Lead Story
Trump says he has called off planned US strikes on Iran, citing imminent deal
President Trump announced Sunday that he has canceled what he described as a "massive attack" on Iran that had been set to proceed this weekend, saying the decision came after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — along with Iran itself — asked him to hold off while negotiators try to finalize an agreement. Trump said the deal under discussion would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and address concerns over Iran's nuclear program, and that formal talks with Tehran are set to resume Monday. US forces in the region remain on full alert and officials cautioned the reprieve is conditional on rapid progress at the table. Iranian state media, however, gave no indication that Tehran had requested the strikes be called off or that its position on Hormuz has shifted, leaving the durability of the pause in question. The State Department has also renewed warnings for US citizens across the Middle East given the volatility of the standoff. The episode caps a tense week in which a US attack on Iran appeared imminent, rattling regional markets and allied capitals.
Read more →Lead Story
Trump says he has called off planned US strikes on Iran, citing imminent deal
President Trump announced Sunday that he has canceled what he described as a "massive attack" on Iran that had been set to proceed this weekend, saying the decision came after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — along with Iran itself — asked him to hold off while negotiators try to finalize an agreement. Trump said the deal under discussion would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and address concerns over Iran's nuclear program, and that formal talks with Tehran are set to resume Monday. US forces in the region remain on full alert and officials cautioned the reprieve is conditional on rapid progress at the table. Iranian state media, however, gave no indication that Tehran had requested the strikes be called off or that its position on Hormuz has shifted, leaving the durability of the pause in question. The State Department has also renewed warnings for US citizens across the Middle East given the volatility of the standoff. The episode caps a tense week in which a US attack on Iran appeared imminent, rattling regional markets and allied capitals.
Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza as minister rules out halt to attacks despite disarmament roadmap
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians in the deadliest single day in weeks, according to local health officials, even as Washington touted a newly published 15-point roadmap for Hamas to disarm. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said flatly that there is no agreement to stop military operations, adding that Israel — which already holds roughly 70% of the Strip — should move to take full control of it. Hamas has said it will only begin surrendering weapons once Israeli forces halt operations and withdraw in line with last year's ceasefire terms, a sequencing dispute that has stalled implementation for days. Palestinian health officials say at least 1,230 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire nominally took effect in October, with the toll continuing to climb through the weekend's strikes. The gap between Trump's public framing of a "historic" breakthrough on disarmament and the continued bombardment on the ground has fueled fresh skepticism about whether the roadmap can hold.
Read more →Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza as minister rules out halt to attacks despite disarmament roadmap
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians in the deadliest single day in weeks, according to local health officials, even as Washington touted a newly published 15-point roadmap for Hamas to disarm. Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said flatly that there is no agreement to stop military operations, adding that Israel — which already holds roughly 70% of the Strip — should move to take full control of it. Hamas has said it will only begin surrendering weapons once Israeli forces halt operations and withdraw in line with last year's ceasefire terms, a sequencing dispute that has stalled implementation for days. Palestinian health officials say at least 1,230 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire nominally took effect in October, with the toll continuing to climb through the weekend's strikes. The gap between Trump's public framing of a "historic" breakthrough on disarmament and the continued bombardment on the ground has fueled fresh skepticism about whether the roadmap can hold.
Ukraine strikes deep into Russia, hitting Engels strategic bomber base and Saratov oil refinery
Ukrainian forces launched a coordinated overnight drone campaign on August 2 that struck Russia's Engels-2 strategic aviation airbase and the nearby Rosneft-operated Saratov oil refinery, roughly 700 kilometers from the front line, along with an oil depot in Kaluga region and other military-industrial targets. The Engels-2 base is one of the few facilities capable of hosting Russia's Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, while the Saratov refinery processes about 7 million tonnes of oil annually and supplies fuel to Russian forces. Residents of Saratov reported hearing explosions and seeing large fires break out at both sites, and Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed the strikes, saying precision drones hit the refinery's crude distillation unit. The attack is the latest in an intensifying Ukrainian campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure, coming as Moscow continues its own long-range missile and drone barrages on Ukrainian cities. Russia's July personnel losses in Ukraine were described by Kyiv as the highest of the year, underscoring the grinding intensity of the war as it heads into its fifth summer.
Read more →Ukraine strikes deep into Russia, hitting Engels strategic bomber base and Saratov oil refinery
Ukrainian forces launched a coordinated overnight drone campaign on August 2 that struck Russia's Engels-2 strategic aviation airbase and the nearby Rosneft-operated Saratov oil refinery, roughly 700 kilometers from the front line, along with an oil depot in Kaluga region and other military-industrial targets. The Engels-2 base is one of the few facilities capable of hosting Russia's Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, while the Saratov refinery processes about 7 million tonnes of oil annually and supplies fuel to Russian forces. Residents of Saratov reported hearing explosions and seeing large fires break out at both sites, and Ukraine's General Staff later confirmed the strikes, saying precision drones hit the refinery's crude distillation unit. The attack is the latest in an intensifying Ukrainian campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure, coming as Moscow continues its own long-range missile and drone barrages on Ukrainian cities. Russia's July personnel losses in Ukraine were described by Kyiv as the highest of the year, underscoring the grinding intensity of the war as it heads into its fifth summer.
Wildfires force 60,000 evacuations, destroy 600 structures around Spokane, Washington
Fast-moving wildfires dubbed the Spokane Area Fires — a merger of the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires — have burned more than 7,000 acres with 0% containment since igniting over the weekend, forcing roughly 60,000 residents in and around Spokane, Washington's second-largest city, to evacuate. At least 600 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed, and large swaths of the city remain under Level 3 "Leave Now" evacuation orders. Washington's National Guard has been activated to assist firefighters, and a shelter has opened at the Spokane Convention Center for displaced residents. The fires are burning amid a record-setting statewide drought that prompted the governor to issue a statewide burn ban, and roughly 1,000 square kilometers have burned across Washington so far this fire season. Officials have called the destruction in Spokane a "tremendous tragedy," with the fires' cause still under investigation and containment efforts hampered by high winds and dry conditions.
Read more →Wildfires force 60,000 evacuations, destroy 600 structures around Spokane, Washington
Fast-moving wildfires dubbed the Spokane Area Fires — a merger of the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires — have burned more than 7,000 acres with 0% containment since igniting over the weekend, forcing roughly 60,000 residents in and around Spokane, Washington's second-largest city, to evacuate. At least 600 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed, and large swaths of the city remain under Level 3 "Leave Now" evacuation orders. Washington's National Guard has been activated to assist firefighters, and a shelter has opened at the Spokane Convention Center for displaced residents. The fires are burning amid a record-setting statewide drought that prompted the governor to issue a statewide burn ban, and roughly 1,000 square kilometers have burned across Washington so far this fire season. Officials have called the destruction in Spokane a "tremendous tragedy," with the fires' cause still under investigation and containment efforts hampered by high winds and dry conditions.
Death toll reaches 67 as Spain seals Ceuta border after mass migrant crossing from Morocco
Spain has confirmed that 67 people died during a chaotic mass crossing into its North African enclave of Ceuta, after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants breached the border with Morocco over a single weekend, with victims drowning or killed in a stampede at a breakwater barrier. Spanish authorities said most of those who crossed have since returned to Morocco, but warned that additional deaths on the Moroccan side of the frontier are possible and remain uncounted. In response, Spain has installed a roughly 500-meter floating sea barrier along Ceuta's maritime border to prevent further mass crossings. The incident has reignited Europe's migration debate, with officials in Madrid and Brussels facing pressure over border security and humanitarian obligations following one of the deadliest single crossing incidents at Spain's African frontier in years. Investigations are underway into what triggered the sudden surge, with Moroccan and Spanish officials trading blame over security lapses at the frontier.
Read more →Death toll reaches 67 as Spain seals Ceuta border after mass migrant crossing from Morocco
Spain has confirmed that 67 people died during a chaotic mass crossing into its North African enclave of Ceuta, after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants breached the border with Morocco over a single weekend, with victims drowning or killed in a stampede at a breakwater barrier. Spanish authorities said most of those who crossed have since returned to Morocco, but warned that additional deaths on the Moroccan side of the frontier are possible and remain uncounted. In response, Spain has installed a roughly 500-meter floating sea barrier along Ceuta's maritime border to prevent further mass crossings. The incident has reignited Europe's migration debate, with officials in Madrid and Brussels facing pressure over border security and humanitarian obligations following one of the deadliest single crossing incidents at Spain's African frontier in years. Investigations are underway into what triggered the sudden surge, with Moroccan and Spanish officials trading blame over security lapses at the frontier.