Zelenskyy: Iran Conflict Linked To Russia's War Against Ukraine
RFE
31 Jul 2026
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16:11
Zelenskyy: Iran Conflict Linked To Russia's War Against Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia's war against Ukraine is intertwined with the US conflict with Iran, adding that Moscow is "very happy" to see Washington's attention shift from the war in Ukraine to the Middle East.
"Russia gave drones to Iran," Zelenskyy said in aFox News interviewexcerpt published on July 31, adding that Tehran had used the Moscow-supplied weaponry to attack countries in the Middle East.
"The [fragments] are Russian in the destroyed drones.... Everybody saw this," he said.
Iran has long been an ally of Russia. Its military equipment and technology were crucial during the first stage of Moscow's war effort against Ukraine. According to Kyiv's estimates, Russia's military has used tens of thousands of Shahed drones to attack Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
SEE ALSO:
Ukraine Hits At Iran. In The Caspian Sea, Things Get Even Messier.
Now, with Tehran in need, the Ukrainian president added that he was "absolutely" convinced Moscow had provided Iran with satellite images of US military bases across the Middle East.
"Russia is very happy that there is no ending the war, real ending the war in the Middle East.... Because they understand that since the United States is in this war, they can't help Ukraine on the same level like it was before," Zelenskyy said.
The excerpt was released days after Zelenskyy returned from the United States, where he said US President Donald Trump had agreed to provide Kyiv with licenses for Patriot missiles.
Ukraine has desperately sought to obtain more air defense capabilities to defend itself against Russia's daily air attacks and prepare for another winter during which Moscow could again intensify its targeting of the countrys energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of people without heat or electricity amid freezing temperatures.
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14:03
Kuwait: Iranian Drone Attacks 'Neutralized'
Kuwait announced that it air defense forces had intercepted and neutralized Iranian drones that attacked the country's "vital and military installations" on July 31.
"Hostile targets were targeted and destroyed. This resulted in material damage from shrapnel, but no human casualties were recorded," the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on July 31, Iran's military announced that it had carried out drone attacks on Kuwait. The army called the attack a response to US strikes on Iran on July 29, including an attack on a residential neighborhood on Qeshm Island, which according to Iranian officials killed three civilians, including a child.
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12:31
Iran's IRGC Says It Attacked More Tankers In Hormuz
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran (file photo)
Following a US Central Command (CENTCOM) denial of its claims that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued another statement reiterating its assertions and claiming it had attacked and stopped two additional oil tankers.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps released a statement on July 31 saying it had attacked two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated its earlier claims of stopping two other tankers. The IRGC also released images of an oil tanker burning in the dark amid flames, purportedly dated July 31.
On July 30, CENTCOM called recent reports by the IRGC and its affiliated media outlets about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the destruction of three F-35 fighter jets, and the passage of an Iranian tanker through the US naval blockade "false" and said these claims do not correspond to reality.
CENTCOM also said commercial shipping continued to transit the Strait of Hormuz and that the only threat to maritime security was the IRGC's "repeated threats and attacks against civilian mariners and commercial vessels."
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12:19
British-Azerbaijani Man Arrested In Cyprus On Charges Of Spying For Iran
British counterterrorism police said on July 31 that a dual British-Azerbaijani citizen arrested by Cypriot authorities had been charged with spying for Iran.
According to Counter Terrorism Policing London, Rashad Sultanov, 44, is accused of conducting hostile surveillance of RAF Akrotiri, a British air base in Cyprus, on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). He was arrested by Cypriot police on July 17 and is awaiting extradition to the United Kingdom.
British authorities allege Sultanov collected intelligence from the restricted military base and shared it with the IRGC.
Sultanov's arrest in Cyprus was first reported last year. The July 31 announcement concerned the UK charges brought against him and the extradition request, rather than a new arrest.
RAF Akrotiri was targeted in drone attacks during the recent US-Iran conflict.
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12:06
Trump, Iran-Backed Hamas Say Deal Reached On Disarmament Though Israel Silent
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RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump said an agreement had been reached on the "complete disarmament" of Hamas, a key part of Iran's regional network of allied militant groups that has been designated a terror organization by the United States, in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas confirmed on July 31 that it had agreed to the deal, which includes it handing over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Iran has provided financial, operational, and diplomatic support to Hamas, which is seen as part of its so-called axis of resistance against the United States and Israel. Washington has made neutralizing Tehran's regional proxy network one of its aims during the current war with Iran.
"This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY," Trumpwroteon his Truth Social platform.
"As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors," he added.
Israel has yet to comment on the accord.
In a background briefing with reporters after Trump's announcement, US officials and some representatives from the Board of Peace said they had spent eight months negotiating what they described as a detailed roadmap under which Hamas would dismantle its military infrastructure, relinquish control of Gaza, and transfer authority to a newly created National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The Board of Peace, created by Trump formally established in January, is an international coalition of leaders dedicated to achieving lasting peace and reconstruction in Gaza.
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11:09
Iran Says It Targeted US Base In Kuwait With Drone
Iran's military says it targeted the Ahmad al-Jaber base in Kuwait with destructive drones on July 31.
In a statement, the military said it targeted "fighter aircraft nests, satellite communications systems, and US military equipment depots at the Ahmed al-Jaber base in Kuwait" with drone attacks.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) and Kuwait have not yet responded to the claim.
Iran called the attack a response to the US attacks on the night of July 29, including on a residential neighborhood on Qeshm Island, in which Iranian media reported on July 30 that several civilians were killed.
US bases in Kuwait have been one of Iran's main targets in its new round of strikes and have been the target of missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Iranian military on almost a daily basis.
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23:54
30.7.2026
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
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23:43
30.7.2026
US Central Command Says 24 Vessels Redirected Amid Maritime Blockade Of Iran
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said on July 30 that its naval forces had redirected 24 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two others in Middle Eastern waters amid Washington's resumed maritime blockade of Iran.
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22:46
30.7.2026
Saudi Arabia Establishes Maritime Defense Alliance To Secure Navigation Through Bab al-Mandab Strait
Saudi Arabia said it had established a maritime defense alliance to secure navigation through the key Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea amid attacks on Saudi vessels by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The development comes after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia last week and targeted the country's oil tankers and oil infrastructure, actions denounced by US President Donald Trump and European leaders.
On July 30, Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry issued a joint statement on behalf of 14 countries, including several US partners -- Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar -- saying that the alliance was "aimed at enhancing maritime security."
It was also aimed at "safeguarding freedom of navigation, securing international trade routes and energy supply lines, and protecting shared maritime interests in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," the statement said.
Notably, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are absent from the alliance, despite sharing some of Saudi Arabias security objectives amid the broader conflict in the Middle East.
Although the Houthis have said they intend to blockade only Saudi Arabia, recent incidents in the Red Sea have raised the risk of a second chokepoint threatening global oil supplies, with threats to the Bab al-Mandab Strait compounding Irans continuing efforts to control the key Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Trump threatened Iran and the Houthis with "major military punishment" if their attacks continued.
With reporting by AFP and DPA.ShareCopy link
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21:49
30.7.2026
US Sanctions Entities, Individuals In China, Russia, India, And Iran For Supporting 'IRGC's Airline Of Choice'
A Mahan Air plane lands at what is identified as Hodeidah Airport in Yemen, in a screen grab from a handout video released by Al Masirah TV on July 13, 2026.
The United States has sanctioned six entities and individuals in China, India, Russia, and Iran for actions including serving as sales agents for and providing support to Mahan Air, a sanctioned Iranian airline.
Washington imposed the new Iran-related sanctions on July 30, accusing Mahan Air, which is sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union, of transporting personnel from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as weapons and drones.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott called Mahan Air the IRGC's airline of choice and warned international companies against doing business with Mahan Air or any other sanctioned Iranian carrier because of the serious risks raised by continuing such engagement.
The United States will continue to expose and disrupt entities providing the IRGC with the tools and information it uses to threaten American personnel, our partners, and regional stability, Pigott wrote in a statement.
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