Norwegian ship hit off Oman – crew unharmed
The Norwegian-owned tanker Stolt Magnesium has been hit in an attack off the coast of Oman, reports Finansavisen.
The attack took place on Tuesday night. The ship is said to have been hit by “an explosion from an unidentified external object”, according to shipping company Stolt-Nielsen.
A fire broke out in the engine room and the crew managed to extinguish it. All on board are unharmed.
According to the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense, Iran attacked two ships in the Strait of Hormuz the night before today. It is not clear whether Stolt Magnesium is one of those ships.
Iran attacks ship – one dead and several injured
One person has been killed in Iranian attacks on two ships in the Strait of Hormuz last night. This is stated by the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense, reports TT. Eight more people have been injured, two of them seriously.
The attacks are said to have taken place in Omani territorial waters. According to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the ships ignored "repeated warnings".
The Iranian attacks were preceded by new, powerful American attacks on Iran for the third night in a row. The US Central Command announced on X that military targets in several Iranian cities had been hit. US President Donald Trump promises that the attacks will continue.
- We are going to hit them very hard tonight, and we are going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there is not a damn thing they can do about it, he says in an interview with conservative profile Hugh Hewitt that several media outlets reproduce.
tisdag 14 juli 2026
Middle East Crisis Iran War
US-Cuba Relations
US lawmakers: Cuba is a “silent Gaza”
Four US Democratic congressmen traveled to Cuba over the weekend. They compared the consequences of the US oil blockade to a “silent Gaza,” reports the AP.
“It may not be bombings, but it is definitely conditions that prevent people from living their normal lives,” said Mark Pocan, a congressman from Wisconsin.
Cuba is currently experiencing its third nationwide power outage in less than two weeks.
Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio have previously indicated that they hope the blockade will lead to the collapse of the Cuban regime. Cuba has condemned the strategy as collective punishment.
“It is not logical to force an entire country to suffer,” said New Mexico congressman Teresa Leger-Fernández.
Third massive power outage in Cuba in 10 days
Cuba is experiencing its third nationwide power outage in less than 10 days, AFP reports.
The island nation's power grid went down shortly after 11 a.m. local time, according to state-run utility UNE. Cuba is currently facing its worst energy crisis in decades, partly due to the US oil embargo.
Both of last week's major power outages took over 24 hours to resolve.
Measures against ultra-Orthodox conscientious objectors are paused
Israel's parliament, the Knesset, approved a bill on Tuesday to suspend all measures against ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse military service for three months, Haaretz reports.
The bill means that summonses, investigations and arrests of ultra-Orthodox conscientious objectors are paused until November 30. But since the country's constitution states that legislation that expires at the beginning of a new term is extended by three months, the proposal effectively means a six-month pause.
The bill, which was passed by 58 votes to 54, has been heavily criticized by the opposition and relatives of serving soldiers.
Israel's Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warns that the law will increase inequality and damage trust among those who actually serve in the military.
The bill comes at a difficult time for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is struggling to maintain a majority in the Knesset.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews have long been exempt from the country's mandatory military service. But in late 2024, thousands of ultra-Orthodox were called up for service after the emergency law expired and the defense forces needed to be reinforced during the war in Gaza.
This led to widespread protests and the two ultra-Orthodox parties, the Torah Party and Shas, leaving the governing coalition.
Israel goes to the polls on October 27.
Trump backs down on tariffs in the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump is backs down on his criticized move to impose 20 percent tariffs on all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The reversal comes after "very productive talks" with leaders in the Middle East.
According to Trump, the United States will now instead negotiate "trade and investment agreements" with "various Gulf states" - countries around the Persian Gulf. He wrote this on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Trump, the investments will take place in the United States.
"We will see factories, facilities and equipment flow into the United States at historic levels, which will create millions more high-paying American jobs," Trump wrote.
“Actually like it”
At a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump said he changed his mind after “kings and emirs” contacted him with alternative proposals and pointed out that multi-billion dollar investments would be better than tariffs, the AP news agency reports. Trump said he agreed:
– I actually like it, because I don’t think anyone should be able to charge a fee for the strait.
The president unexpectedly presented his idea of American tariffs on goods transported through the Strait of Hormuz – which extends past Iran and Oman – on Monday. Such a fee has been criticized by the UN’s maritime agency, among others, for lacking support in international law. The US has also previously rejected all tariffs in the strait as unwanted and unreasonable.
Futures prices for crude oil fell sharply in reaction to Trump’s new announcement.
Blockade in effect
Trump also wrote that the resumed blockade of all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports remains in effect.
In parallel, Iran – which claims to control the Strait of Hormuz – continued to attack ships traveling through the important waterway overnight. According to the country's Revolutionary Guard, ships that do not have a permit and ignore warnings are being attacked.
The strait is a so-called transit passage, which according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea guarantees ships free passage.
Middle East Crisis
Strait of Hormuz
Trump reverses – will not impose tariffs on the Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump has changed his mind. He will not impose a 20 percent tariff on all commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, he writes on Truth Social.
The tariffs will instead be replaced by “trade and investment agreements that the Gulf states will conclude with the United States,” he writes.
“These investments will be massive, but at the same time extremely good for them and their future.”
The blockade of Iranian ports will remain, however, writes Trump.
Israel vs. Iran
Mossad’s secret plan: Recruit Iran’s ex-president and make him the country’s new leader
For several years, Israel’s intelligence service Mossad tried to recruit Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and prepare him for a future takeover of power in Iran. This is stated by Iranian, Israeli and American officials for the New York Times and Haaretz.
The contacts are said to have taken place through secret meetings abroad, including at a climate conference in the Hungarian capital Budapest in 2024. The then head of Mossad, David Barnea, is said to have personally traveled to Budapest to meet Ahmadinejad, who was the president of Iran from 2005 to 2013.
In connection with the outbreak of the war between the United States and Iran in February, Mossad abducted Ahmadinejad with the aim of installing him as the new leader in a regime change. But the plan failed. According to Iranian sources, the former president became “upset” and left the hiding place where Mossad had placed him.
Ahmadinejad is now being held under house arrest by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, according to several high-ranking Iranian officials.
The fact that Mossad tried to recruit Ahmadinejad in particular is explained by the fact that he has begun to distance himself from the current regime in Iran and has begun to see himself as a possible reform leader, according to the information.
