Recognise Israel: Trump sets big condition after US announces Saudi nuclear deal

WASHINGTON, July 23: A day after formally approving the deal, US President Donald Trump on Thursday laid down a new condition for the US-Saudi Arabia nuclear agreement — the Gulf kingdom's recognition of Israel.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the deal “will be approved, but is totally subject” to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.

"The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

Saudi Arabia has made clear that normalising relations with Israel would first require the establishment of Palestinian statehood, a demand the Israeli Prime Minister has dismissed.

Trump approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia which allows the kingdom to develop its own civilian nuclear programme. US energy secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart signed the agreement on Wednesday.

The deal, known as a 123 agreement, is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve US firms in developing the program. According to a US official, the deal would involve American companies providing technology and expertise to develop the Saudi program, CNN reported.

It would also allow the country to enrich its own fuel for civilian reactors. The agreement includes limits on what inspections might be carried out on the Saudi program, according to US officials and sources, according to CNN.

The agreement is expected to be submitted to Congress for review.

The Kingdom is not required to sign a standard agreement called the Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would allow for more monitoring, inspections and verification, AP reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The Abraham Accords were first pushed by Trump in 2020 and are designed to normalise diplomatic, economic and security relations between Israel and several Arab nations.

Trump in May 2026 had urged Pakistan and West Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Jordan, to join the Abraham Accords and formally recognise Israel as part of a broader diplomatic effort to end the US-Iran conflict.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were the first to sign, followed by Morocco and Sudan in 2020.

‘Will bomb bridge, power plants if ships struck in Hormuz’: Trump's big warning to Iran as war escalates

WASHINGTON, July 22: United States President Donald Trump has issued another big warning to Iran. Taking to social media on Wednesday, the US president stated that for every ship struck in the Strait of Hormuz, the US will bomb one bridge or power plant in Iran.

"From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran," he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump's warning comes as the US carried out its 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran as diplomatic efforts to end the war collapse.

Officials from the US and Iran have dug in on their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key waterway for around 20 per cent of the world's supply of oil and gas.

Disruption in the Strait since February has caused the global to face an energy crisis and fluctuations in oil prices.

For the first time since the collapse of the ceasefire, Brent crude oil rose to around $94 a barrel in trading.

Since the resumption of the war, Iran has stated at least 53 people have been killed, including six women and three children.

As per IRNA news agency, the Iranian health ministry added that nearly 600 people have been injured in the past 11 days.

In retaliation to the US attacks, Iran has also launched several drone and missile attacks towards Bahrain, Kuwait and other Gulf nations which host US military bases.

Trump Announces Upto 200% Tariffs On Generic Drugs, Move May Impact India

WASHINGTON, July 22: The United States has announced steep tariffs on imported generic drugs from August 2028. The move, according to US President Donald Trump, was aimed at onshoring production of such pharmaceutical products. The move is likely to affect India -- the largest exporter of generic drugs to the US.

Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump said the phased tariff plan will come into effect from August 1, and for the first two years, the United States will continue to have a zero per cent tariff on all generic drugs brought into the country. For the third year, the tariff will be raised to 100 per cent, and it will be 200 per cent thereafter, he said.

"Effective August 1st, 2026, all generic drugs being brought into the United States will continue to have a tariff of zero percent for two years, after which the tariff will be raised to 100 per cent for one year, and 200 per cent thereafter," Trump wrote.

"This is done in order to RESHORE generic pharmaceutical production into America, with a penalty to those companies that decide not to build plants and equipment within the stated period of time given to them," he added.

The president said the objective of this policy is to protect the people of the United States.

"The Policy on Patented, Branded, or Innovative Drugs, which has been so successful, will remain as is," he said.

India is often called the "pharmacy of the world" as it supplies generic medicines to countries across the globe. In the US, Indian generic medicines make up nearly 40 per cent by volume. In financial year 2024-2025, India exported USD 9.7 billion worth of pharmaceuticals to the US, accounting for 38 per cent of its total global pharma exports of USD 25.8 billion, a Global Trade Research Initiative report said.

Still, it was immediately unclear how Trump's new tariff threats will affect Indian drug companies. India and the US struck a trade pact in February, which stipulates that India would "receive negotiated outcomes with respect to generic pharmaceuticals and ingredients."

But his previous threats to tariff pharma suppliers had put cheap supplies from India at risk. Indian generic medicines are widely prescribed for hypertension, depression, diabetes, cancer, infectious diseases, and mental health. In the case of birth control, roughly 65 per cent of all pill prescriptions in the US in 2024 were manufactured by just two India-based companies, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Lupin Ltd., it found, according to a report by Financial Post.

Trump threatens strike in Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, says the US is ‘not finished at all’

WASHINGTON, July 21: President Donald Trump said the US is not done with Iran and warned that the next US target could be an underground nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain.

Trump said the US will be hitting the Pickaxe Mountain area, which is near Iran's badly damaged Natanz uranium enrichment site, "pretty soon." Trump said, "We'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily," and added that he would not usually announce targets but "there's not a thing they can do about it."

Trump made these remarks while speaking to reporters during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House.

Trump also said it would take Iran a very long time to rebuild if the US stopped attacks now. “If we left right now, it would take Iran 20, 25 years to rebuild. Okay, and we're not finished at all...we're not leaving right now,” he said.

Iran increased its attacks in the Middle East on Tuesday, two weeks after its war with the US started again, with Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain coming under attack.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Israeli intelligence believes Iran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels deep inside a mountain last fall, Israeli and US officials say. This is a development that would heighten concerns that Tehran could reconstitute its nuclear program, the report added.

Israel passed along these intelligence findings to the US, saying the centrifuges were transferred to the Pickaxe Mountain site last fall. This happened after the 12-day war in June, when American and Israeli strikes pummeled Iran's three main nuclear sites, according to the report.

Trump promises Lebanon ‘respect it deserves’ as its President presents plan to disarm Hezbollah

WASHINGTON, July 21: US President Donald Trump said during a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday that Lebanon had been hit hard for decades and that the United States would help the country going forward. During the Oval Office meeting, Trump promised that he would have Lebanon “treated properly.”

"It's been a very badly treated place and country, and we're going to have it properly treated, and treated with the respect that it deserves," Trump said.

According to a report, Aoun’s meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday was for him to present a plan on how to disarm the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and secure Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.

Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon's US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House. He arrived Tuesday morning and met Trump face-to-face for the first time.

The meeting comes at a crucial moment for Lebanon: Israeli troops are occupying a swathe of the country's south, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced following Israeli strikes, and Hezbollah has firmly rejected the government's direct talks with Israel -- and efforts by the state to strip it of its arms.

Joseph Aoun arrived in Washington over the weekend and met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, telling him that Israel should begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon in line with the US-brokered June 26 agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

That deal aims to disarm Hezbollah, see a progressive Israeli troop withdrawal and set the stage for peaceful ties between the two countries.

Hours ahead of Aoun's meeting with Donald Trump, Lebanese army troops began taking control of territory vacated by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon — the first test of the plan.

A Lebanese official said Aoun believes only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty. The official said that Aoun, in addition to asking the US president to press Israel to withdraw, would also present Trump with a written proposal on how to decommission Hezbollah's massive arsenal.

62-year-old Joseph Aoun became president just before Donald Trump began his second term in the White House. The US welcomed Aoun's election.

Aoun is a Maronite Christian, as required by Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, which stipulates that the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament must be a Shi'ite Muslim. A career soldier, Aoun was wounded twice and still carries a shrapnel wound.

His rise reflected a major shift in the power balance in Lebanon, following a devastating Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in 2024 and the ousting of Hezbollah's Syrian ally, President Bashar al-Assad — seismic events that weakened the group and its long-decisive hold over the state.

At his swearing-in ceremony, Aoun vowed to affirm "the state's right to a monopoly on arms".

His presidency's first year was defined by a government bid to secure the disarmament of Hezbollah, which was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982 and has fought numerous wars with Israel.

Lebanese troops deployed in southern Lebanon to collect Hezbollah weapons caches, in line with a ceasefire after the 2024 war and without opposition from a weakened Hezbollah.

But early into his term's second year, a new war erupted when Hezbollah fired at Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, which was under US and Israeli attack.

Hezbollah's attack triggered a fierce Israeli air and ground campaign that has killed more than 4,300 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry, including nearly 800 children, women and medics.

The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Hezbollah has not announced a toll for its fighters.

After the war began, Aoun swiftly called for direct talks with Israel, a historic departure for a state repeatedly invaded by Israel since 1978. It led to the highest-level face-to-face contacts between the two countries in decades.

It also made him the focus of fierce criticism by Hezbollah and its supporters.

Aoun has stood firm, criticising Hezbollah for starting the war and saying Lebanon was being destroyed for the sake of Iran.

Still, he has stopped short of agreeing to Trump's request that he meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

U.S. airstrikes on Iran damage Chabahar port

WASHINGTON, July 17: U.S. airstrikes on Friday appeared to have collapsed a tower at Iran's Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, a key trade route for Afghanistan.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the image of the surveillance tower appearing to collapse. That image had circulated social media via activists prior to Hegseth sharing it.

Chabahar port has been a repeated target of American airstrikes. Iranian state media acknowledged a third round of strikes on the facility without immediately acknowledging the tower's collapse.

Iran described the tower as overseeing commercial traffic into the port. However, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also operates at ports across the country.

Trump Plans Wider Military Campaign Against Iran; Deploys Planes

WASHINGTON, July 17: The United States is sending dozens of refueling planes to Israel in the coming days as the country prepares to launch a wider military campaign against Iran, according to a report by Axios.

The report cites senior American and Israeli officials, who say that US President Donald Trump could order the attacks in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the IRGC Navy Command has said in a statement that the movement and military equipment of the US forces, patrolling the Middle East to ensure the naval blockade cuts off Iran's economic lifeline, are "under the surveillance" of the Islamic Republic's naval units.

"The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran's Armed Forces against CENTCOM naval units in the region's waters," the statement that was carried by Iran's state television said.

In a warning, the statement ended with, "Wait and see".

To prepare for the attack, the United States will be sending its refuelling planes to Israel. It currently has about 30 military refuelling aircraft at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport and a similar number of aircraft at Ramon Airport, which is located in the southern part of the country.

Ben Gurion is where the US will operate its refuelling planes from because the other air bases in the region are more prone to getting attacked by Iran and will be less safe for the American planes.

Currently, Iran is hesitant to attack Israel because that could trigger a massive counter-response.

Trump held a high-level meeting in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday night, where senior officials discussed several military options, such as attacking Iranian power plants and carrying out attacks against nuclear facilities to bury its uranium deeper underground. There are other options such as striking Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground site believed to have links to Iran's nuclear programme.

Although Trump has not finalised a decision, the report says that he is willing to escalate the war enough to ensure that the Iranian regime reopens the Strait of Hormuz and also accepts his terms on the nuclear issue.

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that Trump has also been consulting Vice President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine for his next move.

The United States on Thursday struck Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz for the fifth day in a row. It has been targeting the city of Bandar Abbas, which is the centre of Revolutionary Guards activity in the Strait of Hormuz. A senior US official told the publication that ammunition, supplies and reinforcements are being transported via Bandar Abbas to the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Trump hails release of U.S. citizen held in Iran as 'goodwill' gesture

WASHINGTON, July 16: U.S. President Donald Trump has called the release of a U.S. citizen held in Iran a “gesture of goodwill”, even as conflict ‌raged for a fifth night across West Asia.

Trump said in a ⁠post on Truth Social on Wednesday that an American who was “wrongfully detained” under the Biden administration in 2024 ‌had been allowed to leave Iran.

“She is now safely outside of ‌Iran, and in good condition. The United ‌States ⁠of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill ⁠by Iran,” Mr. Trump wrote.

U.S. says 90-minute airstrikes target Greater Tunb Island, strategic point in Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, July 15: The U.S. military's Central Command said on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) it launched airstrikes on Greater Tunb Island in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting Iranian defence and missile sites.

The island, seized by Iran since 1971 from what would become the United Arab Emirates, is viewed as a strategic point in the strait.

Central Command said it launched a 90-minute attack targeting the island.

“The strikes further degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said.

Trump threatens to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain

WASHINGTON, July 15: US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Pickaxe Mountain, an underground facility associated with Iran's nuclear programme, signalling a further escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran as hostilities continue in the Gulf.

Speaking during a July 13 interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump said the United States was closely monitoring the site and suggested it could be attacked.

"We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready," Trump said in the interview.

The remarks come as fighting between the United States and Iran continues, further complicating efforts to bring the conflict to an end.

Pickaxe Mountain is located about 220 kilometres south of Tehran and roughly two kilometres from the Natanz nuclear complex, where two uranium enrichment plants had been operating.

The Natanz site was bombed during the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, and again during last year's 12-day war.

The tunnel complex being built beneath Pickaxe Mountain was not struck in either conflict, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

The mountain rises to around 1,600 metres above sea level. While the UN nuclear watchdog has said the above-ground enrichment plant at Natanz was destroyed, it assessed that the underground facility was likely at least badly damaged.

The underground project at Pickaxe Mountain has been under construction since 2020, according to ISIS. Work on the facility began after Iranian authorities reported an explosion at the Natanz site, which they described as an act of sabotage.

Iran said the incident caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges.

In September that year, Iran's then nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the country had begun building "a more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall in all dimensions in the heart of the mountain near Natanz" for producing advanced centrifuges.

Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said in a March interview with PBS Frontline that Iran had previously announced its intention to carry out nuclear activities at Pickaxe Mountain.

"This was part of their quite systematic intention to put their most sensitive facilities underground," he said.

ISIS, which has analysed satellite imagery of the site, said the facility has two pairs of tunnel entrances believed to lead to a single underground complex estimated to be at least 100 metres beneath the mountain.

The site is protected by a large security perimeter and reinforced tunnel entrances, according to the think tank.

Its July 14 report said the eastern tunnel entrances had been partially backfilled after the wars to obstruct ground vehicle access, though they had not been completely sealed.

Sam Lair, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who also reviewed recent satellite imagery, said reinforcing the tunnel entrances would make "targeting with penetrating munitions like bunker busters" more difficult.

Trump also claimed the United States was monitoring activity at the location.

"We see no activity there. They're not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don't like talking about it. But we'll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon," he said.

ISIS said its assessment was that the facility is not yet operational, although construction is continuing. Based on satellite imagery alone, it said it was not possible to determine when the site could become operational.

The think tank added that it remained unclear whether Iran still intended to build a large-scale centrifuge assembly facility there following the destruction of its centrifuge programme and its capability to manufacture centrifuge components.

"Nonetheless, if Iran starts to rebuild its centrifuge manufacturing capability, it could plan to install a smaller centrifuge assembly facility in Pickaxe Mountain able to serve a nuclear weapons program," ISIS said.

Experts cited in the report assess that the underground complex lies beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs currently available in the US arsenal.

ISIS said the site "would be more suitable for ground forces to attack or sabotage".

"However, vulnerabilities may also exist that can be exploited by deep earth penetrating weapons via aerial attacks," it said.

Lair sai,"We can infer that there are ongoing activities at Pickaxe Mountain the Iranians wish to continue but are still concerned enough about a potential attack that they are taking steps to bolster their defenses."

India, China face up to 100% US tariffs over Russian oil purchase under new bill proposal

WASHINGTON, July 15: A bipartisan group of Senators announced a new sanctions bill that proposes tariffs up to 100% on exports from India, China and three other countries for purchasing Russian oil. The bill - which has been backed by the White House - could be passed before August and aims to cripple Russia’s revenues from its energy exports and force an end to the Ukraine war.

“It imposes tariffs that are targeted, narrowly limited to the five major purchasers, up to 100 percent, with waiver authority that is narrowly tailored and constricted. And those five major purchasers right now of oil are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan. And on gas purchasers, it makes an exception for the purchasers who are buying less than 15% of total Russian natural gas imports and are taking significant steps to reduce their purchases,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal of the new bill at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday. The bill also includes sweeping sanctions against Russia’s vital energy, defence, financial and industrial sectors.

The bill is a softened version of the Sanctioning Russia Act, which was introduced in the US Senate in April last year and proposed a possible 500 percent tariff on countries purchasing Russian energy, including India. However, the Sanctioning Russia Act has failed to progress to a vote given concerns from legislators about the extreme provisions of the bill as well as lackluster support from President Trump. Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen made clear that the new bill would have much narrower tariff provisions.

According to Senator Blumenthal, the bill could be passed before August given that the legislators proposing the bill are confident it has the support necessary to pass the Senate. He added that the US Trade Representative would decide the exact tariff rate on the countries facing tariffs.

“The decision about the exact rate will be determined by the United States Trade Representative. We've had extensive discussions with him. I think it will be set at an appropriate level to discourage China, India and other major purchases of Russian oil and gas. Remember that there are reporting and certification requirements from the US Trade Representative to the Congress if the rate is lowered,” said Senator Blumenthal.

The legislators assembled at Tuesday’s conference also hailed the role played by late US Senator Lindsey Graham - who passed away suddenly last week - in spearheading the legislation. Graham was one of the key backers of the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 and played a key role in advancing the new legislation announced on Tuesday prior to his death.

Gautam Adani denies knowledge of any DOJ quid pro quo offer linked to dismissal of charges against him

NEW YORK, July 15: On Wednesday, Indian billionaire Gautam Adani submitted a sworn affidavit affirming that he was not aware of any quid pro quo offer with the US Department of Justice that may have led to the recent dismissal of the indictment against him and his associates on bribery and fraud charges.

Adani’s statement comes amid a tussle between a US District Court and the Justice Department regarding the reasons behind the latter’s refusal to pursue legal action against the Adani group.

In his affidavit, Adani acknowledged that he had publicly posted on X in November 2024 about the Adani Group’s plans to invest $10 billion and create 15,000 jobs in the United States.

“When I made this post, the Indictment and SEC Complaint had not yet been unsealed and made public, and I was unaware of their existence,” he stated.

Adani also acknowledged that his legal counsel had suggested that his publicly stated intent to invest $10 billion in the US might be part of a resolution of legal charges against him. However, Adani added that the Department of Justice had made clear that promises of investment in the US would not influence their decision to pursue legal charges. This was consistent with statements made by principal associate deputy attorney general Trent McCotter.

In 2024, the US Justice department filed an indictment against Adani alleging that the firm had been involved in bribing Indian officials in order to obtain solar power contracts and had subsequently engaged in securities fraud by misleading investors about the firm's anti-corruption and anti-bribery efforts. However, the US Department of Justice announced in June that it would decline to pursue further legal action against Gautam Adani and his associates. The decision sparked significant controversy with media reports suggesting that the Adani group’s offer to invest in the US played a key role in the Justice Department’s decision.

On June 26, District Judge Garaufis directed the Justice Department to provide the court reasons for dismissing the indictment against the defendants after terming the department's motion "terse, bland and conclusory." Although the Justice Department defended its decision to dismiss charges - citing little evidence for corruption found by Indian authorities in the matter and the largely foreign jurisdiction of the case - Garaufis directed Gautam Adani to submit a sworn affidavit affirming that he was not aware of any quid pro quo in the decision to dismiss charges.

Adani’s lawyer Robert Giuffra - who has represented US President Donald Trump in the past - also submitted a declaration. In it, Giruffra cites a mail he received in May 2026 from Justice Department officials explicitly rejecting

“[T]he portion of the joint defense offer made by Gautam Adani, represented by Sullivan & Cromwell, Sagar R. Adani, represented by Nixon Peabody LLP and Hecker Fink LLP, and Vneet S. Jaain, represented by Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, to resolve the criminal charges against them by, in part, a general proposal to invest $10 billion in the United States is categorically rejected by this Office,” reads an excerpt of the email sent to Giuffra by Justice Department officials, cited in the former’s declaration.

Trump backs drops 20% toll on Hormuz, announces 'trade deals' plan for Gulf states now

WASHINGTON, July 14: US President Donald Trump has now backed away from his plan to impose a 20% charge on cargo shipments passing through the contentious Strait of Hormuz. Trump said that the revenue expected would be replaced by forthcoming direct investments in the US from Gulf states.

“I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump wrote in a post on social media. “Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future.”

Amid renewed military conflict in West Asia, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has issued an advisory, warning airlines to not operate flights over the airspace of Gulf countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and over waters of Gulf of Oman.

Fresh strikes were reported in Iran's Bushehr, with IRNA reporting that US projectiles had struck four areas in the city.

Meanwhile, a vessel, identified as ‘Stolt Magnesium’, suffered an explosion from an external device off the coast of Oman, following which a fire broke out in its engine room, Reuters news agency cited Stolt Tankers as saying.

The United States has attacked Iran again and targeted multiple locations. In response, Iran said its forces targeted US military bases in Kuwait and hit a "hostile vessel of the American enemy".

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it completed its latest wave of strikes against Iran at 7:45 am IST on July 14. During the five-hour mission, US forces struck military targets in Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it carried out missile and drone strikes on US military facilities at Bahrain's Al Juffair base.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, announced that Iran would suspend its commitments under its memorandum of understanding with the US until Washington fulfilled its obligations under the accord.

Mojtaba is ‘90% gone’: Trump's big claim as US intensifies Iran strikes amid failed peace hopes

WASHINGTON, July 14: US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran's top military leadership has been eliminated, asserting that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is "90% gone".

Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Trump said recent coordinated US-Israeli military strikes had completely dismantled Iran's military capabilities.

"They have no navy. They have no air force. It's all gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their leaders have all been killed," Trump said during the broadcast.

The US President also claimed that Iran's senior military leadership had been wiped out during the campaign.

"Their best leaders have been killed. They're gone. Khomeini is gone," Trump stated, in an apparent reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in late February during the initial wave of US-Israeli aerial bombardment against Iran.

Trump further alleged that Mojtaba Khamenei, who has long been viewed as the frontrunner to succeed his late father, had also been almost finished. “The son is 90% gone,” Trump can be heard saying in a viral clip.

The younger Khamenei is reportedly recovering from severe injuries sustained in an earlier airstrike and was absent from the high-profile funeral ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq earlier this month.

 

Trump reinstates naval blockade on Iran; To charge 20% on all cargo shipped through Hormuz

WASHINGTON, July 13: US President Donald Trump said on Monday said US would be reinstating the naval blockade in Iran, adding that Washington would also be reimbursed 20 per cent on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the process would begin immediately, without elaborating.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving.”

He said the other countries will have “fair and open use” of the waterway, adding that the US would be known as the “guardian of the Hormuz strait.” “The process and formation will begin immediately,” the US President added.

Iran's top joint military command had earlier said Tehran would not allow Washington to intervene in the management of the waterway.

US forces struck an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran on Sunday using one-way attack drones, the US Central Command said on Monday.

“Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations. Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” the CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, at least one person was killed and seven others were injured in a US strike on a military base in Nain city in Iran's central Isfahan province, according to Iranian media. The deputy governor of Isfahan said the casualties occurred "following an attack by the terrorist American army", with the injured receiving treatment as per Al Jazeera.

That makes the death toll of the latest US strikes in Iran to at least two people, according to Iranian media.

Iran said it would not implement its commitments under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States unless Washington fulfilled its own obligations under the agreement, according to reports citing the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson.

Iran on Monday shot down a US-manufactured ‘Lucas’ suicide drone over Bandar Abbas. The drone was “accurately hit and shot down”, the country's Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes on US military bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Iranian state media. They claimed to launch a fifth wave of retaliatory attacks, targeting US-linked military facilities in Bahrain and radar installations in Oman with missiles and drones.

The US military, earlier, said it struck dozens of targets at multiple locations across Iran. The targets included Iranian military air defence systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The operation involved US fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones and, for the first time, one-way attack sea drones.

Air raid sirens were activated across Bahrain, the country's interior ministry said. The alerts sounded at dawn Monday in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet. There was no immediate word on damage.

US says Strait of Hormuz open to all vessels and American military ready to ensure freedom of navigation

WASHINGTON, July 12: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all vessels seeking lawful passage hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the closure of the strategic waterway until further notice.

The statement came after US President Donald Trump said in a press meeting that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial shipping.

In a social media post, CENTCOM said maritime traffic continues to flow through the strait and that US forces are positioned to ensure freedom of navigation despite what it described as Iranian aggression, harassment, threats and arbitrary declarations. It asserted that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz and that safe transit routes remain open. CENTCOM added that US forces have facilitated the passage of more than 800 ships and over 400 million barrels of crude oil through the waterway over the past two months.

‘1,000 Missiles Locked and Loaded’: Trump's new ‘decimate and destroy’ warning to Iran

WASHINGTON, July 11: President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his warning to "decimate and destroy" Iran if the regime were to succeed in an assassination attempt against him.

“1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!” Trump stated on Truth Social.

“Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran – PRAISE BE TO ALLAH! ” he added.

Since 2020, Iran has openly sought the assassination of the president in response to Trump's directive for the strike that led to the death of General Qasem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

On Saturday, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son and designated successor of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a written threat directed at Trump and the United States.

“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” Khamenei stated in a message.

The isolated younger Khamenei, who was allegedly gravely injured in the airstrike that took his father's life on the war's inaugural day, expressed that it was the nation's demand to seek retribution for his father's demise.

This week in Tehran, banners proclaiming vengeance against Trump were prominently exhibited as Iranians made preparations for the burial of Ali Khamenei.

One sign, carried by numerous supporters of Khamenei during the burial ceremony on Thursday, stated, "WE WILL KILL TRUMP."

Trump issued a warning to Iran following the funeral of Ali Khamenei, during which there were explicit calls for his assassination. This incident further emphasizes the escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly as a temporary agreement aimed at resolving the conflict falters amidst ongoing hostilities in the region.

Trump expressed his views on his Truth Social platform after high-ranking US officials urged Iran to publicly declare that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that vessels traversing this crucial passage will no longer face attacks.

To date, Tehran has refrained from making such a statement, maintaining instead that the strait remains under its jurisdiction and that it should be permitted to impose fees on ships passing through, thereby challenging long-standing norms that regard the strait as an international waterway.

In recent days, there have been numerous US airstrikes directed at Iran, accompanied by Iranian counterattacks against various nations throughout the Middle East. These military actions were provoked by Iran's assault on three vessels in the strait earlier this week.

Trump says US agrees to new Iran talks but ceasefire ‘over’

NEW YORK, July 10: President Donald Trump said Friday the United States has agreed to continue negotiations with Iran but reiterated that the ceasefire between the two countries is finished. "Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Israel is willing to participate in future US military strikes on Iran if Washington seeks its support, the New York Post reported earlier in the day.

Israel had demonstrated its commitment to supporting the United States during the recent conflict.

"We've proved that we stand with the US," a source told The Post. "I'm not sure it will be the interest of them - of the US that Israel will join on this - but, you know, we realize that we need to stretch our muscles."

The United States launched fresh airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile attacks targeting US-allied countries across the Middle East, escalating tensions and putting a fragile ceasefire under renewed strain.

The latest exchange followed similar attacks a day earlier that had already threatened the truce. Thursday's escalation was broader, with air raid sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters. Iran also launched missiles towards Kuwait and Qatar.

Sirens were also heard across Jordan on Thursday afternoon, where the United States maintains troops and military aircraft

Despite two days of clashes that threatened to derail an already fragile ceasefire, technical talks between the US and Iran are continuing, a US official said.

The comments are likely to calm fears of a return to full-scale conflict after the US carried out fresh strikes on Iranian targets in retaliation for what it said were attacks by Tehran on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by targeting US military bases in the region on each of the past two nights.

Amid the renewed violence, Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire was “over,” but added that he would not prevent negotiations from moving forward.

Talks between the US and Iran were postponed this week as the Islamic Republic observed several days of funeral rites for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on the opening day of the US-Israeli military campaign.

Trump says he ‘left instructions’ should Iran assassinate him

WASHINGTON, July 10: US President Donald Trump has told the New York Post that he has “left instructions” should Iran assassinate him, in an apparent reference to banners calling for Trump’s killing displayed during a funeral ceremony for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he told the American tabloid. “The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

Trump said Tehran has wanted him dead for years. “I hope you’ll miss me,” he added.

24 people with links to India-based gangs arrested in US, Canada, Europe

LOS ANGELES, July 8: Law enforcement authorities in America, Canada and Europe announced the arrests of 24 individuals with links to India-based transnational organised crime groups for criminal acts like racketeering, shootings, extortion and even the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

In total, 37 individuals have been charged with a number of offences, including gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently imprisoned in India.

A statement from the US Attorney’s office in Los Angeles alleges that Bishnoi and his lieutenants directed a transnational organised crime group from his jail cell “using contraband cellphones and other voice-over internet protocol devices smuggled into his jail cell” and charges them directly with ordering the assassination of Nijjar.

The arrests came after a years-long investigation into the activities of organised crime groups with links to India, the authorities said.

“Today’s law enforcement action – “Operation Hard Ball” – is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes around the world whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora,” said a statement from the US Department of Justice.

Enforcement authorities are still looking for 10 fugitives, seven of whom are in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.

The indictments focus heavily on the activities of Lawrence Bishnoi and lieutenants like Goldy Brar as well as the Bhagwanpuria gang, which is headquartered in India with members reportedly across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Many of the defendants charged could face a mandatory minimum prison sentence between 10 years in federal prison and life imprisonment, and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison if convicted.

According to the Department of Justice, the Bishnoi gang is accused of engaging in violent activities in the countries in which it operated and using violence to “cultivate a climate of fear, in particular in India and among Indian diaspora communities worldwide.”

Bishnoi and Brar have also been charged for ordering the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan figure, as he left a Sikh temple in Canada on June 18, 2023.

Investigators have said that Anmol Bishnoi (arrested in the US in 2024) and Goldy Brar run the activities of the gang headed by Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in prison in Gujarat’s Sabarmati since August, 2023.

In recent years, the gang has been accused of carrying out several high-profile murders, such as former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala. It routinely carries out extortion in collaboration with other gang leaders who terrorise celebrities, industrialists, political functionaries and sportspersons.

“Their syndicate is spread across the states (and union territories) that include Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand and recruitment, payments to gang members, supply of weapons etc is managed from abroad, mostly by Anmol, Goldy Brar and few other close aides of Lawrence,” according to a law enforcement officer.

The Bishnoi gang is also closely associated with pro-Khalistan groups including Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and agencies feel that Anmol Bishnoi and Goldy Brar run those operations as well.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has called this entire network the new underworld.

In a charge sheet filed in March 2023 into the gangsters’ activities, NIA said the nexus of gangsters and pro-Khalistani elements and their links with the music industry, singers, kabaddi players and advocates was working on the lines of the pre-1993 Mumbai blasts era when extensive linkages of the underworld with the business people and the film industry had surfaced.

According to NIA, a considerable amount of money generated by Lawrence Bishnoi through his activities is sent to Canada, USA, Thailand and Australia for the use of gang members. His gang has 700 members, who, NIA says, have generated crores of rupees over the years. Overall, close to 300 gangsters and mid-level criminals have been arrested by the NIA and the Delhi Police as part of a larger crackdown since August last year.

According to the US law enforcement, the Bishnoi gang is also accused of engaging in international drug trafficking and stealing drug shipments from rival gangs. Similar drug trafficking charges were unveiled against members of the Punjab-based Bhagwanpuria gang and a group led by Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda.

“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli.

“Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organisations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbour for these thugs,” he added.

'Will either make deal, or finish the job': Trump's fresh warning to Iran amid Khamenei funeral

WASHINGTON, July 6: US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with a ‘will either make deal, or finish the job’ warning on Monday. This comes at a time when Iran is busy with dayslong funeral for its slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the beginning of the US-Iran war on February 28.

"We're going to win one way or the other. We're going to either make a deal or we're going to finish the job—and it won't be tough to finish the job," Trump said at the White House. He said he would rather make a deal.

“I'd rather make a deal because I don't want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour,” Trump said.

Trump added that the US is going to get the ‘nuclear dust’ and that there will be no nuclear weapons, referring to the Iran-US deal.

“Oil is is now at a level that, I think it's even lower, on a barrel basis, than it was before we started. We’ve gotten concessions, and they have to hold those concessions, but there'll be no nuclear weapon. We’re going to be getting the, as I call it, dust; the enriched material—nuclear dust,” Trump said.

Trump also said that he is not looking for a regime change in Iran.

Trump offers to broker Ukraine peace deal; Speaks with Putin, Zelensky

WASHINGTON, July 5: US President Donald Trump held separate phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, using the conversations to push his offer to help broker an end to the war in Ukraine.

The calls, held ahead of a key NATO summit in Turkey, touched on battlefield developments, peace negotiations and the role Washington could play in reviving talks between Moscow and Kyiv.

According to the Kremlin, Trump reiterated his willingness to help bring an end to the conflict during a 90-minute phone call with Putin, according to reports.

Putin used the call to congratulate Trump on the 250th anniversary of US independence, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said.

“The presidents naturally touched on the topic of a Ukrainian settlement, including in light of Trump’s upcoming participation in the NATO summit in Turkey on July 7-8,” news agency Bloomberg quoted Ushakov as saying.

“The American president reaffirmed his readiness to facilitate a swift end to hostilities and the search for solutions to overcome the crisis.”

Putin briefed Trump on the latest battlefield developments and stressed Moscow's preference for resolving the conflict through political and diplomatic means while taking into account what he described as Russia's fundamental positions, the Kremlin aide added.

Trump later spoke with the Ukrainian counterpart, who also congratulated him on the US anniversary. Zelensky said the two leaders reviewed the situation on the front lines and ongoing diplomatic initiatives.

Writing on Telegram, Zelensky described the conversation as “very good”.

“There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said.

Zelensky added that he and Trump agreed to continue discussions during the upcoming NATO gathering.

Ushakov said Trump indicated that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue efforts to mediate a settlement between Moscow and Kyiv.

According to the Kremlin aide, the envoys remain prepared to travel to Moscow if needed as part of the ongoing diplomatic push.

The renewed outreach comes at a time when US-led negotiations have largely stalled. Diplomatic attention in Washington has recently shifted toward the conflict involving Iran, slowing momentum in efforts aimed at securing a Ukraine settlement.

Ushakov also said Putin expressed hope that US diplomatic engagement in the Iran crisis would help produce "mutually acceptable long-term solutions" and reminded Trump that he remains welcome to visit Moscow, the news agency's report added.

The calls took place just days before NATO leaders gather in Turkey for a summit beginning Tuesday.

Support for Ukraine is expected to be a major agenda item after Russia launched one of its deadliest aerial assaults of the year on Kyiv on Thursday, killing 30 people. Russian forces also struck several other regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Cherkasy.

At the same time, Ukraine has intensified drone and missile attacks inside Russia, targeting infrastructure including oil refineries. The strikes have disrupted operations at several facilities and contributed to fuel shortages in some areas.

Trump is expected to arrive at the summit after repeatedly urging NATO allies to shoulder a greater share of Europe's defense burden while also pushing for reductions in the US military footprint on the continent.

Trump takes jibe at Iran as US grants ‘week off’ for Ali Khamenei's funeral

WASHINGTON, July 4: President Donald Trump declared that he was granting Iran a "week off," coinciding with the Islamic Republic's extended mourning period for its deceased supreme leader Ali Khamenei, which is anticipated to attract between 10 million and 15 million attendees.

“We knocked the hell out of Iran and they’re dying to settle,” Trump stated during his address at Mount Rushmore on the eve of America's 250th anniversary. “They want to settle so badly.”

“We gave them a week off for a funeral, isn’t that nice,” he added.

Negotiations between the two nations are scheduled to recommence in Pakistan on July 11, as reported by sources to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news network on Saturday.

The discussions are anticipated to concentrate on Iran's nuclear program, the sanctions imposed on Tehran, and the billions of dollars in Iranian assets that are currently frozen overseas.

According to the outlet, Iran will determine its representatives for the talks following the conclusion of Khamenei's state funeral.

The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to cease hostilities against one another, following several days of strikes and counterstrikes that ensued after an Iranian projectile struck a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25, despite an interim peace agreement that was signed on June 17.

Iran has agreed to just about everything we need in talks: Trump

WASHINGTON, July 3: United States President Donald Trump said he believes that Tehran has "agreed to just about everything" his administration had sought, while appearing to acknowledge that efforts to end the Iran war remain fluid.

In an intervie, he said, "We're negotiating, and we'll see whether or not. I think they've agreed to just about everything we need."

Trump also claimed Iran had been "totally defeated militarily." He said, "They (Iranians) have some missiles left, we could wipe them out too."

The leader added, "I hit them three times last week very hard, because they sent a drone into a ship, I hit them. Then they did something else, and I hit them. I hit them three nights in a row, the week before I hit them two nights in a row, very hard."

The remarks came roughly a day after the US and Iran concluded a round of indirect talks in the Qatari capital of Doha with no sign they had made headway toward a lasting peace, focusing instead on issues that they said had been resolved when an interim agreement was announced two weeks ago.

According to sources, the negotiators from both sides spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and unfreezing Iran's funds, two critical issues under the initial agreement.

The next meeting will take place after funeral processions for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on July 9, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said.

The Doha discussions produced "positive progress" on issues related to the memorandum that halted the war in June and were "building on the outcomes" of a summit in Switzerland, the ministry spokesperson said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Trump said the two sides were making progress on possible limits to Iran's nuclear programme — the main reason he says he launched the war along with Israel in February. "The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well," he told reporters.

"They've had very good meetings, and we'll see." However, sources said the nuclear programme did not come up in the talks, which were technical in nature.

US Vice President JD Vance said that matter would be addressed later. "Obviously, we're worried about the nuclear issue, we're going to start talking about that," he told reporters. American and Iranian negotiators held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, according to Doha.

Trump says record number of vessels leaving Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, July 2: President Donald Trump said that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had reached record levels and predicted further declines in oil prices.

"Those boats are coming out of the Hormuz Strait. They're coming out by numbers that nobody ever saw. We're setting records actually," Trump said while dedicating the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora on Wednesday.

"The oil is dropping," he said. "I don't give a damn if they're happy or sad, I want the prices to go down. And the oil is dropping like nobody thought possible. But I told you it would. Total control of everything."

Trump also briefly referred to Iran while discussing US foreign policy.

"We're actually doing equally as well with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Maybe you've heard of it," he said, without elaborating.

US and Iran enter technical talks to secure peace deal, shipping restart

DOHA/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, July 1: The U.S. and Iran held indirect technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the ‌Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.

The talks are based on a 14-point interim accord signed last month that was meant to halt the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and reopen the strait, while setting up 60 days of negotiations for a permanent peace deal.

However, the U.S. and Iran ​have sparred publicly over the meaning of the interim pact, leading to tit-for-tat military strikes over the past week and leaving little sign of progress ​on more complex issues, including on Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran is determined to win international recognition of its control over the strait and its ⁠ability to levy fees on ships entering or leaving the Gulf, even if it has to do so by force, according to two senior Iranian sources.

Traffic has partially resumed ​through the waterway, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said removing Iran's highly enriched uranium is a ​top priority, told reporters on Wednesday that "the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well", without giving details.

"They've had very good meetings, and we'll see," he said of the talks in Doha, where there was no evidence the nuclear issue had yet been discussed.

The indirect talks, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, began on Tuesday night and were continuing on Wednesday, the Iranian official ​said.

They are structured as sessions between chief negotiators and specialists, the source with knowledge of the talks said, adding that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met ​Qatar's prime minister to lay groundwork for the talks but would not be attending.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi headed a delegation of representatives from Iran's foreign ministry, central bank and ‌agriculture ministry, ⁠meeting Qatar's prime minister and holding talks with mediators.

Iran has stated publicly that its priorities include agreeing on management of the strait and the release of $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets, and the Iranian official said the current round of discussions would focus on those two issues.

The stated priority of the U.S. is to ensure the free flow of traffic through the strait, the source with knowledge of the talks said.

Iran's state media said on Wednesday a foreign container ship had run aground in the Strait of Hormuz after ​entering shallow waters outside the shipping route ​designated by Iranian authorities.