The Guardian — World
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Iran’s foreign minister calls threat of new US economic sanctions ‘desperate’Abbas Araghchi says country is unbowed but president Masoud Pezeshkian admits its people face ‘many problems’ Iran’s foreign minister has dismissed the threat of a fresh round of US economic sanctions as a “desperate” ploy, even as its president acknowledged that the Iranian people are facing “many problems” amid Washington’s efforts to isolate and debilitate the country’s economy. Last week, Donald Trump announced a new campaign to increase the pressure on the Iranian economy , calling it “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country”. The US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, is expected to announce further punitive economic measures on Iran – which he has described as “the toughest sanctions in history” – on Monday. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
More than 16 killed as Kyiv comes under intense Russian bombardmentMissile and drone attack one of heaviest since war began, with children’s hospital and residential areas hitA heavy Russian missile and drone bombardment has killed at least 16 people in and around Kyiv in one of the most intense aerial attacks on Ukraine’s capital since the start of the war.Vitali Klitschko, the city’s mayor, said homes, a school and a children’s medical centre were among the buildings damaged overnight in an attack that began at about midnight and was continuing into the early afternoon. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
EU’s von der Leyen warns of ‘escalating campaign of threats’ as Romania destroys naval drone – as it happenedDevice was near country’s Neptun Deep gas platform in the Black SeaRomania’s military has destroyed a marine drone spotted just “a few hundred meters” from the Neptun Deep platform, a major offshore gas project in the Black Sea.The drone, spotted just “a few hundreds of meters” from the gas extraction works at the Neptun Deep platform located some 80 miles east of the city of Constanța, was destroyed by a Romanian F-16 fighter jet. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Oil prices jump after US-Iran ceasefire expires and Trump threatens OmanBrent crude rises above $90 a barrel for the first time since 30 July after US president tells Tehran to surrenderBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices have risen again after the two-month window to negotiate a peace deal in the US-Israel war on Iran expired on Monday with no end to the conflict in sight.Iran said on Monday that it would take a more aggressive stance if talks with the US failed, while Donald Trump demanded Tehran “put up the white flag of surrender” in an interview with Fox News. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Burnham criticised for EV and North Sea approach amid climate crisisCut in electric vehicle sales targets could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions in UK, say green campaignersAndy Burnham has been criticised for moving to cut electric vehicle (EV) sales targets and accept North Sea drilling at a time of devastating wildfires caused by the climate emergency.The prime minister for the first time acknowledged on Friday that the climate crisis was behind hundreds of wildfires that have ripped across the parts of the UK. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt leaving role, president says – as it happenedThis live blog is now closed.Karoline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretarySign up for the Breaking News US emailCore inflation, which measures price changes without volatile goods like food and gas, rose by 0.2% in July, after not really changing in June compared to the month prior.While the latest data shows there has been a 2.9% drop in gas prices from June to July, there has been a 25% hike compared to this time last year. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
US credit card debt climbs to $1.26tn, nearing last year’s record highMortgage and student loan balances saw ‘small decline’ with increases elsewhere, says post alongside Fed reportCredit card debt in the United States is growing close to a record high, having crept up from $54bn to $1.26tn between April and June compared with the same period last year, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.That figure is just shy of last year’s record high of $1.28tn. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Trump signs order attempting to override CDC vaccine schedule and break up MMR shotsPresident and RFK Jr, the health secretary, repeatedly referred to autism during signing, though studies show no link between it and vaccinesDonald Trump has signed an executive order with plans for sweeping changes to the childhood vaccination schedule that attempts to override the authority of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It is an attempt to undergird the changes made earlier this year to CDC vaccination recommendations, which were halted by a federal judge. The CDC is the federal agency tasked with recommending vaccines, not the White House. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan and vows no withdrawal until Hamas disarms – as it happenedThis live blog is now closed.Israel rejects US-led 15-point Gaza peace plan, says NetanyahuIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a Gaza plan hailed by US president Donald Trump, vowing no military pullout of Gaza until Hamas is “genuinely” disarmed. The Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.Here are the other key updates from today:The US must pressure Israel to accept the next phase of the Gaza plan, a Hamas official said, after Netanyahu rejected the US-backed agreement. “We expect the mediators and the American guarantor to pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons,” Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said.A Houthi drone salvo targeted a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast. The Iran-backed group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Houthis had “succeeded in targeting the Aramco refinery in Jazan on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast with a drone”.Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen killed at least four troops from the internationally-recognised government forces and injured 20 more personnel, two military sources said. The initial toll came from strikes on the Yemeni city of Mokha and surrounding areas, as well as Khokha, south of the port city of Hodeida, the sources said on condition of anonymity, after the Houthis announced they had targeted military forces and equipment on the Red Sea coast.Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian met the country’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei around the start of the president’s third year in office in late July, state media said, and a paramilitary leader promised footage of Khamenei in the future. Khamenei was reportedly seriously injured in the February strike that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The promise to release footage of the leader by paramilitary Basij Organisation deputy Qasem Qoraishi appeared to be aimed at quashing speculation about his health. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Iran-aligned Houthis claim they attacked oil refinery in Saudi ArabiaDrone strike comes after Riyadh signs defence pact and Tehran issues tough demands to reopen strait of HormuzYemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack on a refinery in Saudi Arabia, two days after the kingdom signed a defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan in response to growing regional instability caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.The attack early on Sunday came after Iran said tough new demands would have to be met before it would reopen the strait of Hormuz, and after the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships had been targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the waterway remained out of reach. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Senate committee says it has copy of Fauci’s phone as it weighs holding him in contemptVeteran US health official invoked fifth amendment right amid hostile questioning from Republicans last weekUS politics live – latest updatesA US Senate committee says it obtained a backup copy of Anthony Fauci’s iPhone as it weighed whether to hold the veteran government health official in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer Republicans’ questions amid a hostile inquisition last week.The phone was used by Fauci during his time as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, including his time fronting the first Trump administration’s response to the Covid pandemic in 2020. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Trump praises back-to-back meetings with Zelenskyy and NetanyahuUS president makes positive posts as Ukraine seeks more firepower and Israeli PM seeks to repair relationshipDonald Trump hosted back-to-back White House meetings with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, as Ukraine seeks more firepower for its air defenses and the Israeli prime minister tries to repair his strained relationship with the US president.Trump described both meetings in positive terms on social media Tuesday evening, remaining vague about what was discussed. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
The Hegseth budget: defense secretary’s $1.5tn ask reveals military-industrial chaosThe Pentagon head proposed a 44% increase – to second world war levels – while ‘woke’ programs are guttedUS politics live – latest updatesWhen the ‘“department of government efficiency” was raging unchecked through the federal government in February 2025, the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ordered his subordinates to find cuts of 8% a year for the next five years, theoretically trimming a total of $340m from the Pentagon budget.The disclosure briefly sent Palantir and defense stocks tanking – though soon the plan evaporated, as if it never existed. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Donald Trump says decision on ‘massive attack’ against Iran is closePresident’s remarks follow Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and oil prices rising past $100 a barrel againDonald Trump has said he is close to deciding whether to launch “a massive attack” against Iran, on a scale larger than strikes already witnessed during the months-long conflict with Tehran.Speaking to the Axios news site, the US president said: “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it.” Continue reading...The Guardian — World
US House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to withdraw US military from IranResolution, which comes after similar one in June, is largely symbolic, as Trump administration says it’s unconstitutionalUS politics live – latest updatesThe US House of Representatives on Thursday for the second time passed a war powers resolution directing Donald Trump to withdraw the US military from the conflict with Iran, amid renewed fighting in the Middle East that has driven oil prices to their highest levels in weeks.The resolution proposed by Democrat Pramila Jayapal passed by a 214-208 vote, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in attendance to vote in favor. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
First Thing: US agrees Saudi uranium deal as strikes on Iran continue and Yemen’s Houthis hit tankersConflict continues across the region as White House announces nuclear technology agreement. Plus, the artist who flattened a Tesla with a tankDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. The US has signed a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in the future. The deal will be submitted to Congress for review, where it could face opposition among lawmakers who fear a lack of monitoring safeguards.In lengthy talks stretching over more than one administration, the US has feared that Riyadh would look elsewhere for nuclear technology if the US did not provide what it wanted. Saudi Arabia has long said that if it does not partner with the US, it could do so with China or Russia, which have different proliferation standards.Why is a uranium deal with Saudi Arabia controversial? The full details of the deal have yet to be released, but it comes as the US’s war with Iran is being fought in part to prevent Tehran enriching uranium domestically and make it near impossible for Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia has in the past said it would need a nuclear weapon if Iran acquired one. Kenneth Roth has analysed why Trump would agree it right now.What are the latest developments in the war? The US military launched its 12th successive night of strikes, which have now widened to western and central Iran. In attacks lasting five hours, the US claims to have struck military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air defense assets. Yemen’s Houthi militia also attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, the Iran-aligned group said on Thursday, with a Saudi news agency later confirming one of the vessels was ablaze in the Red Sea. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could pave the way for domestic nuclear enrichmentTrump administration hails agreement, which comes as the US fights a war with Iran in part to prevent Tehran enriching uranium domesticallyWhat is the US-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal and why is it causing concern?The US has signed a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in the future.In a statement on Wednesday, the US Department of Energy said its secretary, Chris Wright, and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, signed a “peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement”, along with a “bilateral safeguards agreement”. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Trump’s war on Iran is unpopular and expensive. He’s perfectly OK with thatTrump’s response to the Iran war’s mounting death toll and astronomical costs? ‘It won’t have any impact on me’This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayCould it be … that Donald Trump isn’t a team player?The midterm elections are less than four months away, and Republicans in the House and the Senate – hampered by a deeply unpopular president and what might be an even less popular war – are increasingly fearful of losing their jobs. Even Trump’s base is beginning to turn against the conflict. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
CDC cuts leave US less prepared for disease outbreaks, former officials warnAs measles, hantavirus and cyclospora spread, experts say lost staff and expertise are slowing the responseThe Guardian — World
$37.5bn cost of Iran war revealed as senator warns of ‘another forever war’ | First ThingPete Hegseth reveals costs so far as Trump administration seeks more funding. Plus, rediscovered plane wreck that changed flying for everDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has told the Senate that the US-Israel war on Iran has cost $37.5bn so far, as he faced lawmakers furious over the conflict’s soaring price tag and the deaths last week of three American service members. He defended the Trump administration’s roughly $88bn supplemental funding request, calling it “urgent, necessary”.What is happening in Iran? The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has described how he was pulled from the rubble of a leadership compound after the US-Israeli airstrike that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war, and has survived since by constantly moving around Tehran by car. Deepa Parent, meanwhile, has reports from the ground with ordinary Iranians, who say “it’s truly hell here” as airstrikes, repression and water shortages become the “new normal”.What other developments have affected the region? Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor, has acknowledged he does not have the authority to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, but urged US federal authorities to do so if the Israeli prime minister visits the US later this year. The White House has announced that American airline carriers will be able to resume direct flights to Lebanon more than 40 years after the US suspended the route.What is uranium enrichment? It is the process of increasing the presence of isotope uranium-235 so the substance can sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Enrichment is not an automatic path to a nuclear weapon, but could open the door to a Saudi Arabia weapons programme, something its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has not ruled out if Iran obtains an atomic bomb. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Hegseth estimates rising cost of Iran war now at $37.5bn – as it happenedThis blog is now closed. Read our latest full report here.Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, is due to meet Donald Trump for the first time today as he wraps up a four-day visit to Washington.The meeting coincides with ongoing US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel. The two sides announced a “framework agreement” on 26 June which stipulates the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon as well as the disarmament of Hezbollah. Continue reading...The Guardian — World
Iranian airport and bridges hit as US forces board ship amid ports blockade – as it happenedSouthern rail station also attacked, Iranian media says, as IRGC claims to have destroyed US fighter jets stationed in JordanThe Guardian — World