Drone Strikes Reported At Iraq's Basra Port
Reports from Iraq say drones struck two vessels at the port of Basra.
A security official told the AFP news agency that a drone hit a ship “carrying American-branded cars” near an oil terminal on July 16. The vessel had arrived from the United Arab Emirates, the official said.
Separately, four Iraqi oil and security sources told Reuters that crude-oil loading at all Iraqi terminals had been halted after a drone struck an oil tanker at the Basra terminal.
Responding to the reports, an Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman said crude loading at the country’s southern terminals had been temporarily suspended but later resumed. The ministry also said that officials were investigating reports that an unidentified “object” had fallen onto an oil tanker.
Iraqi sources said the incident caused no damage or fire.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
What Is Iran's Secretive Pickaxe Mountain?
- By Kian Sharifi
Satellite images show Iran is accelerating work at a secretive nuclear-related site deep beneath Kuh-e Kolang mountain, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
Intelligence agencies suspect this is where Iran is seeking to build a secret uranium enrichment facility.
What do we know about one of the most fortified sites in Iran, which US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack?
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Claim Attacks On US Bases In Kuwait, Jordan
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed in two separate statements issued on July 16 that it had struck US military bases in Kuwait and Jordan.
In one statement, the IRGC alleged that the US military had used its air bases in Jordan to launch attacks on Iran the previous night.
It said that it responded with missile strikes on "the parking apron for US fighter aircraft and the new US command-and-control center in West Asia at Jordan's Azraq Air Base."
In a second statement, the IRGC claimed it had launched a combined missile and drone attack on "the satellite communications center, early-warning radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base, and the US military pier at Shuaybah, Kuwait."
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not yet responded to the IRGC's claims.
However, Jordan's state news agency, citing the country's military without providing further details, reported that eight Iranian missiles were intercepted overnight.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
CENTCOM Says US Targeted Iranian Coastal Defenses, Missile Capabilities
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said its latest strikes on Iran targeted "command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities" in an effort to further degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said in an X post late on July 15 that the nighttime attacks hit multiple locations, including the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, following earlier strikes on coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island.
Trump Says Iran Releases 'Wrongfully Detained' US Woman
(Updates to name woman released.)
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on July 15 that Iran had allowed an American citizen who Washington says was wrongfully detained since 2004 to leave the country, calling the move a "gesture of goodwill" by Tehran.
"Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024...to leave the Country. She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, without identifying the woman.
"The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!" he added.
The State Department did not immediately provide additional details about the circumstances of her release, which comes as the US steps up air strikes on Iran in their almost five-month-old war.
Human rights attorney Jared Genser, however, identified the American as Dena Karari.
"I am delighted and excited to report that my client U.S. citizen #DenaKarari , who had been trapped in #Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges is now free," Genser wrote on X, thanking Trump for his efforts to free her.
Iran has neither confirmed nor denied that Karari has been released.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on June 23 that the US would continue to prioritize the release of Americans wrongfully detained overseas but declined to discuss individual cases.
"We'll always prioritize wrongfully detained Americans everywhere in the world," Rubio said. "I don't want to discuss any specific cases; that complicates them."
The State Department believes six Americans are detained in Iran.
Among those it has designated as wrongfully detained are Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh -- a former journalist for RFE/RL’s Persian-language service, Radio Farda -- and Kamran Hekmati, an Iranian-American grandfather from New York, who are being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.
Trump's announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran following recent conflict between the two countries.
Iran has previously held dual nationals and foreign citizens on security-related charges that the United States and rights groups say are politically motivated. They accuse Tehran of detaining foreign nationals to use as bargaining chips in diplomatic negotiations.
US Says It Disabled Tanker Bound for Iran Amid Blockade
WASHINGTON -- The US military says it disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on July 15, after the commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings "as it attempted to violate the US blockade."
"US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island," CENTCOM said in a statement.
"A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran."
Iran and the United States have been battling for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy shipments.
The incident marks the first publicly announced use of force against a commercial vessel since Washington reinstated its blockade on Iranian ports. CENTCOM said two other vessels had complied with US instructions and were redirected without incident.
The tanker strike came as the US military launched what CENTCOM described as a second wave of strikes against Iranian military targets within 24 hours. The command said the attacks targeted capabilities used to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including coastal defense systems and cruise missile infrastructure.
Iranian state media reported explosions in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar, as well as Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, following the latest US attacks.
Speaking at a defense summit in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump said Iran "wants to settle so badly" but suggested Washington could continue military action if negotiations fail.
"We'll find out whether we want to settle with them or if we just finish it off," Trump said, while also urging US defense manufacturers to accelerate weapons production.
The latest strikes extend a fifth consecutive day of US military operations against Iran, underscoring a sharp escalation in tensions even as Washington says it remains open to talks.
Qalibaf Defends Continued US Talks, Warns Iran Could Abandon Memorandum Of Understanding
Iran's parliament speaker and top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has defended continuing negotiations with the United States despite renewed fighting, while claiming the Islamic republic is engaged in an "existential war" with Washington.
In a statement published by Iranian media on July 15, Qalibaf asserted that Iran's national security depends on maintaining "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring the "maximum safe and unhindered passage" of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway.
Referring to the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the United States -- which has appeared close to collapse in recent days following the latest round of hostilities -- Qalibaf said that if Iran "is not going to benefit from this text, then...we have no reason to remain committed to such an understanding."
The memorandum was signed on June 15 by the presidents of Iran and the United States. Under its terms, the Strait of Hormuz was reopened and the United States lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
However, after last week's attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's insistence on closing a shipping route through Omani waters, the United States launched strikes against targets inside Iran.
The fighting intensified this week, and US President Donald Trump ordered the reinstatement of the naval blockade against Iran, which US forces began enforcing late on July 14.
In his statement, Qalibaf also said Iran "should fear neither war nor negotiations; war and negotiations are two methods of safeguarding national interests."
His remarks come as hard-line figures and groups aligned with Iran's leadership have in recent days called for "revenge" against the United States following the killing of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes, while rejecting continued negotiations with Washington.
Responding to such views, Qalibaf said negotiations should not be equated with "compromise" and described framing the choice as one between negotiations and defense as "a strategic mistake."
US Treasury Sanctions 7 Accused Of Supporting IRGC Procurement Network
The United States has imposed sanctions on seven individuals and entities accused of supporting weapons procurement for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), following Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a press release on July 15 that the network used aviation and transport companies, financial intermediaries, and travel coordinators to obscure the IRGC’s role in acquiring weapons and moving personnel and material internationally.
Those sanctioned include Iranian national Behruz Namazi and his Tehran-based Nika Jet Company; the Nigeria-based Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited, Italian national Dounia Ettaib, and the Moscow-based aviation company Avratek along with two of its Russian employees.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department "will continue to target and disrupt the illicit procurement networks that fund Iran’s weapons programs and war machine.”
The measures freeze any US-based assets belonging to those designated and generally bar US persons from conducting transactions with them. Foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate significant transactions for sanctioned parties could also face secondary sanctions.
OFAC said the action builds on earlier sanctions targeting networks that procured weapons, including portable air-defense systems, for the IRGC.
US Strikes Target Iranian Ports, Continues Shipping Blockade
A new round of US strikes across Iran hit dozens of military targets in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb island, according to Western military officials. The US military's Central Command released footage it said shows air attacks focused on Iranian drone sites as well as military and communication assets. (Video by RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Will Tizard)
US Military Says It Diverted 2 Ships In First Hours Of Blockade
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it diverted two commercial vessels within hours of reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian shipping.
In a statement on July 15, CENTCOM said its forces had redirected two ships that had been "attempting to run the blockade."
It added that it remained "vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance" with its maritime restrictions on Iran.