p>\n Trump later said on Truth Social that the US would be reimbursed \u2013 at 20% of all cargo shipped \u2013 \u201cfor any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s military warned that it would not allow the US to \u201cinterfere\u201d in the strait\u2019s management.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.12 EDT<\/p>\n ‘Clock ticking again’ on global oil inventory depletion, economist warns Resurgent oil and fuel prices could cement a fourth interest rate rise in Australia this year if Donald Trump\u2019s renewed conflict with Iran is not resolved within a week, economists warn.<\/p>\n US missile strikes on Iran and Trump\u2019s announcement of a new maritime blockade has lifted oil prices to their highest point in the month since the two countries agreed to a peace deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brent crude oil hit US$85 a barrel on Tuesday morning, while the West Texas Intermediate benchmark price for US crude surpassed US$80 a barrel. Both had been trading near US$70 in early July.<\/p>\n Escalating hostilities could run down oil stockpiles and push prices far above their April high, an energy commodities strategist at Australia\u2019s Commonwealth Bank said in a note on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe clock has started ticking again on global oil inventory depletion,\u201d Vivek Dhar said.<\/p>\n Continued conflict would push Brent oil prices to $US100 a barrel within 10 days and $150 a barrel within 10 weeks, he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iran \u2060rescued 23 foreign crew members \u2060after \u2060a bulk \u200bcarrier collided with another \u2060vessel north of Qeshm Island \u2060in the strait \u200bof \u200cHormuz, \u200caccording to the Fars news \u200cagency.<\/p>\n The carrier suffered serious damage \u200cto its hull and began taking \u200bon water, prompting the captain to \u2060order an emergency evacuation, \u200bthe semi-official Iranian agency said.<\/p>\n All \u200bcrew \u200cmembers were safely \u200btransferred \u200bto Qeshm Island, it said, cited by Reuters.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.33 EDT<\/p>\n Iran claims attack on US military base in Jordan<\/p>\n Iranian ballistic \u200bmissiles targeted a US \u2060airbase in Jordan on Tuesday, Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards said in a \u2060statement published by \u200bFars News, \u200ccalling on \u200cthe Jordanian people \u200cto dismantle American bases in their country.<\/p>\n The statement, cited by Reuters, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markYou know very well that not only \u200cdo we not have any enmity with \u200byour country, but we also love you, the noble \u2060people, who understand the \u200bpain \u200band oppression \u200bof the Palestinian \u200bpeople more \u200cthan any \u200bother \u200bnation.<\/p>\n As mentioned earlier<\/a>, Jordan hosts a number of US forces and aircraft. On Monday, Tehran claimed it hit the country\u2019s Prince Hassan airbase as part of its retaliatory strikes against the US, but Jordan denied the reports.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.24 EDT<\/p>\n Bahrain has sounded its missile alert siren for the third time in about five hours as Iran<\/a> continues its retaliation over American military strikes.<\/p>\n Bahrain\u2019s interior ministry, posting on X<\/a>, urged people to head to the nearest safe location.<\/p>\n Iran said on Monday it hit US military facilities and infrastructure in the country, while Bahrain\u2019s military accused Tehran of targeting civilians in its \u201cheinous attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A bit more now on the two Emirati tankers hit in the strait of Hormuz in the past few hours.<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates\u2019 defence ministry said early on Tuesday that the attack killed one mariner and wounded eight others. The ministry blamed Iran for the attack, saying it had launched two cruise missiles at the tankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah.<\/p>\n The strikes set both tankers ablaze, though the fires were extinguished.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack on the tankers, saying the vessels \u201cignored repeated warnings\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThey chose to pass through a minefield and were subsequently targeted and disabled,\u201d the Guards said.<\/p>\n Residents check their phones as they sit at a cafe overlooking commercial vessels anchored in the strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Sunday. Photograph: Razieh Poudat\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s military says it intercepted four missiles launched by Iran.<\/p>\n Jordan hosts a number of US forces and aircraft.<\/p>\n On Monday, Iran claimed it had struck Prince Hassan airbase in Jordan as part of its retaliatory strikes against the US, but Jordan denied the reports were true.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Stocks have fallen and oil hit a one-month high in Asian trading on Tuesday after Donald Trump said the US \u2060was reinstating its blockade of Iranian \u2060shipping in the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Shares in Taiwan and South Korea were particularly hard hit, while Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 fell 0.8%.<\/p>\n A financial data screen in the dealing room of Hana Bank shows the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) having decreased on Tuesday. Photograph: Yonhap\/EPA<\/p>\n Brent crude futures climbed 1.7% to $84.72 a barrel, after \u200bearlier hitting their highest point since mid-June at $85.64. Markets were also rattled \u200cby comments on Monday from US federal \u200creserve governor Christopher Waller, who said the central bank may need to raise interest rates \u201cin the near term\u201d if data shows inflation continuing \u200cwell above the 2% target.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.08 EDT<\/p>\n Iran responded to the latest US strikes with attacks targeting American bases in Bahrain. It marks the third day in a row that Iran<\/a> retaliated against Gulf countries after US attacks on its facilities.<\/p>\n Early on Tuesday, Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens twice, urging the public to seek shelter. There was no word on any damage or casualties from the attack.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards claimed a US \u2060Patriot \u2060radar, \u200ba Fifth \u200cFleet \u200cair \u200bcontrol \u2060radar and other systems were all hit in Bahrain, but there was no independent confirmation.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.19 EDT<\/p>\n US Central Command said a little over an hour ago that it had finished the military\u2019s latest wave of strikes against Iran.<\/p>\n It said in a statement posted on X<\/a>:<\/p>\n double quotation markDuring the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran\u2019s ability to attack commercial shipping<\/p>\n Centcom said it targeted \u201cIranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n More than 50,000 US service members were currently deployed across the Middle East, it added.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.09 EDT<\/p>\n US launches fresh strikes on Iran as tankers hit in Hormuz strait<\/p>\n Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The US carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday and two tankers came under fire in the strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump said Washington was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and would ensure that the strategic waterway stayed \u2060open, but for a fee.<\/p>\n![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Emma_Graham-Harrison,_L.png\")
Emma Graham-Harrison<\/p>\n![\"Luca](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Luca_Ittimani.png\")
Luca Ittimani<\/p>\n