Iran FM says no nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain,
Israel-Lebanon talks to be held in Italy on August 4
EU aviation agency adds Jordan to no-fly warning list as fighting continues
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency asked airlines not to operate within the airspace of Jordan, as the nation and other US Gulf allies were struck by Iran in the renewed conflict.
"Since the middle of July 2026, the security situation has deteriorated rapidly, with a sustained increase in kinetic military activity affecting Jordanian airspace," EASA said in a statement.
EASA already recommends that airlines avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
EU naval force advises ships with US, Israeli or Saudi links to avoid Red sea voyages
Ships with links to Israel, the United States or Saudi Arabia are at a higher risk of being attacked by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia and are advised to avoid voyages through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the European Union's naval force Aspides said.
“EUNAVFOR ASPIDES recommends that merchant vessels linked to Israeli, US or Saudi interests avoid transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level decreases,” said the force's advisory to the shipping industry which was seen by Reuters.
🎥 Pete Hegseth asks US Senate for 'urgent' Iran war funding increase
The cost of the US military campaign against Iran has already cost 37.5 billion dollars. The figure was revealed by the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he appeared before the Senate to make the case for the war and ask for an additional 67 billion dollars worth of funding. The move drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Details and analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor, Rochelle Ferguson-Bouyahi.
Brent North Sea crude soars above $95 a barrel on Mideast war
World oil prices soared, with main contract Brent North Sea crude surpassing $95 for the first time in nearly six weeks, as the United States and Iran carried out more strikes.
Brent oil jumped 4.4 percent to $95.02 per barrel and the key US contract, West Texas Intermediate, rallied 4.5 percent to $88.16.
🎥 US eyes strikes on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, believed to be an enrichment site
Donald Trump has said that Pickaxe Mountain in Iran could be bombed imminently by the US. The fortified site, buried deep underground, is believed to be an enrichment facility.
FRANCE 24's Ellen Gainsford reports.
Bulgaria plays down Iran warning over US tanker aircraft
Bulgaria played down Iran's warning that its plan to host US tanker aircraft would constitute complicity in "aggression and war crimes" in the Middle East, arguing that the planes would only serve logistical purposes.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said it was "categorically out of the question for military operations in the Middle East to be conducted from Bulgarian territory".
"These tanker aircraft are intended solely for logistical missions, and they will be refuelled outside Bulgarian airspace," Bulgarian media quoted Radev as telling ministers.
Pakistan 'deeply concerned' over bid to drag Saudis into Mideast conflict
Pakistan said it was "deeply concerned" by attempts to pull Saudi Arabia into the Middle East war and condemned the threats by the Yemen's Houthis against the kingdom and Red Sea shipping.
"Pakistan is also deeply concerned over attempts to drag the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the conflict in the Middle East and reiterates its unwavering support for the security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said the foreign ministry of Pakistan, a close security partner of the Saudis.
Jordan army intercepts four Iranian missiles
The Jordanian army said it intercepted four Iranian missiles, adding that two others fell in an open area, as Tehran pressed its attacks across the region.
"Air defence systems today detected six missiles coming from Iranian territory," the army said in a statement, adding that they "intercepted and downed four missiles, while the other two fell in two remote, uninhabited areas, without causing any human casualties or material damage".
Sirens sound in Jordan as Israel says kingdom is targeted by Iranian missiles
Missile alert sirens sounded in Jordan’s port city of Aqaba as officials in neighbouring Israel say an Iranian missile attack targeted the kingdom.
Plumes of smoke could be seen overhead in Aqaba in videos filmed by people in nearby Eilat, Israel.
Officials in Eilat described it as an Iranian missile attack that saw no fragments reach Israel.
Tehran's security services did not mistreat French diplomats, Iranian ministry official quoted
Two French diplomats at the centre of a dispute between France and Iran were not ill-treated by Iranian security personnel, according to an Iranian foreign ministry official quoted by state media.
France has said that the diplomats in Tehran had their phones taken, were forbidden to contact the embassy and verbally intimidated, breaking international diplomatic conventions and that one of the officials was hit.
Lebanon PM says Beirut working for 'complete Israeli withdrawal'
Beirut is working towards a "complete Israeli withdrawal" from areas it occupies, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on a visit to a village where Lebanon's army recently deployed.
"We will continue mobilising our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from the south," he said in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of several "pilot zones" intended to demonstrate that the Lebanese army can remove and disarm Hezbollah as part of a Washington-sponsored deal with Israel.
Iran army says it targeted US military in Jordan and Bahrain bases, state media reports
Iran executes man over January protests, judiciary news agency says
Iran executed a man for charges linked to protests in the January, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported.
Mizan identified the man as Mehdi Khaneki and said he was executed for "operational actions" that benefited Israel, the United States and hostile groups. It said he also produced and possessed weapons.
CMA CGM will impose emergency surcharge due to renewed Hormuz tensions
CMA CGM will impose an emergency fuel surcharge following the renewed escalation of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz effective August 1, the French shipping firm said in a notice posted on its website.
"Following the renewed escalation of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz over the past days, fuel prices have surged sharply again, reversing the easing observed in recent weeks. As a result, bunker costs have significantly increased across all regions and trades, impacting the overall cost of ocean transportation," the firm said.
🎥 Trump says US will be hitting Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear complex 'pretty soon'
US President Donald Trump said the United States was far from finished with Iran and warned the next US military target could be an underground nuclear complex known as Pickaxe Mountain.
FRANCE 24's James Vasina reports.
- US completes 11th night of strikes on Iran
- Rubio says US open to talks but Iran not 'serious'
- Lebanon PM says Beirut working for 'complete Israeli withdrawal'
- Jordan army intercepts four Iranian missiles
- Israel-Lebanon talks to be held in Italy on August 4
Yesterday's key developments:
• Lebanon's military said that Israeli troops fired near its soldiers deploying in a so-called "pilot zone" that Israel is to withdraw from under a US-backed agreement, with Israel saying it only fired "warning shots".
• US President Donald Trump vowed to help Lebanon with its 'Hezbollah problem' in a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington.
• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States' war in Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far, as he faces questions from senators over Iran war funding.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
