Trump Says US Might Take Kharg Island
RFE
08 Jul 2026
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16:36
Trump Says US Might Take Kharg Island
The US president said the US military attacked Kharg Island on July 7 and could take over the key oil hub.
Kharg Island is the main loading and export point for Iranian oil, and its military facilities were targeted by the US in March.
"We attacked Kharg Island last night.... I said don't touch the oil," Trump said, a reference to the energy infrastructure on the island.
"We might take over Kharg Island. There's not a thing they can do about it," Trump added.
On July 7, the US military attacked targets in the south of the country in response to attacks attributed to Iran on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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15:32
Khamenei Website Shows Ruins Where Supreme Leader Died In Air Strike
The official website of Ali Khamenei has published images of the compound where the former supreme leader was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.
These images show the ruins of the Imam Khomeini Husseiniyeh, a major official and religious venue in Tehran, where Khamenei, family members, and a number of senior military commanders were killed in the attack.
The Imam Khomeini Husseiniyeh was built in 1989 and is part of the Office Of The Supreme Leader (The Beyt). It serves as a key official venue for the Iranian leadership, hosting government ceremonies and meetings with the supreme leader.
Satellite photos have also shown theextent of the damage.
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13:24
European Aviation Agency Advises Airlines To Avoid Iranian Airspace
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said on July 8 that airlines should avoid the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon until August 31 amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the potential for more military action.
The move came after the United States launched a new round of military strikes against Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worlds most important maritime chokepoints.
Tehran retaliated by hitting Kuwait and Bahrain, US allies in the region and home to American military bases.
In response, US President Donald Trump said the framework deal with Iran that includes a 60-day cease-fire was over, although he added that he was leaving it up to US negotiators as to whether to continue peace talks.
EASA said its advisory decision was based on "ongoing high level of tensions and the potential for further military action."
The agency added that should the current cease-fire break down, Iranian airspace was likely to be exposed to imminent threats.
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13:19
6,000 Seafarers Remain Stranded In Persian Gulf
Nearly 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, the head of the International Maritime Organization said on July 8.
I condemn the attacks over the past two days against several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement as he called for "maximum restraint and de-escalation.
"These reckless attacks have again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger," Dominguez added.
His statement came after US President Donald Trump said the interim deal with Iran was over, although he added that he was leaving it up to US negotiators as to whether to continue peace talks.
The United States launched a new round of military strikes against Iran and revoked a key sanctions waiver covering Iranian oil sales after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worlds most important maritime chokepoints.
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11:11
Oil Prices Rise 5 Percent After Trump Says Deal 'Is Over'
Moments after US President Donald Trump said thedeal with Iran had ended,oil prices on global markets rose by more than 5 percent.
Brent Crude rose 5.3 percent to $78 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude rose 5.4 percent to more than $74 a barrel.
The United States struck more than 80 targets in Iran after Tehran targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz on July 5 and July 6.
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10:31
7.7.2026
Khamenei's Dayslong Funeral Ceremonies Move Through Holy City Of Qom
Mourners attend prayers for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom on July 7.
Thousands of mourners gathered in the Iranian holy city of Qom on July 7 as funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered a fourth day.
Khamenei's remains are being carried through a series of funeral ceremonies and processions at Shi'ite holy sites ahead of his burial in his hometown of Mashhad on July 9.
State television broadcast aerial footage showing large crowds in Qom, where a prayer service was led by 93-year-old cleric Abdollah Javadi-Amoli while mourners chanted "death to America," a slogan frequently heard at official events in Iran.
Authorities have sought to portray the ceremonies as a demonstration of national unity and resilience following the US-Israeli war and months after anti-government protests, which posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic republic in years before being brutally suppressed.
SEE ALSO:
'Bodies Behind Every Car': Witnesses Recount No-Mercy Killings In Iran's Central Cities
So far, there has been no sign of Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father as supreme leader in March but has not appeared publicly since reportedly being wounded in the same air strike that killed his father at the start of the war in late February. It remains unclear whether he will attend the funeral ceremonies.
A further funeral procession is planned in Iraq before the ceremonies conclude with Khamenei's burial on July 9.
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09:58
7.7.2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Says Final Talks Won't Begin Under US "threats"
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that talks on a final agreement with the United States would not begin while Washington continued to issue threats, after US President Donald Trump warned he would "finish the job" if the two sides failed to reach a deal.
"Negotiations on final deal will not commence if threats continue. Honor your signature," Araqchiwrote on Xon July 7, referring to an interim Memorandum of Understanding signed last month that calls on both countries to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other.
On July 6, Trump renewed his threat of further military action against Iran, saying the US would either reach a deal with Tehran or "finish the job" that began with US and Israeli air strikes at the end of February.
"We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply....They don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money," he added.
The exchange came as Iran continued funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the conflict.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, called Trump's remarks "delusional," saying "Iranians are unfamiliar with the language of threats. So, speak to the Iranian people with respect, otherwise we will respond in another language."
US-Iran talks ended a week ago without indications of a breakthrough amid a 60-day cease-fire intended to create time for diplomacy.
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08:07
7.7.2026
'Unknown Projectile' Hits Tanker Off Oman Coast
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a shipping security monitor, said late on July 6 that it had received a report of a tanker being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, causing a fire.
No injuries or environmental impacts were reported,UKMTO said.
It said the vessel was traveling south of the Strait of Hormuz about 8 nautical miles off of Limah, Oman.
The investigation into the incident was ongoing, it added. No further information was immediately available.
Citing a US official, Axios reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. That report could not immediately be verified.
Tensions remain elevated across the region following the US-Israeli war against Iran amid a fragile cease-fire in the region.
While commercial shipping has resumed through the Strait of Hormuz, security risks remain high both there and in waters off Yemen, where merchant vessels have faced repeated attacks and attempted boardings in recent days.
Iran has threatened to impose fees on ships transiting the strait and has fired upon vessels it said did not coordinate with its authorities. Most of the rest of the world rejects Tehran's efforts to control traffic in the international waterway.
An oil tanker was struck by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on July 7, causing a fire but no reported casualties or environmental damage, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The shipping security monitor said the vessel was hit on its port side while travelling southward and urged ships to "transit with caution" as authorities investigate.
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22:32
6.7.2026
Trump Renews Threat To 'Finish The Job' With Military Action Against Iran
US President Donald Trump renewed his threat of further military action against Iran, saying the US would either reach a deal with Tehran or "finish the job" that began with US and Israeli air strikes at the end of February.
"We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. OK. And it won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on July 6.
"We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply....They don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money," Trump added.
US President Donald Trump renewed his threat hit Iran's bridges and energy supplies.
The remarks came as Iran reacted defiantly to remarks by the US president at a time the country is holding funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the conflict.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, called Trump's threat "delusional."
"Iranians are unfamiliar with the language of threats. So, speak to the Iranian people with respect, otherwise we will respond in another language," Zolqadr said in remarks broadcast by state media.
US-Iran talks ended a week ago without indications of a breakthrough amid a 60-day cease-fire intended to create time for diplomacy.
On July 3, Trump said Washington hadgiven Tehran "a week off"for the funeral proceedings before the resumption of indirect negotiations with Iran on implementing a framework peace agreement.
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19:32
6.7.2026
Israeli, Lebanese Working Groups To Meet In Rome On July 15-16, Envoy Says
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Alex Raufoglu
WASHINGTON -- Israeli and Lebanese working groups will meet in Rome on July 15-16 for a new round of talks on border, security, and other issues, Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said on July 6.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter (left), speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., US, on July 6, 2026
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Leiter said the meetings would mark the next step in implementing a new trilateral framework between Israel, Lebanon, and the United States.
He later confirmed to RFE/RL that the talks would be held at ambassadorial level and that he would attend.
Leiter also said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 21.
During the discussion, Leiter said Israel and Lebanon viewed the new trilateral framework as gaining primacy over the Lebanon-related provisions of an earlier US-Iran memorandum of understanding.
"Both Israel and Lebanon clearly see our trilateral agreement superseding the first clause of the MOU," Leiter said, referring to the earlier understanding. He added that whether Washington shared that interpretation was "a question for the administration."
Leiter said the new framework established direct coordination between Israeli, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and US military officials.
"What I will say is that the mechanism that we have between Israel directly with Lebanon -- now directly with LAF, directly with senior LAF officers -- our senior officers in Northern Command, LAF officers from their Southern Command, and our American counterparts from CENTCOM is working very closely," he said.
The ambassador said Israel would remain in parts of southern Lebanon until Hezbollah was dismantled and no longer posed a threat to Israeli communities.
"It is now clear that Israel will withdraw only when Hezbollah is dismantled," he said, arguing that this would allow Lebanon to regain full sovereignty.
Leiter also said the new framework envisaged negotiating a comprehensive peace agreement that could be finalized once the Hezbollah issue was resolved.
"We're beginning to do that next week," he said, referring to the Rome talks. "Let's create that document and put it on the shelf... so the moment that we have dealt with the Hezbollah problem, we have a full-fledged peace."
On Iran, Leiter said Israel's position remained that any future agreement should permanently prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, producing large numbers of ballistic missiles, or continuing support for regional proxy groups.
He cautioned against easing economic pressure on Iran, saying additional funds could enable Tehran to rebuild its military capabilities.
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