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US Vice President JD Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan that Jeffrey Epstein had connections to the highest levels of both American and Israeli intelligence, and claimed some within Israel's government are working to prolong the Iran war indefinitely.

This comes as the presidents of Lithuania and Latvia warned that Russia is planning attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltics or Poland, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's sacking of his reformist defence minister sparked rare wartime protests in Kyiv.

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2️⃣ 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran strikes US bases as Washington intensifies air campaign: Iran launched fresh attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, while US Central Command carried out a six-hour wave of strikes on command centres, air defences and coastal sites across Iran, including near Bandar Abbas. The exchanges marked a sixth day of renewed fighting as an interim deal frayed, with Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf saying Tehran had "no reason" to abide by any deal that did not benefit it, even as President Donald Trump welcomed Iran's release of a US detainee as a goodwill gesture.

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Major Story

🇺🇸🇮🇱 Vance claims Epstein was tied to US and Israeli intelligence

US Vice President JD Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan that the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had connections to the highest levels of both American and Israeli intelligence, adding that Epstein "seemed" linked to left-of-centre elements of what he called the "Israeli deep state."

In the same interview, Vance claimed some people within the Israeli government were working to prolong the Iran war "indefinitely" and to manipulate American public opinion to keep it going.

He pointed to a TIME article, which cited a senior US official, alleging that former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale was running an online influence operation on behalf of Israel, a claim Parscale flatly denied.

Vance also conceded the Trump administration "absolutely screwed up" its communications around the Epstein files, singling out former Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump fired in April, while insisting the missteps were not an attempt to hide anything.

His remarks come amid increasingly open tension between the US and Israel, which have jointly waged war on Iran since late February.

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1️⃣ 🇪🇺🇺🇦 EU and Ukraine sign deal to jointly ramp up drone production: The European Union and Ukraine signed an agreement to jointly boost drone production, combining the bloc's industrial base with Ukraine's battlefield expertise, announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Funding will draw on the EU's €90 billion support loan and its SAFE defence programme, and the deal allows drones to be built and stored across EU territory to shield them from Russian strikes.

2️⃣ 🇪🇺🇷🇺 EU fails to agree Russia sanctions after three days of talks: EU countries failed for a third consecutive day to agree a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, forcing them to temporarily freeze the bloc's oil price cap at $44.10 per barrel until 23 July and defer talks to 22 July. Austria and Greece broke ranks over separate demands, with Vienna seeking compensation for Raiffeisen Bank's expropriated Russian operations, though the package is still seen as a strong one with 250 new listings.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇷🇺 US bill would hit Russian oil buyers with 100% tariff: US senators unveiled a revised, Trump-backed sanctions bill that would impose a 100% tariff on the top buyers of Russian oil and gas, specifically targeting China and India, down from an originally proposed 500%. The measure, spearheaded by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, exempts countries importing less than 15% of Russia's gas exports, and President Donald Trump said there was "a good chance" it passes.

4️⃣ 🇩🇪🇺🇸 Germany warns US against election interference over grants scheme: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the Trump administration against interfering in German elections after the US state department announced grants of up to $3m for European groups working on "national sovereignty, migration, censorship and lawfare." Former US officials described the scheme as part of an effort to repurpose government funds to support far-right groups in Europe, while the state department said the money was not available to political parties.

5️⃣ 🇺🇸 US groups sue over Trump's ICC sanctions on free speech grounds: Two US-based advocacy groups, Democracy in the Arab World Now and Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide, sued the Trump administration, arguing its sanctions on the international criminal court illegally suppress pro-Palestinian advocacy and "police the political expression of millions of Americans." The suit challenges a 2025 executive order that placed financial and visa restrictions on ICC officials and names President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio among defendants, days after Rubio vowed to dismantle the court "brick by brick."

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