Photo posted earlier today by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) of an Army Paratrooper, likely with the 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) out of Vicenza, Italy, participating in a live-fire exercise at an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

President Donald J. Trump has taken to Truth Social to reject recent Iranian claims that no talks are taking place with the United States, asserting that Tehran is privately seeking meetings while publicly denying negotiations.

Trump also claimed the Strait of Hormuz is "completely controlled" by the U.S. Navy, describing the naval blockade as the "United States Wall of Steel." He said nothing will be allowed into Iran unless authorized by the United States and that the blockade will remain in place until a deal is reached or Iran agrees to what he described as "total surrender."

The president concluded by saying the United States and Iran are "talking of a solution" to the conflict, despite Iran's public denials that direct negotiations are underway.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released audio of the USS Comstock (LSD-45) hailing an unidentified vessel over Marine VHF Channel 16, the international hailing and distress frequency, ordering it to alter course and warning that failure to comply would result in compliance being compelled by force.

The USS Comstock is deployed to the CENTCOM area of operations as part of the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) with the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), providing the force with a forward-deployed amphibious and crisis response capability.

According to CENTCOM's latest update, U.S. forces have now redirected 44 commercial vessels that voluntarily complied with blockade directives, boarded two vessels to verify compliance, and disabled two non-compliant vessels that failed to obey repeated warnings.

President Trump is considering removing U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro after the Justice Department concluded that problems with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted from a flawed renovation rather than vandalism, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump publicly criticized Pirro on Monday, saying he was "really disappointed" and that she "folded like an umbrella" after the Justice Department moved to dismiss the criminal case tied to the Reflecting Pool. CNN reports the president was "furious" over the filing, believes he was not informed in advance, and is now weighing whether to remove one of his longtime political allies from the position.

The Justice Department's filing stated the evidence no longer supported the prosecution after determining the damage stemmed from construction issues rather than criminal vandalism, according to CNN.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro was seen arriving at the West Wing of the White House within the last hour, following reports that President Trump is considering her removal due to Pirro’s break last week from the Trump Administration on the cause of damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The Department of War has signed new framework agreements with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin aimed at dramatically expanding U.S. interceptor production, increasing PAC-3 Patriot Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) capacity from about 600 missiles per year to 2,000 per year, while expanding THAAD interceptor production from 96 to 400 interceptors annually.

The agreements are designed to strengthen the missile defense industrial base by establishing a second source for PAC-3 solid rocket motors, expanding production of ignition safety devices, and increasing output of critical THAAD structural components to create a more resilient supply chain.

The announcement comes after months of reporting from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, and The Washington Post that the Iran war has sharply increased demand for Patriot and THAAD interceptors, with senior U.S. military leaders warning that sustained operations have placed growing pressure on both interceptor inventories and the industrial base needed to replenish them.

Initial reports of an Iranian one-way drone strike in Kuwait near the border with Iraq.

An FBI Supervisory Special Agent, identified by the Justice Department as Patrick Yaroch, has been arrested and charged with “interstate transportation of stolen goods and receipt of stolen goods,” after he voluntarily disclosed to investigators that he had transferred nearly $1 million from cryptocurrency accounts tied to an adversarial nation, reported to be Russia, into his personal cryptocurrency wallet, sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News.

Yaroch told investigators that he had become “frustrated” the FBI “could not or would not act against adversarial cryptocurrency accounts,” adding that he was upset he could not do more to disrupt cryptocurrency use by an adversarial nation such as Russia. According to an FBI affidavit: “Yaroch said that he went into FBI systems and found keys needed to transfer money from wallets to himself,” with the total value of all transferred funds equating to about $925,426.07.

The UK Office of Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) is reporting an attack on a commercial shipping vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, with the vessel claiming to have struck by an unknown projectile roughly 20NM off the coast of Al Khasab, Oman.

Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) General Francis Donovan has announced that effective at midnight tonight Joint Task Force-Southern Spear will transition to Joint Task Force-Western Hemisphere.

Several Iranian one-way attack drones targeted and struck a military base earlier tonight in Northern Kuwait, officials tell Israel’s i24NEWS.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro was seen leaving the White House West Wing earlier wheeling a black briefcase and file box, as rumors swirl in Washington about her potential firing by President Trump.

A Royal Canadian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III transports military equipment and personnel, including U.S. Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) assigned to the 17th Field Artillery Brigade and Paratroopers with the 11th Airborne Division, to Nome, Alaska on July 31, 2026, in support of Operation Tundra Merlin.

The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen is claiming to have targeted a “sensitive site” located at Najran Regional Airport in Southwestern Saudi Arabia, saying in a statement:

“By the grace of God, the Yemeni Armed Forces have succeeded in targeting a sensitive asset of the Saudi enemy at Najran Airport using a drone, with the strike being precise. This targeting comes in response to the Saudi enemy's violation of the airspace in the provinces of Saada and Hajjah using its drones. We affirm to the Saudi enemy that any violation of our airspace will not go unpunished or without retaliation.”

The U.S. Army has used up “virtually all” of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during the last five months since the start of the Iran War - munitions which would be crucial in any conflict with China - including most of its stock of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), three people familiar with the data tell Reuters.

President Trump says Iran has a "last chance" to reach an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, warning that if a deal is not reached "today or tomorrow," the U.S. could launch major airstrikes.

Speaking Monday, Trump said he wants Iran to quickly reach an agreement with Oman to restore shipping through the strategic waterway, while rejecting any arrangement that would allow Tehran to charge transit fees. "There's not going to be charging," Trump said, referring to commercial shipping through the strait.

The comments come as negotiations appear stalled. Iranian officials continue to insist Tehran has the right to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while an adviser to Iran's supreme leader warned U.S. warships and bases would be at "serious danger" if Washington does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Bloomberg reports there is little sign of progress in the Oman-mediated talks, despite Trump's latest ultimatum.

Ukraine launched overnight drone strikes against three warehouse facilities across Russia, including two operated by Wildberries, with Russian officials reporting five people killed and 10 others wounded in the Moscow region.

The deadliest strike hit a warehouse in Chekhov, south of Moscow, while separate drone attacks damaged Wildberries facilities near St. Petersburg and in Russia's Tver region. Wildberries said the St. Petersburg warehouse caught fire but reported no casualties there.

This video is purportedly from one of the strikes on an unknown Wildberries facility reported earlier today, but that has not been verified.

Wildberries, often compared to Amazon because of its dominant role in Russia's e-commerce and nationwide fulfillment network, has become a recurring target. According to Reuters, Ukraine has attacked more than a dozen Wildberries facilities since July 18 as part of an expanding campaign against Russia's logistics infrastructure. Kyiv says these warehouses support Russia's war effort by serving as logistics hubs and distribution centers, while Moscow and Wildberries deny those claims and describe the attacks as terrorism.

The strikes fit Ukraine's broader deep-strike campaign targeting logistics hubs, rail infrastructure, fuel depots, and defense-industrial facilities inside Russia in an effort to complicate military logistics and increase the economic cost of the war.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released video showing a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 171st Air Refueling Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard over an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

Although CENTCOM published the footage today, the most recent F-22 deployment to the region concluded more than two weeks ago, with the Raptors having already returned to the United States.