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Iran broke deal, faces consequences: US

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Washington, July 17: The White House has accused Iran of violating a memorandum of understanding with the United States by attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying President Donald Trump authorised renewed military strikes because Tehran had failed to honour its commitments despite continuing to express interest in negotiations.

Speaking at the White House daily briefing on Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran had breached a key provision of the agreement by firing on commercial vessels, prompting the administration to respond militarily.

“I’ve spoken with the President about this as recently as an hour ago. Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and express that they want to make a deal with us, because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military,” Leavitt added.

She said the recent strikes were a direct response to Tehran’s actions.

“The reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them,” she added.

“Specifically in the memorandum of understanding that they signed, they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz.”

According to Leavitt, Trump was determined not to allow attacks on international shipping to continue unchecked.

“President Trump is not going to sit by and allow these active acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences for that,” she said.

Despite the renewed military action, Leavitt added that diplomatic contacts had not ended.

“The President is always open and willing to diplomacy. He is the peace through strength President,” Leavitt said, adding that after Operation Epic Fury, “we did move forward into a diplomatic phase,” but Iran subsequently violated the agreement.

“They (Iran) have expressed they still want to make a deal to the President. We’re (US is) talking to them.”

Leavitt also announced that the United States had reimposed a naval blockade on vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports.

“We know that there is a blockade of ships directed by the President (Trump) for ships entering and departing Iranian ports only. This has been fully implemented and is in full force,” she said.

She added that more than 10,000 American sailors, Marines and airmen, supported by two aircraft carriers, over 20 warships and dozens of aircraft, were enforcing the blockade.

“During the first 24 hours of the blockade, US CENTCOM has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel,” she said, adding that the Strait remained open for ships not trading with Iranian ports.

Responding to questions about conflicting public comments from Trump and Vice-President JD Vance on diplomacy with Iran, Leavitt rejected suggestions of divisions within the administration.

“I can tell you the President, Vice-President, are on the exact same page,” she said, adding that Operation Epic Fury had left Iran’s leadership fragmented and weakened.

International News

Iran’s IRGC says two ‘violating’ oil tankers disabled by blasts in Hormuz Strait

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The navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday that two “violating” oil tankers were disabled by explosions while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night.

In a statement on the IRGC’s official news outlet, Sepah News, the navy said the two supertankers transited the strait despite frequent warnings from its centre for controlling traffic in the waterway about the “unauthorised and unsafe” nature of the southern route.

It added that the tankers were carrying more than 4 million barrels of oil in total, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The navy warned that the same fate will await any vessel that turns off its navigation systems in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf and cooperates with the U.S. military in crossing the waterway’s “unauthorised” southern route.

The Navy on Wednesday said a “violating” oil tanker caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday as the oil tanker was transiting the “unsafe and forbidden” region east of the waterway, the navy announced in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. It said that its naval forces are monitoring the strait’s eastern waters, stressing that safe passage through the waterway requires coordination with the Iranian armed forces and compliance with maritime regulations.

Separately, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi on Wednesday warned the United States and Israel against making any new miscalculation, saying that “any point that serves as a focal point for threats against the existence of the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a direct target of asymmetric operations.”

He said in a message carried by Iranian media that the armed forces would carry out orders issued by the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, without hesitation.

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International News

One killed as three-storey building collapses in New York

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At least one person was killed and 10 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in New York City’s Brooklyn neighbourhood, authorities said.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, officials confirmed. Four people were taken to hospital in critical condition, while six others sustained minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

The FDNY said it received reports of people being trapped at around 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday after the building collapsed on the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

Videos from the scene showed firefighters digging through the rubble and pulling at least one person out of the debris.

Firefighters continued their search for another person believed to be trapped beneath the rubble and remained in communication with them as rescue operations progressed.

Several injured construction workers were taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment, although their medical conditions were not immediately known. Search and rescue operations were still underway following the collapse.

According to reports citing FDNY radio communications, at least 10 other people were injured in the incident.

Emergency response teams rushed to the site following reports of a partial building collapse at an apartment building in Brooklyn, with people feared trapped inside, according to FDNY officials.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) urged residents and commuters to stay away from the area around Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue following the incident.

In a post on X, the NYPD warned that road closures and traffic delays were expected in the area and advised motorists to use alternate routes to avoid disruption and allow emergency personnel to carry out rescue operations.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences to the family of the person who lost their life in the building collapse. In a post on X, she said, “My heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today’s building collapse in Brooklyn. My administration has reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate what happened.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani also commented on the incident, saying that emergency responders were working to secure the site and assist those affected by the collapse.

In his post on X, Mamdani said, “Flatbush Avenue is closed from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue – please avoid the area so rescue crews can work.”

He further said that the city would provide additional information once officials were in a position to confirm the details of the incident.

Further details are awaited.

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International News

Iran designates Argentine Navy, Air Force as ‘terrorist organisations’

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Iran Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the country has designated the Argentine Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations.

The move came in response to the Argentine government’s decision in late March to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described Argentina’s decision as “hostile and being in contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law,” saying Iran’s move was based on the principle of reciprocity and a domestic law on reciprocal action against the US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The law calls for equivalent countermeasures against countries that comply with or support Washington’s actions against Tehran, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. The ministry held the Argentine government responsible for all consequences arising from the decision, stressing that the IRGC is an integral part of Iran’s armed forces.

The office of Argentine President Javier Milei announced on March 31 that Argentina had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The decision followed calls by US President Donald Trump’s administration for its allies to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.

The Argentine government said the measure had been adopted in response to the IRGC’s support for Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, which Buenos Aires blames for a deadly 1994 bombing attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in the capital city. The attack killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.

Earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran had designated Britain’s Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Secret Intelligence Service as “terrorist and hostile” entities over the British government’s anti-Iran actions.

Meanwhile, Qatar said Tuesday that progress had been made in negotiations between the United States and Iran, describing recent White House talks involving Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as positive, while cautioning that it was too early to predict when an agreement could be reached.

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