Brazilian President Lula on Trump:

Trump made a post saying that he would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but every ship that he lets pass through the strait, the owner of the oil would have to pay him 20%.

That used to be called piracy, didn't it? It used to be called piracy.

A country as important as the United States, which spent so long fighting piracy, should not now become a pirate. He shouldn't be charging for that, because the strait is not his responsibility.

Brazilian President Lula on Iran:

We cannot accept a war provoked by the United States based on the claim that Iran wanted to build nuclear weapons.

I can say that this is a lie, because I was in Iran in 2010. I was there with President Ahmadinejad, together with the President of Türkiye, signing an agreement that Iran would not produce nuclear weapons—it would enrich uranium only for peaceful, scientific purposes, just as Brazil does.

In the same way, they claimed Saddam had chemical weapons, and they went and destroyed Iraq. Where are those chemical weapons? More than twenty years later—where are they?

Trump's proposed 20% fee on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz could more than double the cost of shipping oil through the waterway.

Analysts estimate transport costs could rise from about $10 to $26 per barrel, adding more than $30 million in costs for a large oil tanker and potentially leading to higher energy prices for consumers.

Source: NYT

Senior Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi:

Last night, coinciding with the downing of U.S. drones, the ‘Strategic Action for the Security and Sustainable Progress of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf’ bill was formally introduced in Iran’s Parliament.

We remain steadfast in defending our red lines, particularly regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

This is the first step; subsequent measures are forthcoming.

Germany's upper house approved a bill that would make denying Israel's "right to exist" or calling for its abolition punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

The bill still needs lower-house approval and has drawn criticism from free speech advocates, who say it violates Germany's constitutional protections for freedom of expression.

Source: The Jerusalem Post

Bessent:

I don't have a lot of cash anymore.

I'm a public servant.

The EU is divided over whether to ban imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

Germany and Italy oppose the move unless all 27 EU countries unanimously approve it, while France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden argue it can pass with a qualified majority because it's a trade issue.

The proposed measures range from higher tariffs to a full import ban,

Source: The Telegraph

Ukraine says 116 Russian vessels were hit in the Sea of Azov in nine days, including 11 overnight (5 tankers, 5 cargo ships, 1 tugboat).

France temporarily shut down three nuclear reactors and may reduce output at seven more as a heatwave warms rivers, to comply with environmental rules that protect aquatic ecosystems.

EDF says there is no nuclear safety risk, and the outages are expected to last until mid-to-late July depending on weather.

Source: Euronews

Türkiye’s ASELSAN is showing off mass production of the HGK-84 — a Turkish kit that turns dumb 2,000 lb bombs into GPS-guided smart weapons.

The warehouse full of finished units is the real flex.

Türkiye can build these at scale (3,400+ on order), meaning cheaper stockpiles and no reliance on foreign kits like JDAM.

Trump:

ABC Fake News and its shaky anchor, David Muir, said that the Reflecting Pool was drained to address Peeling Paint (there is no paint, it was slashed with a knife, or box cutter, high grade colored waterproofing liner - it was VANDALISM!) and Algae Blooms (also caused by Vandals, but removed long ago!).

In other words, the story was FAKE NEWS, but heavily slanted away from the real cause of the problem, Vandalism. It will be fixed soon, and better than ever.

60 monuments and fountains have been cleaned and fully renovated in D.C., and crime is at record lows!

Washington has never looked better, or been safer!

The U.S. has paused the removal of its Air Force refueling aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport.

Israeli airport officials warn that if the planes are not relocated, up to 50,000 flights tickets could be affected by cancellations during July due to operational disruptions.

Source: Kan News

Iran exported over 80 million barrels of oil and refined products—worth about $6 billion—during the 26-day window before the U.S. reinstated its blockade.

About 30 million barrels remained stranded in storage, while roughly 60 million barrels of floating storage capacity is still available inside the blockade.

Source: Washington Examiner

Ukrainian troops joined France's Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time, while two Ukrainian pilots flew French-supplied Mirage fighter jets overhead.

Lebanon and Israel begin U.S.-brokered talks in Rome to negotiate the implementation of the June 26 ceasefire framework.

The discussions focus on a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, the deployment of Lebanese troops, and the gradual disarmament of Hezbollah in designated pilot zones.

Source: Reuters

A White House official says Trump is determined to impose a 20% toll on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an idea he has pushed for months despite internal opposition.

The administration is still working out the details, and the proposal contradicts earlier statements by top officials, including JD Vance and Marco Rubio, who opposed tolls on international waterways.

Source: Semafor

Who tipped Washington off about the "Iran plot to kill Trump"?

Israeli media initially said "a Western intelligence service" warned Washington, but Israel's ambassador Huckabee openly confirmed it was Mossad — claiming a "very specific plot" against Trump while he was in Ankara for the NATO summit.

Trump took it seriously.

He switched his return aircraft — flying home on Air Force One instead of the plane gifted by Qatar.

Publicly, he said: "They want to bring me down. I saw this morning I was on every list."

He warned the US military would destroy Iran if anything happened to him.

Türkiye was pulled in.

While the world watched the NATO summit, Turkish authorities quietly investigated the tip in Ankara. Nothing was ever corroborated.

Iran didn't deny it — but couldn't.

Khamenei's six-day funeral was underway. No one in Tehran was in a position to issue a denial. That silence was read in Washington as confirmation.

Netanyahu is terrified Trump will strike a deal with Iran.

The "plot" conveniently gave Trump a reason to restart strikes, dismiss domestic anti-war voices, and reset stalled negotiations with Iran in a stronger position.

Bostan ends with the pointed question: "So — did that tip really come from Mossad?"

Source: Turkish journalist Yahya Bostan column in Yeni Şafak

Arab media outlets in Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the announcement of Israel's October 27 election, with some commentators openly urging Israelis to vote him out.

The criticism is framed as a coordinated effort to influence Israel's election by weakening the right-wing government and paving the way for a Palestinian state.

Source: N14

Europe's greatest modern failure wasn't in Paris or London.

It was in a small Bosnian town called Srebrenica

Bulgaria will no longer participate in the Coalition of the Willing, Prime Minister Roumen Radev announced, distancing the country from the group of nations supporting Ukraine.

Radev said the war should be resolved through diplomacy rather than further arms deliveries.

Source: Bloomberg

U.S. strikes hit four locations in Bushehr, Iran, according to Iranian state media.