\u201cWe\u2019re locked and loaded and ready to go. But we\u2019re talking to them, so I think while we\u2019re talking, we\u2019ll see what comes of it. I believe\u2026 they\u2019re very serious. They should be,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
The war that Trump once predicted would last four or five weeks is now nearing its fifth month, and is weighing on the Republican\u2019s approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.<\/p>\n
\t \u2018Massive attack\u2019<\/p>\n The New York Times reported earlier that Trump had met advisors on Friday to discuss whether to escalate the conflict, while the Axios news outlet quoted the US leader as saying on Thursday that he was considering a \u201cmassive attack\u201d on Iran.<\/p>\n Two Iranian officials cited by The New York Times Thursday warned that the next stage of the escalation in fighting between Washington and Tehran would include Iran striking Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n Trump separately doubled down on comments in an earlier social media post<\/a> in which he said he believed that Russia and China were not arming Iran, despite reports that both countries were giving Tehran intelligence to target US forces.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I will tell you that President Xi said he will not partake, and President Putin said the same thing. I think you know I trust them,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019d want to have me disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump had warned Moscow and Beijing not to sell weapons to Iran.<\/p>\n \t \u201cIf they did, it would be very bad for them \u2014 certainly not in their best interests,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n US missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday, and Iranian armed forces responded by firing at US bases in neighboring Arab countries and warning people there that they could strike non-military buildings used by US personnel.<\/p>\n Saudi-led coalition hits Houthis<\/p>\n The entrance to the Persian Gulf has so far been the focus of a war that has killed thousands in almost five months, stoked global inflation and fanned fears of an economic downturn.<\/p>\n The Houthis, who control northern and western Yemen, have announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, which has diverted millions of barrels of oil each day by pipeline to the Red Sea to skirt Iran\u2019s near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n After the Houthis said they had struck two Saudi tankers on Thursday, Trump said he would hold Iran accountable for any further attacks by the fighters.<\/p>\n \t On Friday, several strikes hit Yemen\u2019s Hodeidah port, eyewitnesses said. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it carried out a \u201cproportionate military response operation\u201d that targeted Houthi military sites in Hodeidah governorate.<\/p>\n Iran threatens US forces<\/p>\n The US military launched air strikes on Iran late on Thursday and early on Friday, for a 13th consecutive night of attacks, prompting Iran to fire at neighboring Arab countries that host US bases.<\/p>\n US missiles struck a Revolutionary Guards Navy headquarters in the Ziba Kenar area of the Caspian Sea province of Gilan, according to a security official in Gilan quoted by Iranian media. Provincial authorities said US projectiles had also struck the port city of Bandar Anzali, according to the ILNA news agency.<\/p>\n Four people were killed and five injured in a US attack on the Iranian city of Ahvaz, the state broadcaster IRIB said.<\/p>\n In a statement carried by Iran\u2019s Fars news agency, the Revolutionary Guards warned the populations of Gulf countries of potential strikes against US military personnel who may be using \u201cbuildings in cities as locations to direct their crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement on X, the Iranian health ministry said 59 people had been killed and 666 wounded since the resumption of clashes with US forces in late June. It does not differentiate between military personnel and civilians.<\/p>\n Iranian media cited the head of Iran\u2019s top joint military command as saying Iran would kill a member of the US forces for every Iranian killed.<\/p>\n The war has killed 18 US service members<\/a>. The Pentagon said on Monday that 100 service members had been injured since July 7 and 96% have returned to duty. Officials have told Reuters that more than 500 US troops have been injured so far.<\/p>\n Pakistan seeks renewed talks<\/p>\n The attack on the Saudi tankers on Thursday in the Red Sea\u2019s Bab el-Mandeb Strait boosted oil prices 7% to top $100 per barrel for the first time since May.<\/p>\n However, by around 1600 GMT on Friday, Brent futures\u00a0were down more than $4 to a little over $96.<\/p>\n \t Sources said Pakistan was exploring a path towards a resumption of stalled talks between the US and Iran over ending the war, following a push initiated by China.<\/p>\n Exploratory discussions took place during a visit by Iran\u2019s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni to Islamabad this week \u2014 his second within the last 10 days, three Pakistani sources said.<\/p>\n Tankers rerouting, shipping insurance rises<\/p>\n The Houthi attacks forced several other tankers to turn around and head north through the Suez Canal, potentially using a much longer route to reach Asia by sailing around Africa.<\/p>\n Shipping insurance costs through the southern Red Sea doubled for some companies on Thursday, sources said.<\/p>\n Still, half of the 18 ships exiting Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday were carrying crude oil, including two Chinese supertankers. The number of tankers crossing through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just one on Thursday, the lowest since May 7.<\/p>\n A Houthi spokesman said Friday that the Iran-backed terror group was not blocking traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into the Red Sea, adding that the group\u2019s position was \u201climited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side.\u201d<\/p>\n The US and UK were planning a high-level conference that will bring together European and Middle Eastern senior officials to discuss protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20260724__C32Y3WE__v1__HighRes__UsIranIsraelWar-e1784936149486.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThis screen grab made on July 24, 2026, from handout footage released by the US Central Command on July 23, 2026, shows what it says is a precision strike by US forces against Iranian military capabilities. (CENTCOM\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20260724__C33Z9WE__v1__HighRes__KyrgyzstanRussiaIranPoliticsDiplomacy.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIn this handout photograph taken and released by the Russian Foreign Ministry on July 24, 2026, Russia\u2019s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) shakes hands with Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prior to their talks on the sidelines of the Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States in Cholpon-Ata, northeastern Kyrgyzstan. (Handout\/RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20260724__C364464__v1__HighRes__YemenIranIsraelUsSaudiTransport.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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\n\t\tA photo taken from the Yemeni coast southwest of the city of Taiz, shows boats floating at Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the Red Sea, on July 24, 2026. (Khaled ZIAD\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20260723__2287372160__v1__HighRes__StocksFallSharplyAsPriceOfOilRisesDueToOngoi.jpg\")
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\n\t\tTraders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on July 23, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt\/Getty Images\/AFP)<\/p>\n
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