U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has issued a fact check disputing several claims made earlier today by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Specifically, CENTCOM rejects IRGC assertions that the Strait of Hormuz is unsafe for commercial shipping, that multiple U.S. military aircraft, including three F-35 fighter jets, have been destroyed, and that the motor tanker Nora successfully breached the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.

CENTCOM stated that each of those claims is false, describing them as part of an ongoing Iranian disinformation effort surrounding military operations in the region.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released an update on the ongoing naval blockade of Iran, accompanied by video of U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon 169544, as identified by SR_Planespotter on X. The aircraft is assigned to Patrol Squadron 16 (VP-16), the "War Eagles," based at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have redirected 30 commercial vessels, boarded two to verify compliance, and disabled two that allegedly failed to comply with blockade directives.

This P-8A Poseidon is equipped with the AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor (AAS), providing wide-area maritime and ground surveillance, as well as the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), enabling near real-time transmission of intelligence to higher headquarters and allies. The aircraft is seen operating off the coast of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on July 20, 2026.

President Donald J. Trump announced that the Board of Peace has reached what he described as a "historic" agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.

The Board of Peace is a U.S.-led international organization established earlier this year to oversee post-conflict stabilization, reconstruction, and governance in Gaza under Trump's broader peace plan. According to Trump, the agreement will be implemented in phases, with Hamas disarming, Israeli forces withdrawing as benchmarks are met, and an International Stabilization Force working alongside a new Palestinian police force under a new Palestinian government.

Trump also credited Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their mediation efforts, calling the agreement a major milestone in his 20-Point Plan and stating that Gaza "will no longer be used as a base for terror attacks."

Current Board of Peace members include: United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Kuwait, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Argentina, and Paraguay.

Reuters reports that an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed, or attempted to cross, into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco overnight, prompting Spain to deploy additional military and police forces while Moroccan authorities used water cannons and reinforced border security to stem the surge.

According to Reuters, authorities in Ceuta said nine bodies have been recovered, while clashes left multiple vehicles burned and stampedes injured migrants as crowds attempted to breach the border or swim around it. The latest surge highlights the continued pressure on Ceuta, one of the European Union's only land borders with Africa and a recurring flashpoint for irregular migration into Europe.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sleepless-night-near-border-spains-ceuta-migrants-torch-vehicles-2026-07-31/

The Washington Post reports that U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed Iran was likely behind a coordinated cyberattack targeting more than 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota, though officials say the assessment is not yet definitive and the FBI's investigation remains ongoing.

According to the Post, the attack disrupted control systems at multiple water facilities but did not contaminate drinking water or cause widespread service outages. The report notes federal cybersecurity officials have warned for months that Iranian cyber actors have been targeting internet-connected industrial control systems used by U.S. water, wastewater, and energy facilities.

Previous Iranian linked cyber activity has targeted water infrastructure, including incidents involving Pennsylvania utilities and repeated CISA warnings about Iranian exploitation of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), but those cases were narrower in scope or attributed after law enforcement investigations rather than through a contemporaneous intelligence assessment.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/07/30/us-spy-agencies-suspect-iran-launched-cyberattack-minnesota-water-facilities/

U.S. Army soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division are seen here firing an M777 155mm howitzer during an exercise at an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

Polish officials have now confirmed that the missile which struck a field Thursday near a town in Southeastern Poland, causing a large crater but thankfully no injuries, was indeed a Russian Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile, which entered the country via its border with Ukraine. Authorities have refused to rule out that the act may have been a deliberate “provocation” from Russia, with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs having summoned the Russian Ambassador.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has issued a fact check in response to renewed Iranian claims that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, stating that the claim is false.

According to CENTCOM, commercial shipping continues to transit the waterway, which remains open despite the ongoing conflict. The command noted that Iran does not control the entire strait and that thousands of commercial vessels have successfully transited since the war began.

Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz averaged approximately 130 commercial vessel transits per day. Since February 28, roughly 19,900 transits would have been expected under normal conditions. Instead, daily traffic has generally remained at around 10% of pre-war levels, with only occasional surges.

The majority of commercial traffic has continued to use Iran's designated shipping channel, while an unknown number of vessels have instead transited via the U.S. established maritime safety corridor through Omani waters. Several vessels using that route have subsequently come under Iranian attack, underscoring that while the strait remains open, commercial shipping continues to operate in a high-threat environment.

Initial reports of a crash involving a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning ll at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, home of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in San Diego, California.

Aerial footage captured by FOX 5 San Diego shows the burned out, smoldering wreckage of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning ll that crashed earlier at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California.

Additional footage of firefighting operations earlier this morning at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, following the violent crash landing of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning ll.

Multiple major news outlets are reporting that President Donald J. Trump is actively weighing a major escalation alongside Israel that could target Iranian energy and other critical infrastructure, if diplomacy fails.

CBS News reports the U.S. and Israel are preparing options to strike Iran's energy sector as soon as this weekend, though officials stress no final decision has been made. Axios similarly reports the administration is seriously considering strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure as part of a broader effort to increase pressure on Tehran following the collapse of recent ceasefire talks.

The reporting marks a notable shift from earlier operations that primarily focused on military targets. Infrastructure attacks would represent a significant escalation with potentially broader economic consequences for Iran and global energy markets.

The UK Office of Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) is reporting an attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, roughly 11NM northeast of Lima, Oman. According to the UKMTO, the vessel was struck in its engine room by an unknown projectile suggesting this may have been an intentional disabling by the U.S. Navy as opposed to an attack by Iran.

Russia is providing valuable satellite and signals intelligence to Iran that is likely helping it to pinpoint U.S. military forces across the Middle East as well as jam American-made aircraft and munitions used in strikes against Iran, U.S. and European officials with knowledge of the matter have told NBC News.

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces has stated that air defenses are currently responding to hostile drone threats from Iran.

The commander of U.S. European Command has privately warned the Pentagon that he does not have enough naval forces to continue defending Israel against Iranian ballistic missile attacks and may soon have to prioritize defense of the U.S. homeland unless another Navy destroyer is assigned.

The warning from Gen. Alexus Grynkewich underscores the growing strain the Iran war has placed on U.S. military resources. The Washington Post reports that near-daily operations have stretched the Navy's destroyer fleet, while previous reporting from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Reuters has detailed mounting concerns over dwindling stocks of Patriot and other air defense interceptors needed to protect U.S. forces and allies.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the correspondence, but officials told the Post the warning reflects the military's process for alerting senior leaders when operational risks begin to exceed available resources.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/01/general-warns-pentagon-he-lacks-sufficient-forces-protect-israel/

Federal investigators are probing whether Iranian state-backed hackers are behind a series of malicious cyber attacks this week that targeted water supply systems in seven states across the United States, including Minnesota, as the conflict in the Middle East continues into its sixth month, officials tell CBS News.

On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro filed a motion seeking to dismiss a felony charge against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist who was arrested and accused last month of pulling up a piece of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, instead accusing contractors chosen by President Trump of botching the renovation of the iconic pool in Washington.

In the extraordinary motion, Pirro broke with claims having been made over the last few months by the Trump Administration that damage to the pool had been caused by vandals, with President Trump himself claiming that people had “slashed” the lining of the pool with blades, something echoed initially by the Interior and Justice Department.

Pirro said in her motion that prosecutors had been misled by the Interior Department, who had blamed all the damage on vandals, when the lining applied by the first-time government contractor used had begun to peel within two days of installation. According to Pirro, the shoddy work done by the contractor caused “widespread damage” to the new blue lining of the pool located between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.