Houthis Say They Downed Saudi Surveillance Drone
Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on July 26 that they downed a Saudi Arabian drone over northwest Yemen.
A military spokesman said the group "successfully shot down a Turkish-made... armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was conducting hostile operations."
Saudi Arabia has not yet commented on the claim.
The Yemeni group had earlier claimed on July 25 that they fired a missile at the southern Saudi city of Jizan in retaliation for air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition on the Yemeni province of Hodeidah.
Riyadh said it had targeted sites threatening commercial shipping after the Yemeni rebels announced a blockade of Saudi shipping and claimed to have attacked vessels in the Red Sea earlier this week.
Saudi Arabia has backed Yemen's government against the Houthis since leading a military intervention in 2015, although cross-border hostilities have largely subsided in recent years.
With reporting by AFP
Iran Claims Progress Made In Talks With Oman On Strait Of Hormuz
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on July 26 that "progress" had been made in discussions between Tehran and Muscat, but did not provide any details.
His comments came after an Omani delegation that had travelled to Tehran for talks on the management of the Strait of Hormuz left Iran early on July 25.
Baghaei said "several rounds of discussions" had been held in Tehran between Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers in recent days, during which the two sides "exchanged views on shared principles and operational mechanisms for managing the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights of the two littoral states."
He added, however, that "there has been no change in the status of navigation through the strait at present."
Iran and Oman are the two states bordering the narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies normally passes.
Shortly after the outbreak of the war with the United States and Israel in February, Iran effectively halted most traffic through the strait by launching attacks on international shipping. The move has disrupted global energy markets and made reopening the crucial waterway a key focus of subsequent negotiations.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Araqchi Calls Kallas After Ukrainian Strike In Caspian Sea
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has spoken by phone with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and strongly condemned what Tehran claims was a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.
He also called on the UN Security Council, the European Union, and the international community to respond and to hold the "perpetrators and supporters of this attack" accountable.
Iran said the Ukrainian strike resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another. The claim could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on July 25 that Kyiv's forces had carried out long-range strikes in the Caspian, hitting a Russian warship as well as vessels used to transport military cargo "with the participation of Iran."
Kyiv and the West have long condemned Iran for providing Iranian-designed drones to Russia for use against Ukrainian forces following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine has offered its expertise in drone interception to countries in the Middle East that have been targets of Iranian strikes.
Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency also reported that, following Ukraine's attack on vessels in the Caspian Sea, Ukraine's acting chargé d'affaires in Tehran was summoned on the evening of July 25 by Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Manouchehr Moradi.
According to the report, the Ukrainian diplomat was informed of Iran's "strong levels of protest" and told that the Islamic republic "will not leave this action unanswered."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
US Calls On Iran To Halt Executions
US Assistant Secretary of State Riley Barnes has condemned the Iranian government's "executions of its own citizens," describing the victims as "brave young Iranians who dared to raise their voices."
He also called for the release of all political prisoners and urged Tehran to stop executing people for peacefully exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, adding: "The world is watching."
Rights groups say Tehran has executed more than 50 people on charges linked to nationwide anti-government protests in January since war broke out with the United States and Israel at the end of February as authorities try to keep a lid on any anger building over the conflict.
Iran has executed at least 422 people since the start of 2026, according to the Iran Human Rights group.
Tehran Summons Ukrainian Envoy After Strike On Iranian Vessel In Caspian As Tensions Rise
The Foreign Ministry in Tehran has summoned Ukraine's envoy to issue a protest over what it labeled a "hostile and criminal" attack after it accused Kyiv of striking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea.
Manouchehr Moradi, an assistant foreign minister, conveyed to Kyiv's charge d'affaires Iran's "strong levels of protest" and vowed that the Islamic republic "will not leave this action unanswered," according to the Tasnim state-controlled news agency.
Iran said the Ukrainian strike resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another. The claim could not be independently verified.
The strike and diplomatic move further raised tensions between the two countries even as violence flared elsewhere in the Middle East war that began with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran at the end of February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 25 said Kyiv's forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iranian-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.
Ukraine had achieved "very good results" in overnight long-range strikes in the Caspian, including against vessels used to transport military cargo "with the participation of Iran," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Kyiv and the West have long condemned Iran for providing Iranian-designed drones to Russia for use against Ukrainian forces following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv has offered its expertise in drone interception to countries in the Middle East that have been targets of Iranian strikes.
Zelenskyy, in later remarks on July 25, said his intelligence services had since early July detected "active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and US military facilities located there. These images subsequently appear in Iran."
"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," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy claimed that on July 19-20 alone, Russian satellite observation had included four air bases: two of them in Bahrain, one in Jordan, and one in Kuwait -- all US Arab allies in the Middle East.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda and Reuters
Amid Overall Lull In Attacks, US Boards Tanker As Part Of Iran Port Blockade
The United States continued to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports on July 25, with the military saying its forces boarded a Comoros-flagged tanker in the Arabian Sea as part of a "verification" process, even as other US military action appears to have paused.
"Earlier today, US forces completed a verification boarding aboard Comoros-flagged M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, and the tanker is now continuing its journey," US Central Command (CENTCOM) it said on X.
The statement said that as of July 25, CENTCOM forces had since the reinstatement of the blockade redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled two vessels that didn't comply, and boarded two others to ensure total compliance.
It added that CENTCOM forces disabled Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman on July 24, after the crew attempted to violate the blockade multiple times and ignored repeated warnings.
"The ship is no longer transiting to Iran," it said.
US forces for the first time in two weeks did not launch overnight attacks on Iranian sites on July 24-25. As of 3 a.m. Iran time on July 26, CENTCOM had not announced new attacks.
Asked about the pause, a senior administration official was quoted by Reuters as saying Trump "has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way.”
CENTCOM has stated that the attacks on Iranian sites is largely designed to prevent Tehran from attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times, citing two people briefed on the matter, reported that Trump has decided, for now, to back off earlier plans to restart major attacks on Iran.
According to the report Trump and other officials are concerned about expanding the conflict, depleting defense stockpiles, angering Gulf Arab allies, and further exacerbating global energy shortages.
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.
Egyptian, Omani, Iranian Foreign Ministers Discuss De-Escalation
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls on July 25 with his Omani and Iranian counterparts to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East .
During his talks with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Egypt's top diplomat stressed the need to halt all "military and escalatory" actions to prevent the conflict from widening.
Quoting a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the Egypt Today daily reported that the talks highlighted the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, "considering it a key factor for regional security and stability."
The Egyptian minister also called for the protection of civilians.
Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) urged people living in Persian Gulf states to stay at least 500 meters away from US military bases in their respective countries.
Bessent Vows More Pressure On Iran As US Targets Sanctions-Evasion Network
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Iranian government was continuing to "pay a steep economic price for its reckless behavior" and vowed to intensify pressure on Tehran after the Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting a "broader Iranian sanctions evasion network."
"Treasury will continue cutting off economic access for corrupt Iranian regime elites, along with their financiers and facilitators," Bessent said in an X post on July 25.
The measures target four individuals and nine entities that US authorities said are part of a network run by Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani, whom Washington accuses of helping Iran evade sanctions through a web of companies and financial intermediaries.
Ukraine Says It Struck Russian Warship, Iran-Linked Vessels In Caspian Sea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian warship as well as vessels used to transport military cargo linked to Iran in the Caspian Sea.
Writing on Telegram on July 25, Zelenskyy said 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." He did not provide further details about the warship or the vessels that were struck.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) later said on July 25 that Ukrainian drones had struck the Filanovsky offshore oil platform, operated by Russian oil company Lukoil, in the Caspian Sea.
According to the SBU, two cargo vessels -- the Port Olya 2 and Begey -- were also targeted. It said the ships had been used to transport military cargo between Russia and Iran.
Neither Russia nor Iran has commented on the reported strikes, and Ukraine's claims have not been independently verified.
On July 24, President Donald Trump said on social media that his Chinese and Russian counterparts had assured him they were not selling weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them -- Certainly not in their best interests," he added.
China, Russia and Iran maintain close strategic ties. Russia has relied on Iranian-designed drones in its war against Ukraine, while Beijing has deepened economic ties with Tehran.
Reuters recently reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter, that US intelligence analysts are examining whether Russia played any role in Iran's recent drone attacks on facilities linked to the CIA.