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President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were under way and warned Tehran it faced a "last chance before decapitation," though Iran's foreign ministry says no such talks exist.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian figure threatened to target US warships in the Strait of Hormuz, while the Board of Peace said Israel will not leave Gaza until Hamas has fully disarmed.

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1️⃣ 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran threatens US warships over Hormuz routes: Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said Tehran would target any US warship attempting to open a second corridor through the strait, adding that there would be "serious dangers to the US ships and bases" if the naval blockade continued. Britain's UKMTO said a cargo vessel was struck by an "unknown projectile" 37km northeast of Al Khasab, Oman, with no details given on damage or injuries.

2️⃣ 🇮🇱🇵🇸 No Israeli withdrawal before Hamas disarms, board says: The US-led Board of Peace said troops will pull back beyond the Yellow Line only once decommissioning of light weapons, heavy weapons and tunnels is complete, after director Nickolay Mladenov met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the published agreement "completely different" to the one Israel approved and demanded a new vote immediately.

3️⃣ 🇫🇷🇬🇧 France rejects Reform UK plan to return migrants by Navy: The French interior ministry said the proposal to intercept small boats and land people back on French shores "would constitute a violation of French sovereignty, as well as a violation of the law of the sea and international law." Reform UK party spokesman Zia Yusuf said that if the Élysée refused, "His Majesty's Royal Marines will disembark them safely on the very shore they left that morning."

4️⃣ 🇪🇸🇲🇦 EU demands stronger borders after Ceuta crossings: Ursula von der Leyen called for "united action" and physical barriers where needed, as Spain estimated about 69,500 people had returned to Morocco and put the official death toll at 72 on the Spanish side and 11 on the Moroccan side. Italy suspended Schengen arrangements with Spain, backed by Finland and Denmark, while Sánchez accused some governments of acting on "prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest."

5️⃣ 🇬🇧 Apple fights UK demand for encrypted iCloud access: Apple filed a complaint with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal over a second technical capability notice seeking access to British users' encrypted data, after it withdrew Advanced Data Protection from the UK rather than comply with the original order. Such notices remain secret by law, which campaigners argue shields surveillance powers from scrutiny.

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Major Story

🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump says talks are under way, Iran differs

President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were ongoing despite Tehran's denials, warning that the Islamic Republic faced a "last chance before decapitation".

Speaking at the White House, he said he had agreed to keep pursuing talks at the request of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and that the discussions covered reopening the Strait of Hormuz, possible "literally by tomorrow," and denuclearisation, which could "take a little while."

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the only negotiations under way were with Oman over passage through the strait, and that any such understanding would not mean reopening it.

Trump called Tehran "duplicitous" for "openly and proudly" saying it was not negotiating, writing that "nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished."

More than five months into a war that began on 28 February, Iran retains its enriched uranium stockpiles and the ability to fire missiles and drones at US and allied targets across the region.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇸 Twenty five states sue over Trump's tariffs: A coalition of Democratic states called the duties of 10% to 12.5%, imposed under forced labour provisions and covering 99.4% of US imports, "arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law." The White House said it was using "lawful authority," while Brazil and Japan called the measures "unjustified" and Beijing described them as an "excuse for political manipulation."

2️⃣ 🇩🇰 Denmark extends conscription over Russia and Greenland: Around 1,600 recruits began an 11-month service period, up from four months, with intake set to reach 7,500 a year by 2033 and women included for the first time. Denmark will send conscripts to Greenland for the first time this month, a deployment carrying added weight given President Donald Trump's repeated attempts to annex the territory.

3️⃣ 🇰🇼 Kuwait output surges as OPEC unwinds its cuts: Kuwait produced 1.971 million barrels a day in July, up from 580,000 in May, as OPEC+ agreed to add another 188,000 barrels from September and complete the reversal of its 2023 cuts. Kazakhstan is moving the other way, cutting output to about 1 million barrels a day after Ukrainian drone strikes on Novorossiysk, which handles some 80% of its exports.

4️⃣ 🇷🇺 Putin's anti-war challenger says he has fled Russia: Boris Nadezhdin, barred from the 2024 presidential race and designated a "foreign agent" last month, posted a video from Paris saying "I'm alive and free. Unfortunately, I'm not in Russia at the moment." He had been charged with displaying extremist symbols over a ten-second image of Alexei Navalny in a reposted video, a charge he called ridiculous.

5️⃣ 🇪🇹🇸🇩 Tigray fighting sends refugees into Sudan: Hundreds of Tigrayans including wounded fighters crossed into Sudan after weekend clashes involving heavy artillery and drones breached a three-year-old peace deal. Each side blames the other for the fighting, which comes less than four years after a conflict the African Union estimates left at least 600,000 dead.

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