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Key takeaways
• Maritime alliance: The Saudi defense ministry said today that 14 countries have backed the kingdom’s proposal to establish a “Maritime Defense Alliance” to protect international shipping routes and global trade.
• Drone strike: The announcement comes as the US-Iran conflict is pulling in more countries. Egypt reported that a drone strike Wednesday caused a fire on two ships in the port of Damietta. No party has claimed responsibility. If confirmed as a deliberate strike, it would mark the first time Egypt has been directly drawn into the conflict.
• Vow of retribution: In Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed and that the “aggressor will be punished today.” It follows a “heavy wave of US strikes” late Wednesday in retaliation for Tehran’s attempted attack on US military positions on Tuesday.
Trump's "peacemaker" promise collides with reality
President Donald Trump kicked off his second term promising to be a “peacemaker.” But now he’s struggling to end two widening wars: the one he started with Iran, and the one he inherited between Russia and Ukraine. CNN’s Kevin Liptak explains.
President Trump kicked off his second term promising to be a "peacemaker." But now he's struggling to end two widening wars: the one he started with Iran, and the one he inherited between Russia and Ukraine. CNN’s Kevin Liptak explains.
Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon using 700 tons of explosives
The Israeli military destroyed tunnels in the Beaufort area of southern Lebanon using about 700 tons of explosives, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
The statement alleged that the underground infrastructure was central to a plan by Hezbollah to invade communities in northern Israel. It said the operation followed what Israel described as Hezbollah’s “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement a day earlier, but provided no details about the alleged violation.
“The State of Israel will not accept any violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Netanyahu and Katz said, warning that any attempt to harm Israeli forces or civilians would be met with “a harsh and powerful response.”
The statement said Israeli troops would “remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon and will continue to destroy any terror infrastructure in order to prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to rebuild its capabilities.”
Hezbollah did not immediately comment.
Some context: Iran has previously demanded Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as a condition for talks with Washington.
Shipping volume remains depressed through Middle East chokepoints
Vessel traffic through two critical shipping chokepoints in the Middle East remains heavily depressed amid US-Iran tensions and threats to trade in the region.
MarineTraffic data shows at least 15 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours — one more than the previous day. Ten vessels moved into the Persian Gulf — seven cargo ships and three tankers — while five departed into the Gulf of Oman, made up of three cargo ships and two tankers.
Before the war, vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz averaged about 120 crossings per day.
Farther west, at least 48 commercial vessels transited the Bab al-Mandeb Strait over the same period — up from at least 37 the day before. Twenty-eight vessels entered the Red Sea — 15 cargo ships and 13 tankers — while 20 left into the Gulf of Aden, consisting of 16 cargo ships and four tankers.
Transits of the Bab al-Mandeb have fallen by around one-fifth since Iran-backed Houthi rebels began to apply pressure in the narrow channel separating Yemen from Djibouti.
As of July 30, US Central Command said its forces have redirected 24 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two to enforce compliance with US restrictions on shipping in the region — an increase of four redirected vessels since the previous day.
Earlier today, the Saudi defense ministry said that 14 countries have backed the kingdom’s proposal to establish a “Maritime Defense Alliance” to protect international shipping routes and global trade.
GPS spoofing — a type of navigation systems interference that makes a ship’s location appear far from its actual position in vessel data — remains a concern throughout the region, and has impacted civilian vessels in both channels over the past 24 hours. Such interference was exceedingly rare around Bab al-Mandeb just a week ago.
Egypt's security is of "utmost importance," Iran's foreign minister says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Egypt an “important friend and partner” today after a port in the country was struck on Wednesday, as the US-Iran conflict draws in more countries.
Egyptian authorities said a fire that broke out on two vessels at Egypt’s port of Damietta on Wednesday was caused by a drone. No party has claimed direct responsibility, and no injuries or deaths have been reported.
If confirmed as a deliberate strike, it would mark the first time Egypt has been directly drawn into the widening regional conflict.
On Thursday, Araghchi posted on X that Egypt was an “important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance to us.”
Without mentioning Wednesday’s strike, he urged vigilance against what he described as “false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace.”
The latest on the US-Iran war and how other countries are being pulled in
As the United States and Iran exchange strikes, the monthslong conflict is increasingly pulling in other countries in the Middle East and beyond.
Meantime, as Iran said the critical Strait of Hormuz remain closed and that the “aggressor will be punished today,” Saudi Arabia announced a maritime defense alliance to protect critical global shipping corridors.
Here’s the latest:
- US overnight strikes on Iran killed a couple and their 2-year-old child in their home in the village of Chah Tangu on the southern Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state media. The island is the largest in the Persian Gulf and close to the Strait of Hormuz.
- Tehran warned Cyprus and Bulgaria against allowing the US to use their bases to potentially launch attacks on the Islamic Republic. Iran has already targeted several Gulf Arab states in the Middle East, saying they are allowing the US to launch attacks from its bases there.
- A drone attack that targeted an Egyptian port Wednesday could be a warning from Iran that its conflict with the US can spread, H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute said. No party has claimed responsibility, and no injuries or deaths were reported.
- Fourteen countries backed a Saudi proposal to establish a multinational “Maritime Defense Alliance,” aimed at protecting international shipping routes and global trade, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said.
- A Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas has passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in nearly three weeks, according to Reuters.
- A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said reports from Reuters that Beijing will be sending 300 to 400 shoulder-fired air defense missile launchers to Iran are “false and entirely unfounded.”
- There’s no evidence that Iraqi territory was used to launch strikes on Saudi Arabia earlier this week, a spokesperson for the country’s prime minister told state-run media. The Saudi Defense ministry said drone strikes launched from Iraq targeted critical infrastructure and Riyadh on Monday and Tuesday.
- The US Senate failed to advance a resolution aimed at rebuking President Donald Trump over the Iran war.
CNN’s Mustafa Qadri, Aqeel Najim, Leila Gharagozlou, Aida Karimi, Nadeen Ebrahim, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Morgan Rimmer contributed reporting to this post
“You almost don’t want to wake up:” Key Iranian island again comes under attack
US overnight strikes on Iran killed a couple and their two-year-old child in their home in the village of Chah Tangu on the southern Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state media.
Two other children, aged 11 and 7, were pulled out of the rubble after being trapped and now are receiving medical treatment.
Chah Tangu is populated mostly by streetsweepers and laborers and found on Qeshm Island, the largest in the Persian Gulf and close to the vital Strait of Hormuz
Footage of the home released on Iranian media showed the clock in the house stopped at 3:36 a.m. local time when the US strikes hit.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei identified those killed as Qaisar and Zahra Jafari “and their innocent two-year-old child, Sina,” adding that several homes had been destroyed.
“With every explosion, with every crime, with every sanction, with every threat, with the killing of every child, you make Iranians more determined and united in defending their homeland,” Baqaei said in a post on X.
The US has resumed striking targets across southern and coastal Iran after a brief lull in fighting.
A sports center in the town of Farashband was also damaged but no casualties were reported.
One resident of Qeshm Island, a woman aged 50, told CNN that the unpredictability of the conflict has made it difficult to maintain normal life.
Qeshm Island has been a target throughout the war. In March Iranian state media accused the US of attacking a desalination plant on the island.
US Central Command said American forces had carried out a “heavy wave” of strikes against Iran in response to what it described as attempted missile attacks targeting its forces in the Middle East.
Senate rejects effort to rebuke Trump over war in Iran
The Senate failed to advance a resolution Thursday aimed at rebuking President Donald Trump over the war in Iran. The final tally was 49-50.
In June, during the ceasefire, the Senate adopted a resolution aimed at removing military forces from Iran, though the chamber walked back the rebuke a day later when they failed to advance a similar war powers measure.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Rand Paul voted with Democrats to limit the president’s war powers, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted with the rest of the Republican conference to reject the measure.
The president has sharply criticized Republicans for voting for to advance previous war powers resolutions, chastising them in meetings and posting on Truth Social that they are “losers” who “made my job more difficult.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy had previously pushed back on the lack of transparency surrounding the war on the Senate floor and went toe-to-toe with President Donald Trump over the issue during a closed-door Republican luncheon in June. After receiving a briefing, Cassidy voted against the next war powers measure to come to the floor for a vote.
This is the 13th time the Senate has voted on an Iran war powers measure since the beginning of the year.
14 countries back Saudi-led multinational maritime defense alliance proposal
Fourteen countries have backed a Saudi proposal to establish a multinational “Maritime Defense Alliance,” aimed at protecting international shipping routes and global trade, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday.
The countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
The ministry said military chiefs and other representatives from 43 countries attended a meeting on the initiative, either in person or by video link. A European Union delegation also took part.
Participants discussed attacks on commercial vessels, energy carriers and maritime infrastructure, along with the risks they pose to navigation, global supply chains and the international economy, according to the statement.
“It was agreed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be the founding and leading country of the alliance, and host its main headquarters,” the statement said.
The proposed alliance is “an open international defensive initiative” for countries that share its goals and principles, according to the statement, adding that it would seek to enhance maritime security and preserve “the freedom of navigation and global trade.”
The 14 countries issued a joint statement supporting the project and welcoming the consensus reached on its founding arrangements, according to the ministry. Other participating countries also expressed support and were completing domestic approval procedures, it said.
China dismisses report about Beijing sending hundreds of weapons to Iran
China’s Foreign Minister has dismissed reports from Reuters that Beijing will be sending 300 to 400 shoulder-fired air defense missile launchers to Iran, according to the country’s state-run news agency.
Reuters said the weaponry is valued between $60 to $70 million.
“The reports are false and entirely unfounded. China’s role has always been to promote peace and bring an end to the conflict,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told Xinhua News Agency.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would be “quite disappointed” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if he provided weapons to Iran.
CNN has previously reported that US intelligence indicated China was preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran, at a time when Tehran is seeking to replenish certain weapons systems with the help of key foreign partners.
Iran warns two European countries against allowing the US military to use its bases
Iran has warned two European countries against allowing the United States to use their bases to potentially launch attacks on the Islamic Republic.
He added that if a state makes its soil available for the hostile use of another, then this “constitutes participation in an act of aggression.”
Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said his government had received assurances from the United Kingdom that foreign military bases located in Cyprus would not be used against any country, including Iran, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement.
In a separate call with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Araghchi urged his European counterpart to reconsider a decision by the Bulgarian government to allow US military aircraft to use one of its bases for military operations.
“Iran expects the Bulgarian government to urgently reconsider its decision,” Iran’s foreign minister said, warning that the Islamic Republic “will not hesitate to defend its national interests and security against any aggression or hostile act, and that any party that participates in acts of aggression against Iran in any way will bear responsibility for the consequences.”
Some background: Earlier this month, Bulgaria’s parliament approved a government proposal to allow the US military to use an air base in the Balkan country to support its operations in the Middle East.
Iran has targeted several Gulf Arab states in the Middle East, saying they are allowing the US to launch attacks on Tehran from its bases there.
Qatari LNG vessel transits Strait of Hormuz for first time in nearly 3 weeks
A Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) has passed through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time in nearly three weeks, according to Reuters.
Iran’s state-run media, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), said the Qatari vessel had complied with Iran’s rules and requirements of passing the waterway.
It comes as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the key waterway will remain closed for as long as US “threats” and “interference” with shipping in the region continue. The statement came hours after the US military said it had struck dozens of IRGC targets in Iran.
Earlier this month, a few LNG tankers run by QatarEnergy were forced to make U-turns after trying to pass the strait.
Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, accounting for roughly 20% of global exports, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused global reverberations, with oil and fertilizer prices spiking, and the risk of an an LNG shortage hitting Europe this winter.
Egypt drone attack could be warning from Iran, expert says
A drone attack that targeted an Egyptian port on Wednesday could be a warning from Iran that its conflict with the United States can spread far beyond the current theater of war, a regional expert said.
No party has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, and no injuries or deaths were reported.
It’s possible that the attack came through one of Tehran’s proxy militias rather than from Iran itself, H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said.
The attack took place during cargo operations at a liquefied natural gas terminal.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said an initial assessment indicated that a floating LNG storage facility – US-owned and operated flying the Marshall Islands flag – was struck. Multiple industry sources identified the vessel as the Energos Winter and said a suspected drone strike caused a fire that spread to a second vessel.
This is the first time Cairo has been directly drawn into the ongoing regional conflict, despite serving as one of the diplomatic channels for the warring parties during mediation efforts earlier this year.
Throughout the war, Egypt has both condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries and also publicly urged US President Donald Trump to end the war.
But Egypt aligned itself with neither camp, Hellyer noted. If this is how Iran responds, he added, “that doesn’t look very good in terms of keeping Egypt off-side.”
Cairo is nonetheless unlikely to retaliate, he said. “Egypt is very, very conservative about engaging (in) offensive actions.”
Relations between Iran and Egypt broke down after Iran’s 1979 revolution, beginning one of Tehran’s longest diplomatic estrangements with an Arab nation. Contacts between the countries’ foreign ministers intensified, however, during the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Iraq says no evidence its territory was used to launch strikes on Saudi Arabia
There’s no evidence that Iraqi territory was used to launch strikes on Saudi Arabia earlier this week, a spokesperson for the country’s prime minister told state-run media today.
The Saudi Defense ministry said this week that drone strikes launched from Iraq had targeted its critical infrastructure and the capital Riyadh on Monday and Tuesday.
“No party has provided any evidence to substantiate these claims so far,” the Iraqi prime minister’s spokesperson Sabah Al-Numan told the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
“The government will not tolerate any unilateral actions originating from within Iraq, while at the same time it will not accept any violation coming from outside its borders,” Al-Numan added.
Also on Thursday, Iraqi government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said Baghdad had neither approved nor had prior knowledge of the “military operations” within Iraqi territory, INA reported.
US President Donald Trump had said the US coordinated with the Iraqis before US-Saudi strikes against Iran-backed militias in the country.
Wednesday’s strikes on Iraq killed at least 20 people and wounded 32, according to the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi pledged in a meeting with Trump this month that his country would confront Iranian-backed militias on its soil, a goal that has eluded previous Iraqi governments.
What to know: Iran says Strait of Hormuz will remain closed after US launches new strikes
The US military said it struck “dozens” of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets early Thursday morning local time, with Iranian state media later sharing images purportedly showing some of the damage caused.
The conflict is expanding, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia becoming increasingly drawn in to regional hostilities.
If you’re just joining us, catch up here:
- US attacks: The US military said it completed a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran, with Iranian state media reporting explosions heard across southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas and the Persian Gulf island of Kish. The latest strikes were a retaliatory response to Iran’s attempted attack on US military positions a day prior and were the first in several days to directly target the country.
- Qeshm Island: Iranian state broadcaster IRIB has published photos and videos purportedly showing damage after US strikes on Qeshm Island, where it said search and rescue operations were ongoing after missiles struck a residential home in the Chah Tangu neighborhood.
- Strait of Hormuz: The IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as US “threats” and “interference” with shipping in the region continue.
- Conflict expanding: Egypt has now been directly impacted by the conflict after its infrastructure was struck for the first time, causing a fire to break out on two vessels at one of its ports. It comes as Saudi Arabia has also been pulled further in to the war, carrying out joint strikes with the US on Iranian proxies in Iraq.
- Stalled negotiations: Pakistan is “doing the utmost” to revive US-Iran negotiations, a spokesperson for Islamabad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
- Shell profits: Shell reported Thursday that its latest quarterly profits soared to their second-highest levels in the company’s history, as the US-Iran war caused a surge in global oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has soared by nearly a third since the start of the war in February.
Pakistan "doing the utmost" to revive US-Iran negotiations, foreign ministry says
Pakistan is “doing the utmost” to revive US-Iran negotiations, a spokesperson for Islamabad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday as he reiterated the importance of dialogue in ending the conflict.
Pakistan has played a key mediating role between Washington and Tehran since the start of the recent hostilities, hosting peace negotiations in Islamabad and helping to broker a temporary ceasefire.
“Amid the prevailing tensions and hostilities, Pakistan reiterates that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path forward,” the foreign ministry’s spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said during a weekly briefing on Thursday.
He added Pakistan is “doing the utmost” to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table and welcomes “all efforts aimed at sustaining the cessation of hostilities and resumption of dialogue.”
Shell profits hit second-highest level ever as US-Iran war sparks oil prices
Shell’s latest quarterly profits soared to their second-highest levels in the company’s history as the US-Iran war caused a surge in global oil prices.
Profits climbed to $9.8 billion during the three months to the end of June, more than double the $4.3 billion it made over the same period in 2025, the company reported on Thursday. Over the first half of the year, the British energy major saw its profits balloon 70% compared with the year before.
The price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has soared by nearly a third since the start of the war in February.
On Thursday, Brent was up 1.4% shortly before 6 a.m. ET while WTI, the US benchmark, was trading up 0.6% after the US launched a heavy round of strikes on Iran — the first in several days to directly target the country.
Shell’s results were the highest since the second quarter of 2022, weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The US-Iran war has also generated wild swings in oil prices, which oil traders have taken advantage of.
Shell’s chief executive Wael Sawan said the firm’s “operational performance enabled very strong results during another quarter of severe disruption in global energy markets.”
Iran strikes building belonging to Chinese company in Kuwait, Kuwaiti army says
The Kuwaiti army said Iran conducted a deadly strike on a building belonging to a Chinese company in the northern part of the country, killing one employee and causing “extensive material damage” to the structure.
On X, army officials said they would take “all necessary measures to protect the nation’s sovereignty and preserve its security and stability.”
Egypt says fire at Damietta Port was caused by drone
A fire that broke out on two vessels at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday was caused by a drone, according to the Egyptian cabinet.
No party has claimed responsibility for the incident, officials added, which took place during cargo operations at a liquefied natural gas terminal. No injuries or deaths were reported.
Maritime risk-management company Marisks on Wednesday said the affected vessels were moved outside the port. On Thursday, port authorities said operations continued “at full efficiency.”
“The port continues to provide its maritime and logistics services around the clock without interruption, meeting the needs of shipping lines and all port users,” Damietta Port Authority said in a statement.
If confirmed as a deliberate attack, Marisks said it would represent a significant expansion of regional hostilities into Mediterranean energy infrastructure.
This is the first time Egyptian infrastructure has been struck in the widening war.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards say Hormuz to stay closed, "aggressor will be punished today"
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as US “threats” and “interference” with shipping in the region continue, hours after the US military said it had struck dozens of IRGC targets in Iran.
“The Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened as long as the excessive rhetoric, threats by American officials, and their interference with maritime movements in the region continue,” the IRGC said in a statement on Telegram.
Iran claims the Strait of Hormuz is under its control and has frequently attacked vessels that do not adhere to its instructions.
“The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and the courageous sailors of the IRGC Navy firmly control it. No outsider who has come from thousands of kilometres away will be permitted to interfere,” the force said, adding that “the aggressor will be punished today.”
“Countries that are assisting the aggressor, if they do not change their behaviour, will receive a harsh response.”
