- War talks:President Donald Trump said it’s Iran’s “last chance” to sign a deal with the United States, after again calling off strikes and promising to continue talks. He also claimed talks between the US and Iran would start Monday and that a Strait of Hormuz deal was in place, but Iran has denied any negotiations are ongoing.
- Iran-Ukraine tensions:An Iranian official says Tehran called off planned strikes on targets in Ukraine after Kyiv said an attack on an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea was unintentional.
- Strait of Hormuz:Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it is in talks with Oman to establish a safe, “temporary” route for vessels through the critical waterway.
- Regional tensions:Six Saudi-operated tankers diverted around Africa to avoid possible attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi militia, ship tracking data shows. The Houthis warned they would target any Saudi shipping trying to transit the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint.
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Iran was ready to attack three sites in Ukraine over a claimed strike on one of its commercial vessels in the Caspian Sea in late July, a top military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Monday, Iran’s state-linked Press TV reported
“We were ready to attack three areas in Ukraine,” Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview with Iranian state television. “But after they claimed it was a mistake, we halted our response to examine their claim,” Press TV reported him as saying
Last week, Tehran accused Kyiv of striking an Iranian commercial vessel carrying a cargo of iron, killing a seafarer and injuring three others. Kyiv had said it conducted drone strikes on two Russian vessels carrying military cargo in the Caspian Sea
Iranian officials had warned of retaliation, but the tension eased after a phone call between the two nations’ top diplomats, after which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his Ukrainian counterpart had assured him an attack on an Iranian ship was unintentional
“Even if it was a mistake, it still requires compensation,” Rezaei added on Monday
In the same interview, Rezaei said Iran is focused only on negotiations with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz, not with the United States
“If the blockade continues, US forces will face casualties,” Rezaei said, adding that Washington “must change its behavior and honor its commitments.”
People sit in a fishing boat sailing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off of Yemen’s southern Taiz province on July 25.
With the Houthi threats against Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, some oil tankers are now forced to detour, a move that would increase the cost — and time — tremendously
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last month said they would target Saudi shipping trying to transit the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint at the southern end of the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti. Six Saudi-operated tankers have since diverted around Africa
The cost? Higher fuel consumption at a time when energy prices remain inflated due to the war in Iran, fatter bills for crews, increased insurance premiums and fewer voyages each tanker can complete for the time being — all of which raise overall expenses
The shipping tracker firm Kpler reported last week that since Houthis began targeting Saudi shipping on July 22, average Saudi crude flows through the Bab al-Mandeb had fallen 50%
The disruption will also disproportionately affect Asian countries, as the chokepoint has become a key alternative route for Saudi crude exports to the region since disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Kpler said
Much like the obstruction of the Strait of Hormuz, hindering access to the Bab al-Mandeb underscores how even limited disruptions at one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints could have profound consequences for global shipping — and oil supply
Former U.S. Special Envoy on Iran says the U.S.-Iran war underscores need for diplomacy
1:33• Source:
CNN
Former U.S. Special Envoy on Iran says the U.S.-Iran war underscores need for diplomacy
1:33
President Donald Trump said that it is Iran’s “last chance” to sign a deal with the United States after he called off strikes on Saturday and later claimed that talks between the two countries would happen Monday
Iran has since denied that these talks are in the works
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews on Monday.
US President Donald Trump called Iranian leadership “unbelievably duplicitous” on social media after Tehran contradicted his claim that negotiations would resume Monday
He later insisted that this is Iran’s “last chance” to sign a deal, but he also said he has no time constraints on negotiations because he’s not seeking reelection
Over the weekend, Trump called off a planned attack because of progress in talks. It’s not the first time he’s threatened attacks and later canceled them
- Another tanker struck:A tanker reported being struck in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the organization that monitors marine traffic in the region. A cargo vessel made a distress call on the VHF Channel 16 Tuesday local time, saying it was hit by “an unknown projectile,” said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The unnamed tanker was struck about 23 miles (37 kilometers) northeast of Al Khasab, Oman, on the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO report said. It did not state who was responsible for the attack.
- Iran denies talks with US:Iran is focused only on negotiations with Oman about the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. Baghaei said the US had “violated all of its commitments” in June when the ceasefire fell apart.
- Timing on war talks:Trump said he has no time constraints on negotiations with Tehran since he is not seeking reelection in November’s midterm elections. Had the US gone through with an attack over the weekend, Trump said, “There’d be essentially very little left.”
- Red Sea chokepoint: In other oil routes, six Saudi-operated tankers diverted around Africa, adding at least two weeks to their journeys, to avoid possible attacks in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, ship-tracking data show.
- Oil prices fall: Oil prices sank Monday after the US president said he canceled strikes. Trump also said that oil companies are “making too much money” during the war.
- In other regional news: Amid efforts by the US and the Board of Peace to get Israel to halt strikes in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli official said Israel “will continue to thwart any threat to our civilians and soldiers.”
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Tal Shalev, Tim Lister, Kathleen Magramo, Catherine Nicholls and Anna Cooban contributed reporting
