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• Crude oil prices remained stable near $82 on Thursday, despite a second commercial vessel being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. • Iran and Oman are scheduled to meet next week to negotiate a deal regarding the establishment of fees for ships using the waterway. • The situation is critical as rising energy and pump prices are increasing political pressure on U.S. officials ahead of the November congressional midterm elections.

Congressman Jamie Raskin asks president’s son to detail firm’s recent success after he joined 1798 Capital as partnerDemocrats on a powerful US congressional committee have launched an investigation into a venture capital firm which has thrived since recruiting Donald Trump’s son.Donald Trump Jr joined 1798 Capital as a partner just days after his father won a second term in office in November 2024. Congressman Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the US House of Representatives judiciary committee, has asked the president’s son to detail the firm’s recent success. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Experts and former officials say accounts are running dry, and funding a war with no clear endgame is the main challengeDonald Trump’s war on Iran has driven the US military into a severe financial crisis, with the US navy forced to transfer money from its payroll and other sources to cover the costs of combat, according to documents obtained by the Guardian, and interviews with navy officials, contractors and defense analysts.The US-Israeli operation, which has depleted US munitions stockpiles and prompted retaliatory Iranian strikes that have wrecked strategic bases across the Middle East, is piling pressure on budgets across the military. Continue reading...

• Iran has launched a renewed diplomatic push, proposing a plan with Oman to ensure the continued movement of ships through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. • Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is visiting Tehran to facilitate mediation efforts between Iran and the United States. • This diplomatic shift comes as U.S. economic pressure intensifies, with Iranian officials suggesting that the next move toward de-escalation rests with Donald Trump.

Government measures to improve resilience are not due until 2030 and July’s hack has not altered this timeline Hundreds of Britain’s smallest power plants could remain at a higher risk to state-sponsored cyber-attacks until the 2030s despite a successful Iran-linked hack last month, it has emerged.Officials this week briefed energy bosses on the breach, which is understood to have shut an unnamed small gas power plant for four days last month, and put the industry on alert over the growing cyber threat facing energy infrastructure. Continue reading...

• Six months into the conflict between the US and Iran, reports indicate that Donald Trump's original strategic goals remain unfinished. • Iranian Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf has criticized those avoiding negotiations with the enemy, warning that labeling diplomatic achievements as "betrayal" is a form of comfort-seeking. • Ghalibaf emphasized that loyalty to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei requires maintaining national unity and avoiding political polarization to prevent adversaries from creating internal divisions.

• President Trump asserted that the financial strength of the U.S. and the implementation of sanctions will lead to a "very big victory" over Iran. • Amidst the geopolitical tension, Trump clarified that he does not believe Iran's supreme leader has passed away. • Simultaneously, two major petrochemical facilities in southwestern Iran have suspended production to combat power shortages caused by a severe heat wave.