Trump:

The Oval Office is a great place to negotiate.

Everyone is discombobulated when they walk in.

Iran rejected a temporary US ceasefire proposal from Trump, delivered to Tehran by Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi after his White House visit.

Al-Zaidi met with Pezeshkian, Araghchi, and Ghalibaf.

Tehran refused because the offer left control of the Strait of Hormuz unresolved.

Araghchi called the US approach “illogical, greedy and controlling.”

Source: NYT

Trump:

From now on, damages to ships, cargo, or related property will be paid from Iranian money the US holds and controls.

Damages may be substantial, but this is fair and equitable.

The Pentagon lowered its reported U.S. troop death toll from the Iran war from 18 to 14, then gave conflicting explanations for the change.

Three military officials said four troops killed after Trump declared a cease-fire (three in Jordan, one in Iraq) were removed because their deaths occurred after the cease-fire announcement.

Pentagon spokesman Joel Valdez instead blamed the change on temporary website data issues.

Source: NYT

US strikes on Iran continued for a 13th straight night, hitting reported missile sites in Yazd, weapons depots in Ahvaz, and multiple locations across southern and western Iran.

In response, Iran launched several missiles this morning toward Jordan, Bahrain, and the Erbil region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The US has introduced new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 major trading partners, including the UK, EU, China, Canada, Japan, and India, covering 99.4% of US imports.

Trump praises Laura Loomer's interview with Zelensky.

Ukraine's Navy has, for the first time, been certified by NATO to command multinational mine countermeasure forces after passing the Alliance's NEL-2 operational evaluation during the Sea Breeze 2026 exercise.

The certification confirms Ukraine can lead NATO-standard mine-clearing operations and coordinate multinational naval units, marking a major milestone in its military integration with the Alliance.

Source: RBC-Ukraine

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

Seizing another nation's assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent.

Those who celebrate or profit from such funds should remember: once governments normalize confiscation, no one's assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.

Canada's Carney:

I'm going to take this opportunity to thank President Scheinbaum and the Mexican people for sending 200 firefighters to help us with our fires here. That's what friends do when you have crisis and fires.

Canada's Carney:

As everyone knows, on Monday the U.S. administration announced its intention to impose the latest in a series of unilateral and unwarranted trade actions.

We are intensifying our negotiations with the United States in pursuit of a comprehensive agreement that addresses all tariff-related sectors.

In all circumstances, irrespective of the outcome of those negotiations, Canada will do whatever it takes to build our strength at home and to support Canadian families, workers, our farmers, our businesses.

We're ready.

Q: Last year you made the decision to remove many counter-tariff measures. What kinds of trade retaliation measures are you willing to consider now, if any?

Is everything on the table if there's no agreement before August 19th?

Canada's Carney: Everything's on the table if there's no agreement, depending on the outcome of the negotiations.

Q: Let's say you get this deal with the President of the United States. You're going to have to convince a lot of Canadians, skeptical of the trustworthiness of the President, that this time he means it.

How will you explain that the President can be trusted when he signs a document with your name on it?

Canada's Carney: First I have to be convinced, we have to be convinced, the team has to be convinced, the premiers have to be convinced that an agreement is worth the paper it's written on.

We will know when we see it.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan:

This morning, around 11:00 a.m., a Romanian pilot in an F-16 aircraft shot down a drone that had entered our country's airspace.

The area was uninhabited, so the pilot was able to fire without any risk involved. Currently, teams from institutions with relevant responsibilities are investigating the area to provide all the details about the incident.

IRGC:

We warn the general public of the countries where U.S. military personnel are stationed to immediately move away from areas within a 500-meter radius of locations where U.S. military personnel are stationed, both openly and covertly, in order to ensure their safety.

India's government has asked until Saturday afternoon to respond to protesters' demand that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over exam paper leaks.

Protesters also want charges against demonstrators dropped and compensation for families of students who reportedly died by suicide after the leaks.

If the resignation demand is rejected, organizers say they will escalate nationwide protests.

Source: Reuters

Four Palestinians and one Israeli were killed in a violent clash near the West Bank village of Tell.

Palestinians say Israeli "settlers", backed by soldiers, attacked the village, while Israel claims troops responded after Israeli hikers were attacked.

Source: The Guardian

Trump's Jan. 6 Personal Messages Sought by BBC

The BBC has asked the US government for evidence from the Jan 6 investigation, including Trump's messages with advisers that day, in connection with Trump's $10 billion defamation suit.

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