Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency reports that air defenses have been activated to “counter hostile targets” to the east of Tehran.

Iranian locals are reporting a massive explosion with a large shockwave within the last few minutes near Firuzabad, in the Fars Province of Southwestern Iran.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced the completion of the 13th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran designed to diminish the threat that Iran poses to commercial shipping in the region.

Ukraine’s strike campaign against the Russian online retailer Wildberries - which provides direct logistical support to the Russian Armed Forces - is continuing, with one-way attack drones striking and setting ablaze a distribution warehouse this morning in the city of St. Petersburg, over 500 miles from the northern border with Ukraine.

Video footage allegedly showing the impact of an Iranian short-range ballistic missile earlier near the Headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Manama, Bahrain.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed that U.S. forces have disabled a second vessel attempting to violate the naval blockade of Iran.

According to CENTCOM, the motor tanker 'Lavine' made multiple attempts to breach the blockade. After warnings went unheeded, U.S. forces struck the vessel's engine room, rendering it inoperable.

CENTCOM has not disclosed where the incident occurred, and it remains unclear whether a formal statement with additional details will be released.

The New York Times, citing multiple people briefed on the matter, reports that President Donald J. Trump switched from the Qatari donated Boeing 747-8 to the legacy Air Force One during the NATO summit after the Secret Service received what officials deemed a credible threat that Iranian proxy forces were targeting the president and whatever aircraft he was traveling aboard.

The Qatari donated 747-8 is currently serving as the VC-25B "Bridge" aircraft, a temporary presidential transport intended to fill the gap until Boeing delivers the long delayed next generation VC-25B fleet. According to the report, the threat was not specific to the aircraft itself, but the incident has renewed scrutiny over its defensive capabilities, as it lacks some of the advanced defensive systems carried by the current VC-25A and future VC-25B fleets.

President Trump appeared to acknowledge those limitations earlier this week when, after being asked about the aircraft's lack of antimissile defenses, he told reporters the jet would soon be taken out of service to be "maxed out" with additional upgrades, a process that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed would take approximately one month.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/us/politics/trump-plane-iran-threat.html

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that Bahrain and Kuwait secretly conducted airstrikes against military targets inside Iran earlier this month, the first known direct retaliatory strikes by either country against Iran.

According to the report, the strikes targeted drone and missile storage sites, while the United Arab Emirates provided intelligence and defensive air cover. The operation reportedly followed weeks of Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which host U.S. military bases.

Kuwait's ambassador to the United States denied the report, stating that Kuwait neither participated in military operations against Iran nor allowed its territory to be used for offensive operations against a neighboring state, after the article was initially published.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-gulf-states-bahrain-kuwait-strikes-009637db

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has issued an advisory after receiving a report of an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman yesterday.

The timing coincides with an Associated Press report that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled the motor tanker 'Lavine' in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iran. It is unclear whether the UKMTO advisory and the reported CENTCOM operation refer to the same incident or why CENTCOM has not published a statement on the incident.

In a notable development, Yair Lapid, Israeli opposition leader, is also set to attend Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral this week, amidst news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also set to meet U.S. President Donald J. Trump on the sidelines of the funeral, as Israel continues to prepare for a potential widening of the already expanding conflict between the U.S. and Iran in the Middle East.

Axios, citing two sources familiar with the decision, reports that President Donald J. Trump directed the U.S. military not to conduct strikes against Iran on Friday, ending 13 consecutive nights of U.S. attacks.

According to the report, the decision came as Oman continued talks with Iran on a potential agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. military remains prepared to resume or escalate operations on short notice, Trump reportedly believes pursuing a diplomatic agreement is currently the "smarter strategy."