US Fifth Fleet targeted in Bahrain, says Iran, in latest exchange of strikes – as it happened
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Ukraine war briefing: Spotlight on ‘hundreds’ of alleged PoW executions by Russia
The Russian army has executed hundreds of Ukrainian PoW since 2022 under a deliberate policy, Kyiv says, with the exact number of victims unknown. A Ukrainian intelligence official told Agence France-Presse they have tracked “more than 900 military personnel” killed in “more than 340” incidents since 2022. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they added this might represent 25%-40% of such cases. Under the Geneva conventions, soldiers are considered PoW – and afforded protection – from the moment they issue a clear surrender. A UN report from June cited 129 verified executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war, with the organisation sounding the alarm last year over a “marked increase” in cases. Andriy Atamantchuk from the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said that to date Kyiv has opened 116 investigations into the killings of 306 Ukrainian servicemen since 2022. “This stems from a Russian policy that has effectively encouraged and enabled such crimes, with commanders then issuing orders to that effect,” he said. The accusations are rejected by Moscow and Agence France-Presse said Russian authorities did not reply to an AFP request for comment. Russia’s transport ministry admitted it may have to divert cargo away from the Sea of Azov as Ukraine continued to pound Russian shipping there. The commander of Ukraine’s drone forces said on Tuesday that Ukraine had hit “116 vessels over the past nine days”, including several tankers and cargo ships, in the Azov sea. He said the aim was to damage Russia’s “shadow fleet” and to limit Russia’s petrol supplies to Moscow-controlled Crimea. Ukraine’s military said it struck two Russian oil refineries in the Bashkortostan and Krasnodar regions, causing fires at the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex as well as the Afipsky oil refinery. Russian authorities confirmed a fire at the Afipsky refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, and at Salavat in the Urals region of Bashkortostan. Sevastopol, one of the largest cities in Russian-controlled Crimea, was limiting power supplies after Ukrainian attacks, local authorities said on Tuesday. Crimea has already introduced restrictions on gasoline usage because of fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries and logistics infrastructure. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said electricity would be supplied for two hours, followed by six-hour outages. Ukraine’s air defences managed to shoot down five out of eight ballistic missiles that Russia fired overnight into Tuesday – an increased interception rate – along with 108 out of 135 drones, the Ukrainian air force said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, said Russian attacks still damaged 16 sites in the capital, including a school and a business, while city officials reported several fires. Zelenskyy said Russian attacks injured seven people in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region and three in the northern Chernihiv region. He called on European allies to pass their latest sanctions package this week. Kyrgyzstan’s government on Tuesday indefinitely banned exports of gasoline, diesel fuel and oil in response to fuel shortages in Russia, from which the Central Asian country sources the vast majority of its fuel needs. Kyrgyzstan has appealed to neighbours for help in making up for Russian fuel supplies, and sought diesel and jet fuel from Belarus and China. Ukrainian troops marched down the Champs-Élysées as part of the Bastille Day parade in Paris. Kyiv’s troops got the biggest cheers of the day from crowds on the tree-lined avenue. Ukrainian co-pilots trained in France were on board two French Mirage 2000B fighter jets that flew over. Zelenskyy watched as guest of honour alongside Emmanuel Macron, the French president. Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, formally resigned in parliament on Tuesday as part of a government reshuffle previously announced by Zelenskyy. The parliament is expected to vote for a replacement on Thursday. Opposition lawmakers have called for Zelenskyy to further explain the overhaul of his government.
‘Den of spies’: why has Japan been easy prey for Russian espionage, and what is Tokyo doing about it?
After eight decades as arguably the most welcoming environment for foreign spies in the democratic world, Japan – where espionage is technically not illegal in many cases – is racing to build its own spying and counterintelligence capabilities. Reports that Japan has become a hub for Russian operatives procuring technology for the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine come as Tokyo undergoes its biggest postwar rethink of its security services. How did Japan get to be an easy target for spooks – and can it now fix the problem? Why are Japan’s spying laws and spycraft in the spotlight? Long regarded as a soft touch for international intelligence operatives, Japan experienced a Russian spy influx after the invasion of Ukraine resulted in their expulsion from western countries. Nikkei Business reported in August 2022 that about 120 Russian intelligence officers were operating in Japan. That followed a police warning about them approaching employees of technology companies. One senior post at the Russian trade representation in Tokyo is always an officer of the SVR – the successor of the KGB’s overseas division – according to sources quoted by Nikkei and Jiji Press. The Tokyo police public security bureau said in January that a Japanese machine-tool company employee had been disclosing trade secrets to a suspected SVR operative who had already left Japan. Then came a 12 July New York Times article calling Japan a “den of spies” and detailing a Russian technology procurement operation for the Ukraine war run out of a Tokyo office of Aeroflot, the Russian majority state-owned airline. Japan’s chief government spokesperson, Minoru Kihara, on Monday refused to comment on individual cases but acknowledged that “in a rapidly changing security environment, the need to deal with foreign information activities that threaten our national security, such as theft of important information, is growing”. Why is Japan’s anti-espionage regime so weak? As with much of Japan’s modern political, economic and legal architecture, the roots lie in the trauma of the brutal suppression of dissent before and during the second world war. The postwar constitution enshrines privacy of communications and freedom of expression, which along with a civil society consensus has severely restricted officially sanctioned surveillance. This has left Japan with no laws against espionage, beyond those for military personnel and contractors. Following a series of embarrassing cases where convicted spies were given lenient sentences, a 1985 attempt to introduce an anti-spy act that included the death penalty as a potential punishment collapsed in the face of a widespread backlash. The Specially Designated Secrets Act also faced opposition but was passed by the Diet – Japan’s parliament – in 2013. Its harshest measure was 10 years’ imprisonment for leaking state secrets. The January case of the Russian operative cultivating a machine-tool engineer exposed its weakness when the police referred it to prosecutors as a case of unfair competition. Does Japan have any spies of its own? It had been widely believed, both at home and abroad, that postwar Japan had no significant spying capabilities or intelligence agency. However, documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden – who had been a National Security Agency (NSA) contractor at a US military base in Japan from 2009 to 2012 – revealed that Japan’s Directorate for Signals Intelligence (DFS) had been operating since the 1950s in close cooperation with the NSA. Subsequent investigations in 2017 and 2018 by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK in cooperation with the Intercept detailed at least six facilities with about 1,700 staff eavesdropping around the clock on phone calls and digital communications. Operations are reported only to the prime minister of the day and their inner circle. The agency is headquartered at a nondescript building designated “C1” inside the defence ministry’s compound in Ichigaya, central Tokyo. Cooperation between the NSA and DFS has deepened over the decades, with the US agency maintaining at least three major monitoring facilities on Japanese soil, including a surveillance station on Okinawa for which Japan contributed around $500m in costs. In return, the NSA has trained Japanese spies and provided tech including the XKeyscore mass internet surveillance system, according to the leaked documents. What is Japan doing to up its spy game? Sanae Takaichi’s government is using its large parliamentary majority, and a recognition that Japan now faces genuine geopolitical threats, to push the first significant postwar intelligence overhaul. The National Intelligence Council Establishment Act, passed in May, creates a PM-chaired council and 700-strong National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) that brings together previously separate operations. The NIB is mandated to oversee counterintelligence operations, and new legislation aimed at foreign operatives in Japan is expected to be proposed by the end of 2026. The DFS will share intelligence with the new bureau but continue to operate separately. Perhaps the most radical measure is a new foreign intelligence agency – a CIA or MI6 equivalent – set to begin operations by early 2028.
Trump again threatens to strike Iran’s power plants amid impasse over strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump has threatened to expand US strikes on Iran next week to target power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal amid a continuing dispute over the strait of Hormuz. “Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges,” Trump said in a Fox News interview on Tuesday. “We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.” The US president made similar comments in March, when he threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power stations and fresh water plants if Tehran did not agree to peace terms “shortly”. Destroying civilian infrastructure such as power and water facilities would be illegal under international humanitarian law and would probably constitute a war crime. Trump’s comments came as US forces carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row and reimposed a naval blockade on the country’s ports in the strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (Centcom) said the latest strikes were aimed at “degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the strait, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas where Tehran has repeatedly carried out attacks on civilian vessels. Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Gulf island of Qeshm near the strait of Hormuz, and other locations. State news agency IRNA later said that Iranian forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts American warplanes. Trump earlier backed down from a threat that ships would have to pay a 20% fee to the US for “security” in the strait, replacing it with what he described as investment and trade deals with Gulf Arab states. The US president said he had decided to scrap the toll “based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, and touted “massive” investments, just five hours before the toll was due to come into effect. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports. The abrupt U-turn came after three days of US strikes and Iranian retaliation on US allies in the Middle East, in the fiercest exchanges in weeks which threatened to pull the region back into all-out war. It further dimmed prospects for negotiations meant to lead to a permanent truce. A fragile 17 June ceasefire between the two sides has in effect collapsed, with the focus on control of the crucial strait of Hormuz. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the US decision to renew the blockade “has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum”. Asked how long the US strikes would carry on, Trump replied: “They’ll continue until I say it’s enough.” With Agence France-Presse
Seven Britons among 12 foreign nationals killed in Spain’s deadly wildfires
Seven Britons are among 12 foreign nationals killed in wildfires in southern Spain, authorities said. Officials said 12 of the 13 victims were foreign nationals after completing postmortem examinations after the fires that swept through Andalusia. Seven were from the UK, three from Belgium and one each from France and the US. The last victim was a Spanish citizen. “The 13 people who died are eight women and five men, all adults,” the public body responsible for identifying the victims added. Fire broke out last Thursday in the picturesque south-eastern province of Almería, which is home to many foreign residents near the Mediterranean coast. Flames fanned by high winds ripped through forests and scrubland made tinderbox dry by extreme high temperatures. Among the British nationals who died were Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bédar, the village that bore the brunt of the wildfires. Their daughter Danielle Gillam-Kirton wrote on Facebook: “We are heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers over the past few days. They have meant more to us than we can ever express.” Burned-out cars litter the road leading out of Bédar, and the authorities confirmed that some victims died in their vehicles as they tried to flee. One British man died in his car while trying to rescue his pets, according to a friend of his wife. Penelope Howe, 54, said her friend’s husband died when flames engulfed his car during the evacuation of the Los Gallardos area of Almería province. Emergency services initially recovered 12 bodies that were so badly burned that DNA samples were needed to identify them. The fire, one of Spain’s deadliest in recent years and caused by an electrical cable falling on a road, devastated about 7,000 hectares (more than 17,000 acres) of land. The flames have since been brought under control and residents have been able to return to their homes since Sunday. Spain has in recent years experienced increasingly long and frequent heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 40C, creating perfect conditions for wildfires. In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fire, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, the most in the country’s recent history.
Top House Democrats vow to oppose bid to cut US military aid to Israel
Top House Democrats split on Tuesday over a proposal to block aid for Israel’s military, with two of the party’s highest-ranking lawmakers saying they will oppose the effort while the chair of the progressive caucus encouraged his colleagues to back the defunding. The debate over an amendment introduced by Republican congressman Thomas Massie to halt $3.3bn in aid for Israel – the majority of which would go to its military – comes as Democrats grapple with a rebellion among their voters over the party’s support for the Middle Eastern ally, which has fueled the defeats of a series of congressional incumbents in recent primaries. The proposed amendment would affect legislation funding the state department and related agencies for the coming fiscal year, which the House of Representatives is expected to vote on this week. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries circulated a letter among Democrats saying he would vote against Massie’s provision, the New York Times reported, calling it “overly broad”. He warned the amendment could cut off funds for humanitarian aid programs and complicate efforts to counter militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. The minority leader’s office did not respond to a request for comment. “In my view, there are more decisive ways to achieve the urgent change necessary when it comes to the far-right Netanyahu government,” Jeffries wrote. He also accused the House’s Republican leaders of “trying to weaponize an amendment they do not support for nakedly partisan reasons”. However, he said, he would not launch a formal effort to sway his party’s vote, citing “the strongly held views throughout the caucus in this important area of foreign policy”. Jeffries was joined by Pete Aguilar, the third-highest-ranking House Democrat, who told a press conference: “It’s clear that the Netanyahu administration has done everything they can to isolate Israel, and we need to ensure that we are building more friends in the region, not having fewer.” In a letter to members of the congressional progressive caucus obtained by the Guardian, its chair, Greg Casar, said he would vote yes on the amendment, and encouraged his colleagues to join him. “The American people are crying out for an end to US tax dollars subsidizing Israel’s military,” he wrote. Nodding to the losses of three Democratic incumbents in recent primaries to candidates who vowed to take a hard line on Israel and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, Casar said: “The Democratic party needs a new approach to Israel and Palestine. “I hope you will join me in beginning that process by voting yes on this amendment.” Joe Biden’s support for Israel following the 7 October attack rocked his aborted bid for a second term, and has haunted some Democratic incumbents who sought re-election this year. In Colorado, the longtime congresswoman Diana DeGette last month lost her party’s nomination to Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, while in New York, incumbents Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat fell to democratic socialist primary challengers who criticized their stance on Israel. The issue has loomed large in Missouri, where freshman representative Wesley Bell is facing a challenge in the Democratic primary from Cori Bush, the former congresswoman he ousted in 2024 with the help of heavy spending from pro-Israel groups. It’s also a factor in the primary to replace the retiring Democratic senator Gary Peters in Michigan, where the former public health official Abdul El-Sayed has criticized his opponent Haley Stevens for her support of Israel. Jeffries and Aguilar signaled their own support for the US rethinking its approach to Israel and Netanyahu, whose government has faced accusations of genocide from international commissions over its incursion into Gaza following the 7 October attacks. In his letter, Jeffries called for “a major reset” in relations between the two countries based on two principles: a continued US commitment to Israel’s right to exist and the creation of a Palestinian state. With a 10-year memorandum of understanding signed under Barack Obama with Israel soon to expire, Jeffries wrote that the next agreement should “strictly adhere to our human rights laws and values” and acknowledge Israel’s ability to afford its own weapons. Aguilar acknowledged to reporters that “there needs to be a change in the relationship moving forward with Israel” but downplayed the impact on his strategy of the views of lawmakers who may win election in November. “We’re not thinking about what a Democratic candidate is going to say in December after they’re sworn in … that’s not part of the calculus,” he said.
Derision at US chain Chipotle’s plan to sell its Mexican food in Mexico
A US chain’s plan to sell its version of Mexican food to Mexicans with a first branch south of the border has prompted bemusement, skepticism and anger among local people. Chipotle Mexican Grill, known for its customisable burritos, tacos and bowls, has more than 4,000 locations worldwide and announced on Tuesday that it was expanding into Mexico in what it described as a significant milestone. The first restaurant will open on Thursday in the upmarket neighbourhood of San Pedro Garza García in the city of Monterrey in the northern state of Nuevo León. Many social media users expressed excitement at the prospect of Chipotle’s arrival in Mexico, but others were less than impressed. “Bold move selling Mexico a corporate version of Mexico,” wrote one user on X. “Next up, Panda Express opening its first mainland China location,” wrote another, referring to the US Chinese fast-food chain. “Let’s support what’s local,” wrote one user on Instagram. “The earnings of Chipotle will go to the USA, they won’t stay in Mexico. On the other hand, if you buy from a local neighbourhood fonda the money goes toward local taxes and generates further economic impact for a circular economy.” “It’s like the dog teaching a duck to fly!” another said. “Yummi mexican food made by gringos … said no one ever!” wrote one user on Facebook. Some predicted that Chipotle would suffer the same fate as other US fast-food chains that have failed to make it in the countries that inspired their cuisine. Taco Bell has twice tried to launch in Mexico, but closed all of its restaurants there in 2010. It opened its first restaurant in Monterrey in 2007, complete with french fries on the menu. Marco Fragoso, a local office worker, told the Associated Press at the time: “They’re not tacos. They’re folded tostadas. They’re very ugly.” The philosopher and journalist Carlos Monsívais described Taco Bell’s attempt to expand into Mexico as “like bringing ice to the Arctic”. Starbucks has been somewhat more successful in Italy, launching its first outlet in a former post office in 2018. Domino’s Pizza, however, crashed out of Italy after seven years in 2022, when its local franchise filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its 29 restaurants. Inés Carrasco, who writes the blog Cronicas de San Pedro, said Chipotle might appeal to people who embrace Tex-Mex food because of the city’s proximity to the US, but that history did not bode well for it. “US franchises don’t succeed in Monterrey,” Carraso said. “Just because one opens doesn’t mean it will do well – Jack in the Box and who knows how many others have flopped in Nuevo León. Some never even made it to Mexico City because they couldn’t cut it in Nuevo León.” Chipotle’s management, however, said it was confident the chain would find a market south of the border. “We are entering Mexico with deep respect for the country’s culinary heritage and a commitment to delivering the Chipotle experience with excellence,” its chief executive, Scott Boatwright, said in a statement. Its chief business development officer, Nate Lawson, said: “This first location will serve as an important proof-of-concept, giving us the opportunity to better understand local consumer preferences as we thoughtfully grow in Mexico.” Working in partnership with the Mexican restaurant operator Alsea, Chipotle intends to opening more restaurants in Nuevo León and expand into Mexico City next year. “We had been pursuing Chipotle for at least five or six years,” Alsea’s chief executive, Christian Guirría, told the local news outlet Expansión. “I don’t know if we wore them down or won them over, but ultimately, we were very fortunate to secure the franchise for Mexico.” As well as the US, the company already has restaurants in Canada, the UK, France and Germany. It is also planning to enter the Asian market, with restaurants scheduled to open in South Korea this year and Singapore early next year.
Trump withdraws Hormuz tolls threat but says US will continue to blockade Iran
Donald Trump has backed down from a threat that ships would have to pay a 20% fee to the US for “security” in the strait of Hormuz, replacing it with what he described as investment and trade deals with Gulf Arab states as US and Iranian airstrikes resumed for a third day. The US president said he had decided to scrap the toll “based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership”, and touted “massive” investments, just five hours before the toll was due to come into effect. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports. He said in remarks as he met the Iraqi prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, in the White House that he did not believe anybody should charge a fee “but at the same time, it’s not fair that we’re protecting this strait for the entire world”. The abrupt U-turn came after three days of US strikes and Iranian retaliation on US allies in the Middle East, in the fiercest exchanges in weeks which threatened to pull the region back into all-out war. It further dimmed prospects for negotiations meant to lead to a permanent truce. The Israeli prime minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, also warned Iran against striking it, threatening a powerful counterstrike. “I will say it to the leaders of Iran: do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu said at a conference in Dimona, southern Israel. “The days are over when someone strikes us and we don’t hit back with a decisive blow.” The US military launched strikes on Iran starting early on Tuesday morning and continuing until midday. The US military said its five-hour operation early on Tuesday hit targets across Iran, including in the port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas. It shared videos of strikes that it said were meant to “degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping”. More explosions were heard around noon on Tuesday west of Bandar Abbas, as well as in Bushehr and Choghadak, according to Iranian state TV. Blasts were also heard later on Tuesday on the Iranian island of Qeshm near the strait of Hormuz. Iran targeted Bahrain, which houses the US Navy’s fifth fleet; Jordan, which hosts US air force assets; and two tankers associated with the United Arab Emirates in the strait of Hormuz. Kuwait’s army also reported intercepting “hostile” projectiles on Tuesday evening. Bahrain said it had intercepted several of the attacks and accused Iran of targeting civilians after explosions were heard in its capital, Manama. Jordan said it intercepted four missiles from Iran. The attacks are a significant block to efforts to reopen the strait. Iran in effect closed it during the four-month war with the US, and the US imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ships in response. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries was supposed to reopen the strait but flares in violence and breakdowns in negotiations have hindered free navigation in the waterway. The two countries are now almost halfway through the 60-day period set out by the MoU for negotiations to reach a final truce, making little progress on key matters such as the strait, Iran’s disputed nuclear programme and regional issues. On Monday, Trump had said the US would control the strait and charge ships up to a 20% toll for safe passage, which would have been a reversal of the previous US position that no country was allowed to charge tolls through the international waterway under the rules of freedom of navigation. Analysts have said that reopening the strait by force would require a military campaign involving tens of thousands of US troops. US attacks on Iran have killed at least 28 people since last week, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse. The Indian foreign ministry meanwhile said it was lodging a strong protest with Iran and summoned its deputy ambassador after one Indian seafarer was killed and 10 other Indians were seriously wounded by Iranian attacks on two tankers. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a warning for airlines on Tuesday, telling them to avoid flying over the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and above the Gulf of Oman. It said “unpredictable military developments” created a risk to civil flights. Iran has insisted the US will have no role in the strait. Its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran would be the guardian of the strait “for ever”. On Trump’s threat, Araghchi said on X: “20% is of course too much. We will be fair.” The price of crude oil rose to a four-week high of more than $86 a barrel on Tuesday but prices are still below their peak during the war, when they hit nearly $120 a barrel. Lebanese and Israeli delegations were due to meet in Rome on Tuesday to continue US-mediated negotiations. Lebanon is seeking an Israeli withdrawal from the more than 600 sq km of the country that it occupies, though hopes for a swift withdrawal were low. Last month Lebanon and Israel announced they had reached a “framework agreement” under which Israeli troops would withdraw from “pilot areas” in south Lebanon. The Lebanese army would then enter those areas, with the promise that they would prevent Hezbollah from returning and continue to dismantle the armed group’s infrastructure there. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, told reporters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday that it was ready to move forward in implementing two pilot zones, and that the framework agreement was “the only way forward”. The office of the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, said in a statement on Monday that he had tasked the Lebanese delegation to demand the immediate start of Israeli withdrawal from the two pilot zones before any other discussions were held. A US military delegation was in Lebanon over the weekend to discuss the pilot zone plan in detail, according to Reuters. The negotiations are between the Lebanese government and Israel. Hezbollah is not a party to the talks. Hezbollah has repeatedly called on the government to stop the talks, framing the direct negotiations as a surrender. It is unclear how agreements from the talks would be implemented on the ground without Hezbollah’s cooperation.