Trump considering ‘massive attack’ on Iran, says report – Middle East crisis live

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has told the security council that the Middle East is being pushed to the “edge of the unimaginable” amid mounting fears over the trajectory of the conflict.

“The situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable. The region is being pulled into an ever-widening circle of confrontation. One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next,” Guterres told a security council meeting.

“As this dynamic spreads, the political objectives are becoming increasingly obscured by the confrontation itself,” he said.

It comes after Donald Trump said he was close to deciding whether to launch “a massive attack” against Iran, on a scale larger than strikes already witnessed during the months-long conflict with Tehran as the US president flounders in his attempts to get a grip on the spiralling crisis in the region.

Amid growing evidence that a major escalation may be imminent, the UK announced that it was temporarily withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran on Wednesday, and the German military announced on Thursday that it would withdraw two vessels from the Red Sea.

And as Israeli cities opened bomb shelters, the US state department warned Americans living in the region of the risk that flights may be cancelled.

With Trump’s poll ratings in freefall, and his war against Iran deeply unpopular at home, the US president and his administration are running short of time before the midterm elections in the autumn to force a resolution to the conflict on Washington’s terms.

• Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he will hold Iran responsible for attacked launched by the Houthi militia. This came after the Yemen-based, Iran-backed militia said it attacked two ​Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, with a Saudi news agency later confirming one of the vessels was ablaze on Thursday. The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade of Saudia Arabia, a move that current and former US officials said could significantly widen the US-Iran war and strain the American military.

• Reuters reported that Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary ⁠Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, which suggests that Tehran is seeking to strengthen its Houthi allies as US attacks on Iran continue.

• Later, Trump told Axios that he was considering restarting major combat operations on Iran. “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” the president said.

• The US launched its 12th successive night of strikes against Iran, saying military targets were hit to degrade Tehran’s ability to attack commercial vessels. Iranian state TV said two people were killed and 11 wounded in what a Khuzestan provincial official described as a US missile attack on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq.

• Iran’s Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq was crowded with “hundreds of pilgrims” when it was reportedly targeted in a deadly US strike, according to an expert. The border is used by Iranian pilgrims going toward Najaf and Karbala in Iraq to commemorate the annual Arbaeen gatherings, which can involve more than 20 million pilgrims each year.

• Trump said on Thursday that the US-Saudi nuclear deal is subject to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords, which normalises ties with Israel. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, reiterated his comments later at the press briefing: “The president is always the final dealmaker, as you know… He has said, if they don’t join the Abraham accords, the deal is off.” Saudia Arabia has yet to comment on this, but Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said that Saudia Arabia joining the Abraham Accords “would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East”.

• Global oil prices have risen to more than $100 per barrel for the first time since May as violence escalates in the Middle East. Brent crude, the global benchmark, increased by more than 6% after Iran’s Houthi allies attacked shipping in the Red Sea.

• Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israelis, including settlers, into the al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, a breach of a decades-old status quo. In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs said: “These provocative practices, emanating from the highest political levels of the occupying government, seek to ignite a religious war throughout the entire region.”

• The US House of Representatives on Thursday for the second time passed a war powers resolution directing Trump to withdraw the US military from the conflict with Iran. Its passage comes after the House last month approved a similar resolution, which the Senate later approved in a significant bipartisan rebuke of the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran in February. The resolutions are nonetheless largely symbolic, as the Trump administration has argued such measures are unconstitutional.

• The IRGC said on Thursday it stopped three oil tankers from passing through the strait of Hormuz. It said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media on Thursday that the three oil tankers “provoked” by the US military were trying to pass through a mine-laden route south of the strait “but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back”.

• Earlier, Donald Trump warned on Truth Social that from now any time Iran shot at a ship in the Hormuz strait, the US “will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran””.

• The IRGC said its navy “emphasises that the strait of Hormuz is under our control”. US Central Command posted on X: “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. The international waterway remains open for transit regardless of IRGC threats and attacks.”

Dubai is offering to pay residents who attract family and friends to visit the emirate in an effort to revive tourist numbers that have plummeted since the city was drawn into the US-Israel war on Iran.

The Dubai Invite scheme, an initiative of the department of economy and tourism, allows residents of the United Arab Emirates to nominate friends and relatives and then to receive benefits worth more than 3,000 UAE dirham (about £610) if they visit.

Visit Dubai’s website says residents will receive a “benefits package” including hotel stays, dining deals and attraction tickets.

Donald Trump gave an interview to Axios on Thursday in which he said he was “considering a massive attack” on Iran.

“I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” the president said.

Trump told Axios that Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” but added that “we don’t need anybody” to launch a new operation against Iran.

“They haven’t received enough pain yet,” he said of Iran.

The Abraham accords established formal relations between Israel and several Arab countries, ending a decades-old taboo in Arab diplomacy and signalling a power and priorities shift in the Middle East.

Signed in 2020 by Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – three countries that already maintained significant informal ties – the accords established open business, direct flights and diplomatic relations. However, they fell short of full peace deals as the three countries have not been at war.

The agreements also had little to say about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which had been the obstacle to diplomatic progress until now – the signatories only had to commit to “continuing the efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution”.

More here:

During today’s press briefing, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that the Saudi Arabia nuclear deal is “contingent” on the kingdom on joining the Abraham Accords.

“This is a condition that the president has spoken about many times with our Gulf and Arab allies,” she said. “He wants to see these countries sign the Abraham Accords. It was one of the most historic acomplishments of his first term and it continues to be a longterm goal of his to expand those accords to ultimately come to a place where the Middle East can be a peaceful and stable region.”

When asked why the administration didn’t mention this as a condition when the deal was announced on Wednesday, Leavitt said that it is “something that he has mentioned on numerous occasions going back”.

“The president is always the final dealmaker, as you know… He has said, if they don’t join the Abraham accords, the deal is off,” Leavitt said.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday for the second time passed a war powers resolution directing Donald Trump to withdraw the US military from the conflict with Iran, amid renewed fighting in the Middle East that has driven oil prices to their highest levels in weeks.

The resolution proposed by Democrat Pramila Jayapal passed by a 214-208 vote, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in attendance to vote in favor.

Its passage comes after the House last month approved a similar resolution, which the Senate later approved in a significant bipartisan rebuke of the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran in February.

The resolutions are nonetheless largely symbolic, as the Trump administration has argued such measures are unconstitutional. In debate ahead of the vote, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, Greg Meeks, accused the president of violating the law.

If anyone needs a refresher on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, here’s an explainer from the Guardian’s Jonathan Yerushalmy:

As Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis enter the fray, purportedly attacking two ​Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea today, Reuters is reporting that Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary ⁠Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month – a move that suggests Tehran is seeking to strengthen its Houthi allies as US attacks on Iran continue.

Reuters cites four sources familiar with the matter, including two ⁠Iranian sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, Yemen’s information minister and a ⁠regional security analyst. They told the news service that Iran transferred IRGC personnel and military-related equipment on a flight from Tehran to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on 13 July.

Between 10 and 21 IRGC personnel, including senior commanders, were on the Mahan Air flight, the two Iranian sources told Reuters. The plane was originally heading toward the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, but diverted to Hodeidah after the airport came under attack by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

“The IRGC commanders travelled there to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems,” one of the sources said, adding ⁠that Iran also sent gold on the aircraft to fund Houthi activities.

Earlier today, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the “Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict, but they now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this, going after Saudi Arabia and their ships.”

“I hope they will de-escalate, because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians. And they were smart to stay out of it, and they should stay out of it and they should stop. We’ll see what happens there. Obviously, it’s not a positive development,” he said.

Donald Trump said earlier in a post on Truth Social that he will hold Iran responsible for attacks launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen:

“A year ago the United States of America attacked, very powerfully, the Houthis, for their interference with commerce and trade, by shooting at ships. Since that time, and during our conflict with Iran, they have acted very responsibly. Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night. Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart.”

In Gaza, a UN report has found humanitarian assistance and increased commercial traffic have improved food security and child nutrition in the Palestinian territory, but warns that the situation remains fragile.

The share of the population facing acute food insecurity has reduced from 77% at the end of 2025 to 67%, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity and malnutrition.

However, the report warns that 1.4 million people still face crisis-level hunger or worse, with more than 200,000 in emergency conditions and about 74,000 children expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition over the coming year.

“There is progress on food security in Gaza, but it is fragile and can easily be reversed,” said Carl Skau, acting executive director at the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

“The overall humanitarian situation remains brutal: families lack water, sanitation and medicine. We need sustained access, funding and stability so people of Gaza can begin recovery.”

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords would be “historic”, according to a brief statement issued by his office.

As we reported earlier, Donald Trump said the nuclear deal signed between the US and Saudi Arabia is contingent on the kingdom joining the accords which would normalise diplomatic ties with Israel. Since being signed by the UAE and Bahrain in 2020, Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan have also joined.

The Israeli prime minister’s statement, shared on X, does not make specific mention of the US-Saudi nuclear deal.

“Saudi Arabia’s joining of the Abraham Accords would be an historic leap forward for peace in the Middle East,” it said.

Saudi Arabia has yet to comment on this development.

Global oil prices have risen to more than $100 per barrel for the first time since May as violence escalates in the Middle East.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, increased by more than 6% after Iran’s Houthi allies attacked shipping in the Red Sea.

Donald Trump said he would exact “major military punishment” against the Yemen-based group as well as Iran, which he said bears responsibility for the Red Sea attack.

Iran’s Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq was crowded with “hundreds of pilgrims” when it was reportedly targeted in a deadly US strike, according to an expert.

As we reported earlier, two people were killed and 11 were wounded in the attack in south-western Iran overnight, according to state TV in Iran.

The border is used by Iranian pilgrims going toward Najaf and Karbala in Iraq to commemorate the annual Arbaeen gatherings, which can involve more than 20 million pilgrims each year.

Gregory Brew, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, said on X that, based on reports and video, the crossing “was crowded with hundreds of people, many of them pilgrims undertaking the Arbaeen journey to Karbala” when it was attacked.

“Hard to see what, if any, relevance this has to degrading Iranian capabilities in the strait,” he added.

Donald Trump said he will hold Iran responsible for attacks launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen.

He said the Houthis had acted “very professionally and smart” until they attacked Saudi Arabian ships in the Red Sea last night (see post at 03:04).

In a post on Truth Social, he said:

A year ago the United States of America attacked, very powerfully, the Houthis, for their interference with commerce and trade, by shooting at ships. Since that time, and during our conflict with Iran, they have acted very responsibly. Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night. Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart.

Donald Trump said the US-Saudi nuclear deal is subject to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords, which normalises ties with Israel.

He added that the landmark deal does not allow the enrichment of uranium.

In a post on his Truth Social app, the US president said:

The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities.”

My colleague Jonathan Yerushalmy has put together this helpful explainer on what we know about the agreement and the concerns it raises:

Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israelis, including settlers, into the al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, a breach of a decades-old status quo.

The minister, joined by heavily police protection, posted a video on his Telegram channel in which he said: “Look at what’s happening here – Jews are praying and feel that they are the rightful owners here.”

“Everywhere, people understand that the state of Israel is the sovereign authority. There is still more to do, and with god’s help, we will continue to move forward.”

The compound is seen by Muslims as Islam’s third holiest site and access is restricted through a decades-old arrangement between Israel and Jordan, in which Jews are permitted to visit but prayers are limited to Muslim worshippers.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs said: “These provocative practices, emanating from the highest political levels of the occupying government, seek to ignite a religious war throughout the entire region.”

Ben Gvir has entered the compound more than a dozen times since taking office, according to AFP.

Elsewhere, Egypt is still hopeful that the US and Iran could return to peace talks. The country’s foreign minister Bard Abdelbatty said Egypt is in daily to contact with regional partners as well as the US and Iran, in a bid to end the tit-for-tat attacks that have taken place in the last few weeks.

“There is a specific proposal now under discussions, and we hope that this proposal will contribute to de-escalation,” Abdelfatty said in an interview with Bloomberg.