*US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN conference in Manila, says Iran is “begging for a deal” and “they need to come to their senses,” adding that Tehran will “pay a very heavy price for the things they are doing”.

*The US bombs Iran for the 12th consecutive night, killing at least two people and wounding 11 others in an attack on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq.

*Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says a tanker is ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz, while Yemen’s Houthis also claim missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

*Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, says Tehran’s defence doctrine is an “eye for an eye” after US President Donald Trump warned that US forces would bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iranian forces hit a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

*The US and Saudi Arabia reach a landmark nuclear cooperation agreement that could let Riyadh develop civilian uranium enrichment capabilities. (Aljazeera, 2026-07-23)