The United States has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports, escalating tensions in the region. The US targeted coastal defenses and missile sites, with state media reporting strikes for the first time on the country’s capital, Tehran. The US also disabled the unladen oil tanker by firing Hellfire missiles into its smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings.
Iran Responds with Attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait
Iran retaliated by attacking sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. These escalating attacks come days after the ceasefire between the two sides appeared to have entirely collapsed, with fears of a return to full-scale war. The conflict has drawn international concern as the region braces for further instability.
In a separate development, Donald Trump announced that Iran had released a US citizen detained since 2024, identified as Dena Karari, a dual US-Iranian citizen. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Israel was determined to keep its forces in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.
Venezuelan Man Becomes 22nd Person to Die in ICE Custody This Year
Another person has died in federal immigration custody this week in Georgia, officials announced on Wednesday. Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan man, died on Monday morning while being transferred between detention facilities. He was found “unresponsive” in a transport bus. ICE said the suspected cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Arenas-Silva’s sister and immigrants’ rights groups in Georgia said in a press statement that ICE did not provide him with necessary medications during his detention for an unnamed condition, despite his family’s pleas. Mexico has formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in ICE custody or during raids, according to the Mexican government. Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations.
JD Vance Admits Errors Over Epstein Files Release
JD Vance has agreed with criticism that the Trump administration botched the handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that “we absolutely screwed up the comms.” The files have been one of the most significant political liabilities to Donald Trump since his second term began. In a lengthy interview released on Wednesday, the US vice-president told Rogan that the administration should have released all the documents from the beginning.
After months of persistent controversy, lawmakers passed a measure compelling the government to release a large trove of documents related to federal investigations of Epstein. In December, the Justice Department began releasing heavily redacted files, including photos, call logs, grand jury testimony, and interview transcripts. But the redactions and the DoJ’s failure to meet a deadline to release the full files drew criticism from lawmakers and the public.
Other News
Lionel Messi and Argentina will face Spain in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday after a dramatic comeback victory over England, in which the South American players celebrated with a banner claiming the Falkland Islands. The House defeated a measure to slash military aid to Israel, but more than 100 Democrats voted for it in a significant rebuke of the longtime US ally. House Republicans have resurrected the Save America Act by adding it to the spending bill in their latest attempt to ban mail-in ballots and impose voter identification requirements. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s defense minister, despite pleas from foreign partners and civil society for him to keep his job. A new $1 coin featuring Donald Trump is in production, the Treasury has said, marking the first time a living US president will appear on currency.
Stat of the Day: More Than 500 Feared Dead After Shipwrecks off Myanmar
The UN has said more than 500 people are feared dead after reports of two large shipwrecks off Myanmar since late June. Preliminary information indicated that the two vessels departed from war-torn Myanmar’s Rakhine state in late June, with mainly members of the country’s mostly Muslim Rohingya minority onboard.
Climate Check: How Global Heating Supercharged Floods in West Africa
Dozens of people drowned, hundreds had to be rescued, and thousands were displaced when floods struck the coasts of West Africa last month. Scientists have concluded that the rains that caused the floods were supercharged by climate breakdown, according to Damien Gayle. Global heating turned what should have been a routine weather event into a climate catastrophe.
Last Thing: Lucky Escape for Australian Woman After Snake Bite
Eastern brown snakes are highly venomous and have been called the world’s second most venomous snake. A woman in her 60s is recovering after being bitten by one that became entangled in her bike chain in Australia.
