- Centcom: At 5:30 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began launching more strikes against Iranian military targets at the Commander in Chief's direction. The mission will continue to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.

- WSJ: The US is increasing its forces in the Middle East in anticipation of a possible escalation of conflict with Iran. Over the past week, special forces units have been deployed to the region from bases in the U.S., according to flight-tracking data and U.S. officials. At the same time, fighter jet squadrons have been positioned throughout the Middle East, and bombers stationed at bases in the U.S. and the U.K. are on high alert in anticipation of a possible expansion of operations.

 - Trump warming Iran: "Not ready for a deal right now, but it will be ready soon."

- British Foreign Office: Due to the security situation and regional escalation, we have ordered the evacuation of diplomatic teams from Iran. The embassy in Tehran continues to operate remotely.

- Trump on Iran: "They're getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal -- but I say they're not ready to make a deal because every time they make a deal they want to change it and everything. They're not ready."

- Reuters: The US is investigating whether Russia provided Iran with information about CIA command centers in the Middle East after Iran attacked them.

- Ghalibaf is making their position very clear: “The equation of this war is clear: either all or none!. In a region where we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil. If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe, and the security of the strait is in the absence of American forces. We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to pre-war conditions.”

- The US informed Israel that they plan to escalate strikes on Iran in the coming days, including the use of heavy bombers, possibly using them in strikes on Pickaxe Mountain. KAN11 News

- Iranian news agency Tasnim, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, quoted a military source as saying: "If the US attacks a bridge or power plant in Iran, Iran will strike at bridges, infrastructure, and energy facilities related to US interests"

- Washington Post: The Trump administration is considering launching a military attack in Mali against the terrorist organization JNIM (Jamaat al-Nusra wal-Muslimeen), affiliated with al-Qaeda, which has grown very strong in the past year and threatens the situation in the country and the government

- Trump Threat: "From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

- The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised airlines not to operate in Jordanian airspace, citing a rapid deterioration in security and repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks affecting the country. Th

- Explosions are heard in Israel's southernmost city of Eilat amid an Iranian ballistic missile attack on the neighboring Jordanian city of Aqaba. No missiles struck Israeli territory according to the IDF.

- The Jordanian army: Four missiles launched from Iran were intercepted, and two fell in uninhabited areas

- IRGC says they hit US military bases in Bahrain and Jordan. 

- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: There is no nuclear activity at Iran's Kolang Kouh (Pickaxe mountain)

- Oil price surges Brent crude jumped over 3% to $95 as Houthi threats to Saudi tankers in the Red Sea imperil Riyadh’s main Yanbu export bypass.

- 4 tankers altered course in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Iran-aligned group warned international shipping companies against using Saudi Arabian ports. 2 vessels were redirected toward the Suez Canal, while 2 others signalled open-water destinations.

- Israeli security cabinet will meet Sunday night.

- Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Iran: If the regime keeps choosing the path of conflict, they aren't going to have the capability of being able to wage war, nor will they have an economy to support a war machine. That's the choice they face. It's never been clearer.

-  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is open to the Middle East conflict and is willing to engage with Iran, but Tehran is not serious about talks. "If they are serious, we are serious. If they are not, we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and the interests of our allies."

- Rome will host the seventh round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon on August 4, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani tells parliament.

- The Iranian Khatem al-Anbiya Command responds to Trump's statement that he will attack Pickaxe Mountain: “The United States, the criminal state, is threatening to attack the nuclear facilities and other sensitive sites in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We announce that if the aggressive and terrorist army of the United States carries out this threat, it will be considered an escalation of the war in the region, and all the interests of the United States, its allies, and the countries that support it will become the target of a powerful attack by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

- NYT: Trump decided to separate the agreement to establish a civilian nuclear facility in Saudi Arabia from the condition that it recognize the State of Israel and normalize relations with it. This idea was at the heart of the Biden administration's plans, but since the October 7 massacre, it has waned