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Explosions were reported across southern Iran overnight, but a US official said no new strikes had been launched, leaving confusion after two nights of heavy exchanges between Washington and Tehran.

This comes as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a near standstill, and as Mexico said it will file criminal complaints in the US over the deaths of its citizens in immigration custody.

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4️⃣ 🇪🇺🇷🇺 EU narrows visa ban on Russian combatants: A scaled-back version of the proposed ban limits it to short-stay visas and to those who directly took part in the fighting in Ukraine, after France and Italy pushed back on the broader measure covering any military role. The ban forms part of the EU's 21st sanctions package, which ambassadors aim to adopt by mid-July to avoid an automatic revision of the Russian oil price cap.

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Major Story

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Confusion in Iran as truce teeters 

Explosions were reported across southern Iran overnight, including in Bushehr, Konarak and Bandar Abbas, but no new American strikes were launched, a US official told Reuters, leaving conflicting accounts of a possible third night of attacks.

The blasts followed two nights of heavy exchanges in which CENTCOM said it hit 180 targets and Iran retaliated against US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, attacks the Gulf states said they largely repelled.

US President Donald Trump claimed Tehran "called" and wants a deal "so badly," though it is unclear who he spoke to and Iran has not commented.

The uncertainty came as Iran buried its late supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, capping six days of mourning that state media claimed drew more than 40 million people, while his successor Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly advised not to attend.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇻🇪🇬🇧 🇻🇪🇬🇧 Venezuela asks King Charles to release gold reserves: Interim President Delcy Rodríguez sent a letter to the British monarch requesting the release of roughly 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold frozen at the Bank of England, worth about £3.4bn, to fund recovery from the June earthquakes that killed 3,811 people. The reserves were frozen amid sanctions and a dispute over governmental legitimacy, and Buckingham Palace has not publicly responded.

2️⃣ 🇸🇪🇪🇺 Sweden vows to defend EU carbon trading rules: EU Affairs Minister Jessica Rosencrantz said Stockholm will oppose any attempt to water down the Emissions Trading System ahead of a Commission review due July 17, arguing a weaker scheme would be bad for the climate and Europe's competitiveness. Ten of Europe's largest economies including Poland and Italy are campaigning to relax the rules, while seven countries have joined a push to protect them.

3️⃣ 🇵🇭🇨🇳 Philippines marks South China Sea ruling anniversary: Manila commemorated the tenth anniversary of the 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing's expansive claims in the disputed waters, with Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro comparing the legally binding decision to a lighthouse. China said it would never recognise the ruling, calling it "illegal, null and void," as territorial confrontations in the waterway grow more frequent.

4️⃣ 🇮🇷 Hormuz tanker traffic at near standstill: Just two tankers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz in the early hours of Thursday as shipping risks escalated following renewed US strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliation in the Gulf. Some war insurers advised shipping companies to pause voyages, while a Qatari LNG tanker struck earlier in the week remains stranded off Oman awaiting salvage, its cargo apparently secure.

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