US and Israel weigh strikes on Iran's power grid and a land blockadeHamas confirms Gaza disarmament deal as sequence stays disputedCongo's Ebola outbreak becomes second-largest on recordIran declares Hormuz closed after striking escorted tankersOil climbs as US-Iran fighting disrupts Hormuz tanker trafficNearly all migrants return to Morocco after mass crossing into CeutaVenezuela state puts number missing after earthquake at 1,338Russian ballistic missiles kill at least nine in KyivOpenAI cuts GPT prices by up to 80% as Chinese labs release new modelsKumamoto quake toll rises to 35 as search of wrecked mall continuesAmazon completes $50bn investment in OpenAIUS Treasury joins Japan in buying yenTrump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to IranBig Tech earnings split investors over AI spendingItaly moves to suspend Schengen travel with Spain over Ceuta arrivalsUkrainian drones hit Volgograd refinery and Wildberries warehousesSaudi Arabia plans Red Sea naval coalition as Houthis tighten blockadeRussia claims 32 captured settlements as Zelensky warns of difficult frontWildfires ease in France and Spain after mass evacuationsTrump casts doubt on letting Ukraine build Patriot missilesIran says it attacked US forces in Kuwait with dronesNATO said to weigh wider nuclear deterrence in EuropeAI hedge fund collapses in tech stock routAnthropic says Claude models broke into three companies during testsUN warns strengthening El Niño will intensify global heatUkrainian strike on Iranian ship raises fear of converging warsChina's factories and construction slumpPentagon seeks $18.2 billion for interceptors after Iran warChina rejects Philippine baselines at Scarborough Shoal and stages drillsFunding cuts block access to long-acting HIV prevention drugPakistani forces kill dozens in Kashmir crackdownChina acknowledges nuclear missile silo build-outXi orders faster military adoption of drones and AIIsraeli strikes continue in Gaza after Hamas disarmament pledgeFed officials dissent as inflation debate sharpensUS adds dozens of Chinese firms to forced-labour blacklistUS and China prepare ground for Xi's Washington visitSolar set to pass coal in China as nuclear projects clearHackers hit US water utilities in wave of attacksMethane blast kills at least 34 miners in PakistanSouth Korea asks US for uranium enrichment rightsEU to make AI labels compulsory as Google pulls Earth toolUkraine presses on with drone and robot warfare amid turmoilUS economy grew 1.5 percent in second quarterGerman unemployment climbs above three millionTaiwan's economy grows nearly 13 percent on AI demandPoland protests to Russian ambassador over missile incursionFIFA scraps World Cup investment plan after backlashJapan opens intelligence bureau as Beijing and Pyongyang objectCongress may block Russia sanctions bill as Medvedev dismisses threatsUS and Israel weigh strikes on Iran's power grid and a land blockadeHamas confirms Gaza disarmament deal as sequence stays disputedCongo's Ebola outbreak becomes second-largest on recordIran declares Hormuz closed after striking escorted tankersOil climbs as US-Iran fighting disrupts Hormuz tanker trafficNearly all migrants return to Morocco after mass crossing into CeutaVenezuela state puts number missing after earthquake at 1,338Russian ballistic missiles kill at least nine in KyivOpenAI cuts GPT prices by up to 80% as Chinese labs release new modelsKumamoto quake toll rises to 35 as search of wrecked mall continuesAmazon completes $50bn investment in OpenAIUS Treasury joins Japan in buying yenTrump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to IranBig Tech earnings split investors over AI spendingItaly moves to suspend Schengen travel with Spain over Ceuta arrivalsUkrainian drones hit Volgograd refinery and Wildberries warehousesSaudi Arabia plans Red Sea naval coalition as Houthis tighten blockadeRussia claims 32 captured settlements as Zelensky warns of difficult frontWildfires ease in France and Spain after mass evacuationsTrump casts doubt on letting Ukraine build Patriot missilesIran says it attacked US forces in Kuwait with dronesNATO said to weigh wider nuclear deterrence in EuropeAI hedge fund collapses in tech stock routAnthropic says Claude models broke into three companies during testsUN warns strengthening El Niño will intensify global heatUkrainian strike on Iranian ship raises fear of converging warsChina's factories and construction slumpPentagon seeks $18.2 billion for interceptors after Iran warChina rejects Philippine baselines at Scarborough Shoal and stages drillsFunding cuts block access to long-acting HIV prevention drugPakistani forces kill dozens in Kashmir crackdownChina acknowledges nuclear missile silo build-outXi orders faster military adoption of drones and AIIsraeli strikes continue in Gaza after Hamas disarmament pledgeFed officials dissent as inflation debate sharpensUS adds dozens of Chinese firms to forced-labour blacklistUS and China prepare ground for Xi's Washington visitSolar set to pass coal in China as nuclear projects clearHackers hit US water utilities in wave of attacksMethane blast kills at least 34 miners in PakistanSouth Korea asks US for uranium enrichment rightsEU to make AI labels compulsory as Google pulls Earth toolUkraine presses on with drone and robot warfare amid turmoilUS economy grew 1.5 percent in second quarterGerman unemployment climbs above three millionTaiwan's economy grows nearly 13 percent on AI demandPoland protests to Russian ambassador over missile incursionFIFA scraps World Cup investment plan after backlashJapan opens intelligence bureau as Beijing and Pyongyang objectCongress may block Russia sanctions bill as Medvedev dismisses threats
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Symbolic image: Trump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to IranSymbolic image

Trump threatens harder strikes as US envoys keep talking to Iran

5 sources

Trump said on Friday that his envoys will continue negotiations with Tehran while US strikes go on, and gave no date for ending the war. An Iranian official says Tehran has plans ready for any further American attack.

What happened

  • Trump named Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as negotiators, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also involved (Politika).
  • Asked whether a deal was still possible, Trump answered yes, while saying he is losing faith in Iran's authorities (TASS).
  • Trump said the campaign is in its fifth month and compared critics to those who prolonged Vietnam.
  • The US and Israel began the war on 28 February; a June memorandum on a ceasefire collapsed when Washington resumed large-scale strikes on 8 July.
  • Trump said Iran hit US forces in Jordan days earlier, during negotiations.

The view from outside

Russia's TASS relays Wall Street Journal reporting that Trump has ordered a fresh attack lasting several days, possibly starting this weekend, and CBS reporting that Washington and Israel are preparing strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure; neither claim is confirmed by the other sources here. Al Jazeera cites the Iranian agency Tasnim for Tehran's response plan, without detail.

What could happen next

  • Whether the multi-day campaign described by the Wall Street Journal begins is unconfirmed; no source names targets or a start date.
  • Trump set no timeframe for ending the war and cast doubt on a new round of talks (Bloomberg).
  • CNN reported Trump is looking for an exit ramp, which sits against his public threats.
  • The status of the June memorandum remains unresolved after the 8 July resumption of strikes.
How the camps see it

  • United States: Trump says Washington wants to win, will keep hitting Iran hard, and that Tehran breaks its word, yet a deal remains possible.

  • Iran: Tehran state media say the armed forces are on alert with comprehensive plans to answer any strike, and that threats only harden national unity.

Also involved

Israel

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