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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
Over the weekend, President Trump formally notified Congress that fighting between the United States and Iran has resumed amid tit-for-tat attacks by both sides in recent days, according to a letter obtained by the New York Times. Both chambers have directed Trump to end the conflict or seek congressional approval to continue it, but Trump maintains he has the authority to proceed without it. Peter Barker reports.
[Editor’s note: The first entry has been updated due to an error in the previously cited news report.]
U.S. forces conducted a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, hours after Trump said Washington is reinstating a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump separately announced that the United States will immediately start charging other ships a 20% fee for safe passage. “We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” Trump said. “We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.” In a radio interview, Trump dismissed the importance of the ceasefire agreement, saying that “when you’re dealing with sleazebags, [agreements] don’t mean much.”Jon Gambrell, Josh Boak, Konstantin Toropin, and Will Weissert report for AP News; Peter Baker reports for the New York Times; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Trump’s threat to impose fees on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz contradicts weeks of declarations by his top aides that no country can charge tolls or fees for passage through the waterway. Addressing the issue during a visit to the Middle East in late June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law. That’s the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that’s the way we expect it’ll be here.” Michael Crowley and Edward Wong report for the New York Times.
Iran responded to the U.S. strikes today with attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan, and two tankers associated with the UAE in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one mariner and wounding eight others. “The UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents,” the Emirati Defense Ministry said today. Jon Gambrell, Josh Boak, Konstantin Toropin, and Will Weissert report for AP News.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said today that Iran targeted a U.S. air base in Jordan using ballistic missiles and called on Jordanians to dismantle U.S. bases in the kingdom. Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted and shot down four missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory, according to the state news agency. Enas Alashray, Elwely Elwelly, Tala Ramadan, and Katharine Jackson report for Reuters.
Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is currently in the custody of the IRGC’s intelligence wing following a failed Israeli plan to install him as Iran’s new leader, four Iranian officials said. U.S. officials said that Israel spent years secretly cultivating Ahmadinejad as a candidate to lead Iran, with covert meetings in Budapest and secret payments for his housing and travel. Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassihi, and Ronen Bergman report for the New York Times.
U.S. forces used unmanned boats in an attack on an Iranian naval installation on Sunday, U.S. Central Command said yesterday, their first-ever offensive operation by sea drones. Nicholas Kulish and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
The U.K. government yesterday accused an arm of Iran’s IRGC of directing a wave of attacks targeting Jewish communities in Europe in recent months and took steps to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Adam Goldman reports for the New York Times.
YEMEN
Yemen’s Houthis yesterday accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Yemen’s main international airport in Sanaa. Yemen’s defense minister, Gen. Taher al-Aqili, said that the airport’s runway was struck to stop an Iranian plane transporting the Houthi delegation from returning from the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Houthis responded by firing ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia, a Saudi military coalition said. The coalition statement said that Saudi air defenses had “dealt with” that threat. Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, said he was “deeply concerned about the risk of wider escalation.” He called on involved parties to engage in dialogue that preserves the “relative calm Yemen has experienced since 2022.” Shuaib Almosawa and Vivian Nereim report for the New York Times; Fatma Khaled reports for AP News.
In a phone call last week, Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman his support for the military actions against the Houthis in Yemen yesterday, according to two U.S. officials. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that Europeans were ready to defend their continent, “with blood, if necessary,” as more than 25 leaders met in Paris to cement plans for a multinational force to be deployed in the aftermath of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Mark Landler reports for the New York Times.
Ukraine and nine other countries also announced they were forming a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles. “We believe that protecting Europe requires a comprehensive solution, in the form of an integrated missile defense architecture, to deter and neutralize future missile threats,” the statement said. “We recognize Ukraine’s unique experience, gained through its defense against the war of aggression waged by Russia.” Emma Carmichael and Illia Novikov report for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli attacks on Sunday killed at least six people in Gaza, Palestinian health officials said. Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military said it was not aware of the incident. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
The EU announced yesterday that it was pledging about $1 billion for projects to help rebuild infrastructure in Gaza. “The ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile, and the situation on the ground for civilians is not getting better,” EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica said. She said the money will move through “trusted partners” but did not give details. Sam McNeil reports for AP News.
Ramiz Alakbarov, a U.N. humanitarian official in Jerusalem, accused armed personnel linked to Gaza’s Hamas-run government of disrupting food aid operations by raiding a World Food Program distribution site on Saturday, prompting the agency to suspend activities there. Ismail Thawabteh, a Hamas spokesman, said that Gaza police had raided the warehouse as part of an anti-smuggling operation. Aaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon report for the New York Times.
SUDANESE CIVIL WAR
A Sudanese court on Sunday sentenced the leader of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, to death for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide over atrocities committed in the West Darfur region. The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, told BBC News it was a “sham trial” that “does not even deserve a comment.” This ruling is the first judicial conviction of the RSF’s leadership since civil war broke out; however, its impact remains unclear as the RSF continues to control large parts of western Sudan and its leaders remain beyond the reach of the Sudanese army. Akisa Wandera reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Hungary’s parliament voted yesterday to pass a constitutional amendment to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office. The amendment, which had the stated purpose of “restoring rule-of-law democracy,” passed with 139 votes for and six against in the 199-member Parliament. Lawmakers from former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s far-right Fidesz party boycotted the parliamentary session. Justin Spike reports for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
“To accept the [International Criminal Court] is to surrender control of our national destiny,” Rubio said yesterday in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal. “Using all the tools at our government’s disposal, working beside every ally with whom we can make common cause, we will dismantle the ICC—brick by brick, if necessary,” Rubio concluded. In a statement yesterday, the State Department announced plans to roll out more sanctions against ICC court officials and vowed increased scrutiny on allies who were “relying on U.S. assistance” if they “refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority.” Jeanna Smialek, Amanda Taub, and Edward Wong report for the New York Times.
The Trump administration said yesterday it is blocking U.S. citizens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from traveling to the United States on commercial flights due to the widening Ebola outbreak, according to a White House official. The order, which is being taken under a transportation authority known as Title 49, will place U.S. citizens in Congo or those who have recently left on a “do-not-board” list until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country, the source said. Trevor Hunnicutt reports for Reuters.
Trump is welcoming Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House today, with talks expected to focus on Iran’s influence and Iraq’s efforts to disarm Iran-backed militias, according to an administration official. Seung Min Kim and Qassim Abdul-Zahra report for AP News.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
An ICE agent yesterday shot and killed a Colombian national in a vehicle in Biddeford, Maine, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS said that at about 7 a.m., a person left an address being monitored by ICE agents in a vehicle, adding, “The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.” In a separate communication, DHS said the driver had “weaponized his vehicle toward law enforcement.” As of this morning, no video evidence confirming the government’s version of events had emerged. Jacey Fortin, Heather Beasley Doyle, Miriam Jordan, and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times.
Federal prosecutors have turned over key evidence long sought by Minnesota investigators in their ongoing probe into the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, state prosecutors said yesterday. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the evidence turned over included previously withheld hard drives containing statements, police body camera video, and other materials in the Minnesota killings. Federal prosecutors also turned over Good’s badly damaged SUV, she said. Philip Marcelo and Rebecca Boone report for AP News.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Google has agreed to buy 100 percent of the initial output of Steel River Energy Center, a solar power project in Arkansas, when it becomes operational in 2029, to offset its fossil fuel emissions. Martha Muir reports for the Financial Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump is supporting the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) Russia sanctions bill, which proposes steep tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas, a White House official confirmed yesterday. The confirmation comes amid a push on Capitol Hill led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to get members of Congress to pass the legislation in Graham’s honor. Julia Manchester reports for The Hill.
The Trump administration has rescinded its $10 billion freeze on child care subsidies and social services funding for five Democratic states, including New York and California, according to court documents filed yesterday. Minho Kim reports for the New York Times.
The Defense Department and the Justice Department have created a joint task force to identify and prosecute what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information to news media, Hegseth announced yesterday. Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge yesterday sanctioned the lawyers behind Trump’s settlement with the IRS, deeming the lawsuit to have been “improperly employed” to justify the anti-weaponization fund. She said the suit was “an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law.” Avery Lotz and Andrew Pantazi report for Axios.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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