Military disables tanker trying to get through Strait of Hormuz after repeated warnings

U.S. military forces disabled a tanker trying to get through the Strait of Hormuz on July 24, stopping what officials said was a deliberate attempt to run a regional blockade after the crew repeatedly ignored warnings.

Report: As Its Leaders Fight, Iran May Now Be Coming Apart From Within

Trump ordered military not to conduct strikes in Iran Friday

President Trump directed the U.S. military not to conduct new strikes in Iran on Friday, breaking a nearly two-week streak of daily attacks, two sources with knowledge of the decision said.Why it matters: The president's directive came after he approved daily strikes over the previous 13 days. It is unclear if Trump's order on Friday was a one-off or whether the lull will continue. Trump's decision reflects both his willingness to provide more space for diplomacy and a recognition that — short of a return to major combat operations — the current level of U.S. strikes has reached the limit of its effectiveness. If Trump orders a return to strikes, the U.S. military can mobilize on relatively short notice. The U.S. military is still preparing plans for a possible return to major combat operations, but Trump hasn't given orders to move in that direction, the sources said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.Driving the news: Every afternoon for the last two weeks, Trump has approved strike plans submitted by the military. They were conducted within hours.On Friday, Trump received a similar plan but did not give a green light. Instead, he directed the military not to conduct strikes, the sources said. Shortly after he gave the Friday directive, Trump told reporters at the White House that he has the option of continuing strikes or even escalating them, including "knocking out everything they have." But he made clear that he thinks the "smarter strategy" is to "make a deal" with Iran. "We're talking to [the Iranians] right now. I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by. We're locked and loaded and ready to go, but we're talking to them," Trump said. Later on Friday, during his remarks at the White House Correspondents Association dinner, Trump said he didn't think Iran is ready to make a deal at the moment, "but I'm willing to listen." State of play: Trump's order to hold fire was given several hours after an Omani delegation arrived in Tehran Friday for talks on a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.Two regional sources with knowledge of the negotiations said progress has been made in the talks and that an agreement between Oman and Iran could be reached over the weekend. President Trump would then have to decide whether to accept the proposed deal.

Iran’s leaders at war with each other as hardliners push for wider conflict

Iran's leaders are fighting each other almost as much as they're fighting the West, with some senior politicians scrambling to save US talks while the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leans into the renewed war, regional sources told The Post.

Iran-backed Houthis launch retaliatory strikes on Saudi Arabia

Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced Saturday they fired missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia, claiming retaliation for Saudi attacks on Yemen’s coastal city of Hodeida.  Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the militant group’s spokesperson, said in a social media post that the Houthis executed two military operations “in response to this blatant and criminal aggression” from Saudi…

Live updates: Maine Dems to replace Platner in Senate race; Quiet night in Iran

Maine Democrats on Saturday are poised to announce their nominee to replace Graham Platner in the race to unseat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Former state Sen. Troy Jackson is the likely pick. Platner withdrew his bid earlier this month following allegations of sexual abuse. Meanwhile, President Trump has issued warning after warning to Iran…

'Stark consequences': analyst delivers dark warning to Trump about his youngest son

President Donald Trump received a dark warning about his youngest son Barron Saturday morning.Barron Trump's words of support for Andrew Tate — the far-right pundit extradited to the United Kingdom with his brother Tristan on charges of rape, sex trafficking, assault and extreme pornography — could spell trouble for the entire administration, Salon analyst Sophia Tesfay warned."There is no evidence that Barron engaged in criminal wrongdoing or played any role in the government’s decisions involving the Tates," wrote Sophia Tesfay."But his choice to enthusiastically fraternize with a self-described misogynist facing dozens of horrific felony counts has exposed him to scrutiny."Now Rep.Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) is now demanding House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer investigate the Tate brothers’ relationships within Trump’s inner circle, Tesfay noted.The Arizona congresswoman wants the committee to subpoena communications between the Tate brothers and Trump administration officials — and for Barron Trump to testify, according to the report.Tasfaye argued the youngest Trump son has heaped this trouble upon himself."Barron Trump was not an unwitting bystander dragged into a media storm," she wrote. "He was an active participant in defending Andrew Tate, using his influence to validate an accused predator because it fit the edgy, anti-establishment aesthetic of the modern manosphere media."His participation in the MAGA manosphere has opened up the entire family to accusations that the Tate brothers influenced official actions and administration policy, Tasfaye concluded."It doesn’t help the administration’s case that the Tate brothers were, by multiple accounts, still socializing with Trump-world figures in Washington in the days before their arrest," she wrote."As congressional scrutiny looms and the Tate brothers prepare to face trial in a U.S. federal court before being extradited to London," Tasfaye wrote, "the president’s youngest son is left facing the stark consequences of his MAGA alliances."

Trump switched planes in Turkey earlier this month because of threat from Iran proxy forces – report

President flew to Ankara onboard Qatari-gifted jet, without advanced defenses, and flew home on old Air Force OneDonald Trump switched aircraft before departing Turkey earlier this month after US officials determined there was a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces targeting him and Air Force One, according to a new report from the New York Times.The threat surfaced while the US president was attending the Nato summit. He had arrived in Ankara onboard the new Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, an aircraft that Trump acknowledged does not have the same advanced defensive systems as the older Air Force One. Continue reading...