Day 134 | Trump administration demands Iran to declare that Hormuz is open

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• 'Israel' said transferring designated pilot zones to the Lebanese Army will take several weeks.
• 'Israeli' officials assessed the Lebanese Army is not yet capable of disarming Hezbollah.
• 'Israel' plans to maintain a security buffer in southern Lebanon while continuing clearance operations.

'Israel' will maintain a deep security buffer zone in southern Lebanon and continue conducting sweeping clearing operations along the border, an 'Israeli' official told the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, amid deep skepticism over the Lebanese military's operational capabilities.

The statements follow a recently brokered US framework agreement designed to establish "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are slated to assume exclusive security control.

However, the official noted that transferring these initial pilot sectors will be a prolonged process, estimating it will take "several weeks" before the Lebanese Army is structurally prepared to deploy.

According to the 'Israeli' defense establishment's assessment, the Lebanese Armed Forces lack the structural mandate, heavy weaponry, and tactical power necessary to enforce the disarmament clauses of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

"Our assessment is that the Lebanese Army is incapable of dismantling Hezbollah," the official stated plainly.

Consequently, 'Israel' does not intend to execute a rapid or complete withdrawal from the frontier. The official emphasized that 'Israeli' forces will remain dug into a strategic "security strip" extending several kilometers deep into Lebanese territory.

The primary objective of the ongoing deployment is to push hostile elements away from northern 'Israeli' border towns and execute a thorough clearing of residual underground attack tunnels and weapons caches before any wider diplomatic transition can occur.

• Investigation focuses on alleged leaks of classified national security information.
• New York Times condemned the subpoenas as an attack on press freedom.
• Justice Department said the inquiry targets government leakers, not journalists.

In a major confrontation over press freedom and national security, the US Department of Justice has issued federal grand jury subpoenas to multiple New York Times journalists following investigative reports that exposed critical security flaws in US President Donald Trump’s newly commissioned Air Force One aircraft.

Federal agents delivered the summonses directly to the reporters' private residences, commanding them to appear before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday.

The legal orders state that the journalists' testimony is required "in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law."

The escalation comes amid spiking regional instability, as the US conducts military strikes amid deteriorating ceasefire negotiations with Iran.

Mid-summit plane swap triggers leak probe

The aggressive legal maneuvers stem from a series of articles published by the Times detailing a highly unusual mid-trip security intervention.

According to the reports, though US President Trump initially arrived at a NATO summit in Turkey aboard the newly unveiled $400 million Boeing 747-8 -which was donated last year as an "unconditional gift" by the Qatari government- he was abruptly instructed by the Secret Service to return home on an older, secondary aircraft.

Subsequent reporting by the Times and its contemporaries, including CBS News, revealed that security officials harbored severe anxieties that the luxury commercial jumbo jet had not yet been outfitted with critical military countermeasures, such as advanced technology communication loops and antimissile systems.

A former government official told CBS that severe time and budgetary constraints had prevented the necessary defense upgrades from being installed prior to the plane's deployment.

US President Trump dismissed the safety concerns when questioned by reporters earlier in the week, stating, "I have a threat all the time. I'm No. 1 on their list."

Constitutional clash over public interest

The deployment of grand juries -which are composed of citizens to evaluate evidence and determine whether criminal charges should be filed- against investigative journalists has drawn immediate, fierce blowback from media defense lawyers.

While disseminating classified data is a federal crime, the First Amendment of the US Constitution affords broad protections to the press to publish leaked information deemed to be in the public interest.

"This is a brazen act and nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs. Our journalists report the facts and advance the American public's right to know how their government is operating and their taxpayer dollars are being used." Stated David McCraw, Chief Newsroom Counsel for The New York Times

The Trump administration has maintained a firm line on the leak, framing the subpoenas as an essential defense of state secrets.

In a statement provided to the BBC, the Justice Department sought to decouple its actions from an overt assault on the press corps.

"We value and appreciate the important role that the press plays in this country," the DoJ statement read. "But DoJ also plays an important role to make sure that the people entrusted with our nation's secrets do what they're supposed to do with that information, which means not sharing classified information. Reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are."

Fierce wildfires erupted across the southern Lebanese border town of Houla on Saturday.

Local reports that 'Israeli' forces intentionally sparked the blazes, which have rapidly spread to destroy civilian homes and vast agricultural lands of heritage olive trees.

• Iran and Oman discussed implementing Article 5 of the Islamabad MoU.
• The article provides for temporary, toll-free commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
• The talks followed heightened US-Iran tensions over maritime security and ceasefire compliance.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Muscat on Saturday at the head of a senior political-legal delegation to hold high-stakes negotiations with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi regarding maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.

The discussions focused on executing Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the interim ceasefire framework brokered by Pakistan last month between Tehran and Washington.

Article 5 specifically mandates that Iran deploy its "best efforts" to ensure the safe and uncharged transit of commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman for a fixed 60-day period.

Diplomacy vs. compliance disputes

During the meeting, Albusaidi emphasized Oman’s principled diplomatic stance focused on de-escalation, expressing hope that the full implementation of the Islamabad MoU would stabilize the regional security environment.

The two ministers agreed to establish a joint committee between their respective foreign ministries to establish practical mechanisms for maritime navigation while preserving the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the two littoral states bordering the strait.

The consultation follows a volatile week of diplomatic friction, where Araghchi publicly accused the US Treasury of breaching Paragraph 9 of the agreement by revoking crude oil export waivers.

Simultaneously, Washington has pressured Iran to issue a definitive public declaration guaranteeing unconditional freedom of navigation, following recent kinetic actions involving commercial tankers in the strait that US officials flagged as material breaches of the ceasefire roadmap.

US Representative Ro Khanna stated that he and his delegation were armedly detained by 'Israeli' settlers wielding US-manufactured rifles during a fact-finding tour of the southern West Bank, an encounter the lawmaker said has solidified his resolve to consider a 2028 presidential bid.

Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, the California Democrat reported that a group of settlers carrying M4 rifles surrounded his vehicle on Wednesday near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet largely depopulated following recent settler incursions.

Khanna stated that the armed individuals blocked the roadway for over an hour, adding that responding 'Israeli' military personnel initially supported the settlers rather than the American officials.

Standoff, response

Cameron Kasky, an aide traveling with the progressive congressman, confirmed the delegation contacted the US Embassy in Jerusalem for emergency assistance during the blockade.

The standoff concluded after a detachment of personnel appearing to be police officers arrived at the scene and dispersed the civilians, allowing the vehicles to depart.

The 'Israeli' military released a statement confirming that security personnel intervened near Khirbet Zanuta following reports of civilian blockades targeting vehicles.

"Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the 'Israeli' civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way," the military command stated, omitting specific comment regarding the alleged actions of its troops at the scene.

Growing democratic rifts

The incident highlights widening foreign policy fractures within the Democratic Party ahead of upcoming US midterm elections. Khanna is the second high-profile Democrat considering a future White House bid to tour the region this week, following visits by Rahm Emanuel, who publicly warned in Tel Aviv that 'Israeli' administrative policy toward Palestinians is actively eroding the foundational US-'Israeli' alliance.

A growing contingent of congressional progressives has escalated calls to restrict or halt the $3.8 billion annual US military assistance package to 'Israel'.

Critics point to the domestic deployment of light weaponry -such as the M4 rifles used in Wednesday's standoff- as a flashpoint for oversight, arguing that current Washington establishment policy remains disconnected from the ground reality.

International legal status

The United Nations and the broader international community consider 'Israeli' settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, referencing the Fourth Geneva Convention's explicit ban on transferring a civilian populace into occupied territories.

'Israel' disputes this legal interpretation, categorizing the West Bank as a historically Jewish territory whose permanent administrative status must be decided via bilateral negotiations.

Khanna rejected this position, warning that lawmakers who refuse to speak out against West Bank policies are "morally compromised", a stance strongly rejected by 'Israeli' officials who deny all institutional apartheid and genocide allegations.

At least one person was killed and four others sustained injuries following successive rounds of 'Israeli' airstrikes targeting the town of Al-Mansouri in southern Lebanon, state media reported on Saturday.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), 'Israeli' warplanes executed two separate bombing runs in close succession, striking deep within several civilian residential neighborhoods across the town, which is situated in the Tyre district.

Emergency medical teams and civil defense units deployed to the targeted sites to transport the wounded to area hospitals, with officials noting that the casualty figure remains a preliminary estimate as search-and-rescue efforts continue.

The 'Israeli' military has not issued a specific statement regarding the operational targets inside Al-Mansouri.

'Israeli' authorities have previously stated that their air operations in southern Lebanon are precision strikes intended to dismantle the infrastructure, launching pads, and command centers of Hezbollah and allied militant factions.

The localized strike occurs amidst an ongoing, high-intensity border attrition campaign that has displaced tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line, the UN-demarcated boundary separating Lebanon and 'Israel'.

International diplomats have repeatedly warned that continued aerial incursions into high-density residential areas risk expanding the localized cross-border exchanges into a broader, unmanageable regional conflict.

Qatari officials have joined ongoing diplomatic security talks between Iran and Oman in Muscat, where a regional source reveals the parties are actively negotiating a potential joint declaration to fully reopen the international "median lane" in the Strait of Hormuz for unrestricted maritime transit.

• Pakistan and Saudi Arabia voiced concern over escalating Middle East tensions.
• Both sides agreed renewed conflict serves no party's interests.
• Pakistan urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint to support mediation efforts.

The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have issued a joint warning over the worsening security environment in the Middle East, declaring that a renewal of active conflict serves no one's interests and threatens to unravel ongoing peace tracks.

During an urgent telephone conversation on Saturday, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud expressed their "deep concern" regarding the sharp escalation in regional tensions.

The high-level contact follows a series of recent maritime strikes and a subsequent diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran that has compromised the temporary truce established under the June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Push for de-escalation

According to a formal dispatch from the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both diplomats firmly agreed that any resurgence of hostilities directly undermines multi-lateral efforts aimed at establishing long-term regional stability and safety.

During the exchange, Prince Faisal shared the Kingdom's perspective on the ongoing diplomatic maneuvers in the region, emphasizing the absolute necessity of open dialogue.

Minister Dar reinforced Pakistan’s stance by urging all involved international and regional actors to exercise maximum restraint, emphasizing the critical importance of giving active backchannel mediation efforts the necessary time and space to secure a peaceful and meaningful outcome.

The two ministers concluded their discussion by agreeing to maintain close, continuous contact as regional diplomatic tracks unfold.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to take revenge for the killing of his father Ali Khamenei, in a written statement released on the occasion of his burial in the city of Mashhad.

Revenge is the will of our nation and must be carried out. Soon, the free people of the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission,” Mojtaba Khamenei said, according to Iranian state television.

“We pledge to avenge your pure blood and that of all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and dishonorable murderers,” he added.

“These criminals, whose list is available from head to toe, will take with them to the grave the wish of a peaceful death in bed. They should know that this matter does not depend on my existence or the existence of other officials”

Ali Khamenei was killed by US-‘Israeli’ strikes on the first day of the war that erupted on February 28.

Iranian state television announced that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will release what it said is an “important message”, following the burial of his father Ali Khamenei.

The message will be released in the coming hours, it said.

The report did not add any further details.

Iran’s health ministry said Saturday that 17 people were killed and 115 injured in the two days of US strikes that hit the country.

"14 surgeries have been performed, 102 patients have been discharged after receiving treatment," the ministry added in the statement, regarding the strikes on Wednesday and Thursday.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Muscat on Saturday, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

The visit is “part of ongoing bilateral consultations between Iran and Oman on regional developments, particularly the issue of the Strait of Hormuz,” said the statement by Iran.

The two “will discuss and exchange views on establishing appropriate mechanisms to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.

Images show the grave of Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. The marathon funeral ceremonies for Khamenei, killed on February 28 in an airstrike on the first day of the US-‘Israeli’ war with Iran, culminated on Thursday in his hometown.

Iranian media reported Saturday that residents in the cities of Pakdasht and Qiamdasht, east of the capital Tehran, heard an explosion.

The governor of Pakdasht city said the blast was caused by the controlled destruction of ammunition left over from the war, according to statements cited by Fars News Agency.

Authorities said the operation had been planned in advance and was carried out by “specialized teams in full compliance with safety regulations”.

Officials added that there was no incident or threat to residents, describing the explosion as part of a routine ammunition disposal operation.

The news come amid fears of renewed US strikes on the Islamic Republic, as Tehran and Washington traded blows earlier this week.

US President Donald Trump announced that 1,000 missiles are aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran -with thousands more to immediately follow- issuing a standing order for the US Military to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran for a extendable one-year period should the Iranian government act on global threats to assassinate or attempt to assassinate the sitting United States President

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States Treasury Department of violating the core terms of the bilateral diplomatic framework established between Washington and Tehran, declaring that further negotiations are contingent on "mutual compliance."

Writing on the social media platform X, Araghchi stated that Iran has maintained its commitments under the active Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), contrasting Tehran's compliance with what he described as a breach of Paragraph 9 by the US Treasury Secretary.

The top diplomat labeled the move as the latest in a series of American "violations and missteps," warning that the bilateral agreement cannot function without reciprocal adherence from Washington.

Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU.

That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States.

Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance.

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 11, 2026

• US called for a complete halt to attacks on commercial shipping.
• Officials said military options remain ready if diplomacy fails.

The United States will not move forward with any agreement with Iran unless Washington obtains the "nuclear dust", US officials told Reuters.

Sources explained that this condition represents an essential pillar to prove Tehran's seriousness and to guarantee that it is not seeking to possess a nuclear weapon.

Concurrently, the sources revealed that Washington is pressuring strongly to force Tehran into issuing a public, mass statement declaring that all maritime shipping channels are fully open to international transit.

Hormuz security guarantees

The American administration is stipulating that this public statement must include an explicit and definitive pledge to completely cease firing on or attacking commercial vessels in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

US officials warned that diplomatic alternatives are not the only choice on the table.

Washington possesses effective military options and plans that are completely ready for implementation to prevent access to and disrupt Iranian nuclear sites should Tehran attempt to circumvent its commitments.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, received a telephone call today from President US Donald Trump of the United States of America, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

During the call, the two leaders reviewed the long-standing strategic cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States, discussing effective ways to support and enhance these ties across various fields.

They also exchanged viewpoints on several pressing regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Maritime safety, US-Iran diplomacy

A key focus of the discussion centered on current developments in the region, including the active diplomatic tracks and talks taking place between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Crown Prince and the US President strongly reaffirmed the critical importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and protecting international maritime pathways.

Concluding the call, both leaders underscored their commitment to supporting all measures and frameworks that contribute directly to achieving comprehensive security and stability throughout the region.

• US is pressing for a definitive nuclear agreement within a limited timeframe.
• Military contingency plans are ready if diplomacy fails.
• Washington warned Iran of severe consequences if it rejects the demands.

The Trump administration has intensified its pressure campaign against Tehran, delivering a firm ultimatum that demands Iran issue an explicit, public statement on Saturday.

According to senior US officials speaking to Axios, Washington is requiring the Iranian leadership to formally acknowledge that the Strait of Hormuz remains an open international waterway.

Furthermore, the administration is demanding that the public declaration include an absolute, verifiable commitment from Tehran to immediately cease all hostile fire and maritime actions directed at commercial shipping vessels and merchant crews navigating the vital corridor.

Restricted negotiation window

The diplomatic pressure comes as President Trump places tight constraints on the ongoing nuclear negotiation process.

A senior US official revealed that the president has granted his negotiating team a highly restricted timeframe and narrow margin to hammer out a final nuclear agreement with Iranian representatives.

The administration made it clear that it is not prepared to engage in prolonged or open-ended talks.

The official confirmed that comprehensive operational plans detailing the precise economic and military options available to US President Trump have been finalized and are completely "ready" for immediate execution if a breakthrough is not achieved within the mandated window.

Warnings of harsh consequences

The focus of the crisis shifts to the Sultanate of Oman, where critical diplomatic delegations are convening.

US officials stated they anticipate Iran will issue its formal public declaration following the conclusion of a pivotal meeting scheduled for Saturday in Muscat.

Washington has coupled this expectation with an explicit warning, signaling to regional partners and intermediaries that any refusal by Iran to issue the requested public commitment will trigger swift and "harsh consequences" from the United States, raising the potential for a renewed expansion of military operations in the region.