Conflicting Claims As Tehran Says Ukraine Struck Iranian Commercial Vessel In Caspian Sea
Iranian Foreign Ministry said the Ukrainian attack on July 25 targeted an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea, while Kyiv said it hit vessels being used to transport military cargo.
The Iranian ministry said the strike killed one sailor and injured another.
The statement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had targeted a Russian warship, as well as vessels used to transport military cargo linked to Iran, in the area.
Ukraine had achieved "very good results" in overnight long-range strikes in the Caspian Sea, including against vessels used to transport military cargo "with the participation of Iran," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
While Russia has not commented on the incident, Iran has described it as an act of aggression.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump said "it would be very bad" for Russia and China if they were supplying weapons to Iran, but added that the leaders of both countries had assured him this would not happen.
Tehran has long been an ally of Russia, supplying it with military equipment and technology and fueling Moscow's war effort against Ukraine. Earlier this year, Zelenskyy said that Russia's military had used more than 50,000 Shahed drones in attacks on his country, including against civilian and energy infrastructure.
Separately, Zelenskyy said later on July 25 that Kyiv had "recorded active Russian satellite surveillance" of the Gulf countries and US military bases in the area. "These images subsequently appear in Iran," he said.
"At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia's satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes -- both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted."
With reporting by Reuters.
US Senate Set To Extend Iran Sanctions In Revised Russia Bill Named After Lindsey Graham
WASHINGTON -- The US Senate is set to extend a cornerstone of US sanctions on Iran by adding a renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to a broader bipartisan Russia sanctions package expected to receive its first procedural vote on July 28.
According to the revised draft reviewed by RFE/RL, the legislation would rename the measure the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" and include Section 201, "Extension of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996," preserving a key pillar of the US sanctions framework against Tehran while honoring the late senator in the process.
The addition came after President Donald Trump pushed to include the Iran sanctions extension in the Russia package.
Supporters say the change helped secure broader Republican support without significantly altering the bill's overall framework.
"It helps the bill become law to add Iran into the package. I don't think it's an obstacle. I think it enhances the prospects, particularly with Republicans, and I have no objection to the addition," Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse told RFE/RL hours before the vote.
In a joint statement, the bill's sponsors said the legislation would both target purchasers of Russian oil and gas and "continue restricting the Iranian regime's ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear program."
Graham, who was one of the Republican conferences most outspoken Ukraine allies, had been negotiating tirelessly to negotiate the package with the White House, before he died on July 11 at the age of 71 from a heart condition.
CENTCOM Announces Joint AI Working Group With UAE
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to form the first bilateral working group aimed at accelerating the development of artificial intelligence applications in the military.
CENTCOM announced on July 28 that the task force, called the Talon Synapse Task Force, will begin its activities in Abu Dhabi in the coming weeks and will include about 20 American and Emirati experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, data, and cybersecurity.
The task force will focus on developing AI applications for intelligence support, critical infrastructure protection, and regional security situation monitoring, according to CENTCOM. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, described the collaboration as a "historic milestone" in expanding military cooperation between the two countries.
The UAE has repeatedly come under Iranian missile and drone attack during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
Trump Tells Fox News There Have Been 'Good' Talks With Iran
US President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview on July 28 that there have been some "good" talks with Iran, but warned that if Tehran won't make a deal the United States may have to target civilian infrastructure in a new wave of strikes.
Speaking hours before a scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the United States has a "very strong position right now," though he'd like to avoid bombing Iran further.
"We cannot have them break deals anymore.... We have had some very good talks," he said.
The US president said he was aware of reports of satellite images that appear to 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.
"I know exactly what's going on at Pickaxe. It's not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites, and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal. We don't make a deal, we'll take it out very easily," Trump said.
Ukraine Hits At Iran In The Caspian Sea. And Things Get Even Messier.
Iranian-designed drones have wreaked havoc for Ukrainian forces battling Russian troops as Moscow took Tehran's technology and ran with it, supercharging production and deploying drones in devastating droves in its all-out war against Kyiv.
As far as Ukraine is concerned, that makes Iran an indirect combatant. And that means Iranian cargo ships heading to Russia are fair game as far as military targets go.
That's what happened this weekend in the Caspian Sea, and Tehran is not happy.
Moscow's 53-month-old invasion has scrambled politics for Europe. The US-Israeli war with Iran has scrambled politics for the Middle East.
So what do Ukrainian strikes on Iranian cargo -- or Russian ships -- in the Caspian mean for the two wars?
"If the Ukrainians continue doing this, it's going to obviously make it more difficult for both Iran and Russia," said Nicole Grajewski, an Russia-Iran expert with Sciences Po, the famed French university. But, she added, "I don't see this as being a fundamental game changer in the war."
"The Ukrainian strike against an Iranian ship represents a significant shift in tactics and sends a clear message that Ukraine will not tolerate aggression, regardless of where it originates," said Luke Coffey, a Russia expert at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank.
"I suspect these types of operations will make shipping between Russia and Iran across the Caspian increasingly difficult," he said.
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Oil Prices Fall Below $80 a Barrel
Global oil prices have fallen below $80 after US President Donald Trump said Washington was engaged in "very deep talks" with Iran while calm persisted in southern Iran without US strikes for a third straight night.
Early on July 28, the price of US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell by 3.2 percent to $79.98 a barrel.
Brent crude oil fell 3.7 percent to $85.10 a barrel.
Brent crude had briefly topped $100 a barrel earlier in the latest round of US attacks on Iran.
Oil prices had risen by more than 20 percent after the United States resumed strikes on Iran after a framework cease-fire unraveled, with the campaign continuing for 13 consecutive nights.
With reporting by AFP
Bushehr Airport Completely Destroyed In US Attacks, Says Spokesperson
An Iranian government spokesperson said the airport in Bushehr was completely destroyed in recent US attacks and is no longer usable, adding that it "will definitely have to be rebuilt from scratch."
Fatemeh Mohajerani told reporters at her weekly news conference on July 28, that during a visit to the main civilian airport serving the southern port city on the Persian Gulf, she saw "the remains of a newly purchased aircraft" that had been destroyed after a direct missile strike, with only a small section of its tail remaining.
This is the first time an Iranian official has said Bushehr airport was completely destroyed in the attacks on Iran.
During its latest campaign against Iran, the US carried out strikes over 13 consecutive nights against targets in the country's south. Bushehr was among the targets, with various parts of the city reportedly struck by missiles on an almost daily basis.
Mohajerani also claimed that more than 350 government employees were killed during the recent attacks.
Earlier, Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development said that 12 bridges and two tunnels were damaged in the US campaign.
Iranian Demonstrators Protest State Executions In Isfahan
Videos posted on social media appeared to show crowds of protesters gathering in the Iranian city of Isfahan on July 28 to demonstrate as state executions of two men took place. With more executions feared, the videos show groups of people chanting "Without honor!" amid a heavy security presence. Iran has been ramping up the numbers of death sentences carried out. (Video by RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Will Tizard)
Oman Proposes Joint Hormuz Management Plan, Iran Would Not Have Sole Control, Gulf Source Says
Oman has proposed a joint regional mechanism to manage the Strait of Hormuz, modelled on the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, under which users would make voluntary contributions to fund navigation, environmental protection, and search-and-rescue operations, a source in the Persian Gulf source told Reuters on July 27.
The proposal, which has regional backing, would not give Iran sole control of the strategic waterway, the source said.
The initiative comes after the United States suspended air strikes against Iran over the weekend, raising hopes of a diplomatic solution that could restore shipping through the strait, which carried about a fifth of global energy supplies before conflict erupted in the Persian Gulf.
President Donald Trump said on July 26 that the United States was having "good talks" with Tehran and there was a chance of a deal, but warned US strikes would resume if the negotiations failed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi discussed the strait with his Omani and Saudi counterparts on the same day.
Iran's Foreign Ministry said he called for greater regional cooperation to restore stability and security in the crucial waterway.
Iran Executes Two More Men In Connection With January Protests
Iranian state media reported on July 28 that Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi had been executed in connection with the January 2026 protests in Isfahan's Malek Shahr district.
State media described the two men as being "among those responsible for the killing of four police officers" in Alikhani Square, claiming they had "injured the officers and set them on fire" during the January 8 protests.
The details of the legal proceedings, the defendants' access to lawyers and the circumstances under which their confessions were obtained could not be independently established.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show crowds gathering near the execution site to protest the hangings amid a heavy security presence.
Some showed protesters chanting "Without honor! Without honor!" as the dawn call to prayer was broadcast and security forces rode motorcycles through the crowd.
Social media users also reported clashes between protesters and security forces and internet disruptions in Isfahan.
RFE/RL's Radio Farda could not independently verify these reports.
The executions were carried out early on July 28, hours after Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said a group of UN experts had urged Tehran to immediately halt the death sentences of the remaining 10 defendants in the Isfahan case.
Twelve protesters, who were in their late teens or early twenties when arrested, were sentenced to death in a closed group trial.
Two others, Gol Mohammad Mohammadi and Erfan Esfandiari, were executed on July 19.
UN experts have said the proceedings failed to meet fair trial standards, arguing the convictions relied on forced confessions broadcast on state television and did not clearly establish each defendant's individual responsibility.
Separately, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) and the Iran Human Rights Society said prisoners in Unit 2 of Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj continued a hunger strike and sit-in for a fifteenth consecutive day on July 27, protesting executions and the transfer of prisoners to solitary confinement.
The reports said hundreds of prisoners sentenced to death have refused prison food since July 13.
Iran's judiciary and prison authorities have not commented.