The United States carried out fresh military strikes on Iran on July 8, 2026, after President Trump declared the temporary ceasefire over, accusing Tehran of violating its terms. The strikes targeted Iranian military installations and sent crude oil prices soaring above $95 per barrel as Iran retaliated by attacking tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation threatens global energy supplies and has drawn urgent calls for de-escalation from European and Asian allies.
Explosive devices detonated near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to appear, as world leaders prepare for a NATO summit dominated by Trump's demands for Europe to increase defense spending. The attack underscores the volatile security situation in the Middle East as diplomatic tensions rise.
Russia hammered Ukraine with missiles and drones early Monday, killing at least 20 people and exposing Kyiv's critical shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors. Ukraine failed to shoot down any of the 23 ballistic missiles fired, as its air defense stocks run dry ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey where President Trump is due to meet President Zelenskyy for peace talks.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey this week. Trump's first meeting will be with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the summit host. A senior US official said Trump feels a sense of urgency to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end and plans to discuss how to achieve that with Zelenskyy. The summit comes as the war in Iran also reshapes Middle East dynamics.
Iran has started a six-day state funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, nearly four months after he was killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, beating their chests and calling for revenge. Dignitaries from China, Russia, Pakistan and dozens of other nations attended the ceremonies. The funeral represents a major moment for Iran as it navigates post-war succession and ongoing regional tensions.
Iran began a week of mass funeral ceremonies on Friday for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by U.S. and Israeli bombs in February. Clerics, officials and foreign dignitaries paid respects as Khamenei's body lay in state at Tehran's Grand Mosalla. The ruling clerics are organizing days of rites to show public devotion to the Islamic Republic and prove its revolutionary fervor remains strong, even as the country faces an uncertain future after the loss of its supreme leader of 36 years.
Russia unleashed its largest aerial attack on Kyiv since the start of the war, deploying a record number of missiles and drones that killed at least 21 people and hit residential buildings across the capital. The attack comes as Poland scrambled jets and Finland restricted airspace amid escalating tensions.
Rescue workers in Venezuela pulled a three-year-old child alive from rubble six days after a series of devastating earthquakes struck the country's northern coast, as the official death toll surpassed 1,900. The quakes flattened dozens of buildings including the Ritasol Palace apartment complex in La Guaira, where families continue to search for loved ones by hand after official search efforts were halted. The United Nations has procured 10,000 body bags as tens of thousands remain missing and the final toll is expected to be far higher.
A series of powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, killing at least 920 people and injuring thousands more in the country's worst natural disaster in decades. The 7.3 and 6.8 magnitude quakes devastated the coastal state of La Guaira and parts of Caracas, leaving up to 6.76 million people affected. UNICEF estimates 680,000 children are in need of humanitarian assistance as hospitals struggle to treat the injured amid Venezuela's fragile healthcare system. International rescue teams have arrived, and IOM is deploying emergency shelter and supplies.
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for US airstrikes on Iranian positions, escalating the Gulf conflict. Tehran also threatened to suspend all nuclear negotiations. The attacks mark a dangerous widening of the war, which has already disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and sent global energy prices soaring.