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Aug 2, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump hyped up a planned U.S. attack on Iran Saturday night – one with “power not seen since World War II” – before revealing he’d called off the attack citing a new agreement with the Middle East nation.“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters [sic] of a deal has been agreed to,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.”The Trump administration and Israeli officials were reportedly considering launching what would be “one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date” targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, multiple inside sources told CBS News. Trump’s claim of being asked by “other Middle Eastern countries” aligns with Axios’ reporting Saturday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had privately pleaded with Trump Saturday to hold off on the attack.Trump has insisted countless times that the Strait of Hormuz – the crucial shipping waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil trade historically flowed – was “open,” despite evidence to the contrary. His announcement Saturday marks the latest instance of Trump claiming as such.“The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Aug 2, 2026 - World

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pleaded with President Donald Trump Saturday to hold off on authorizing an “unprecedented” attack on Iran that is reportedly being actively considered by U.S. and Israeli officials, Axios reported.The Trump administration and Israeli officials are considering launching what would be “one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date” targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, multiple inside sources told CBS News, and as a response to the Iranian attacks on a U.S. military base in Jordan earlier this week.However, “such an attack could lead to an unprecedented escalation in the five-month war,” Axios’ Barak Ravid wrote, and could put U.S. allies in the Middle East at great risk of Iranian retaliatory strikes.“The Saudis expressed concern and asked for clarity about the plan of action,” a U.S. official told Axios. A second source, described by Axios as a person “with knowledge of the call” said that bin Salman “urged Trump to de-escalate and refrain from launching the strikes,” Ravid wrote.Trump has repeatedly downplayed concerns about the conflict's trajectory, insisting in recent public remarks that the war is "going extremely well" and that Iran's military capabilities have been severely degraded, while also floating the possibility of a negotiated settlement. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have signaled no willingness to back down, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi telling NBC News that Iran is ready for a ground invasion by American troops and would refuse any negotiations with Washington.

Aug 1, 2026 - World

Foreign policy expert Trita Parsi issued a bleak warning Saturday over what he called a major “strategic mistake” of the Trump administration that could very well “bring the [Iran] war to the U.S.,” and soon.Earlier on Saturday, CBS News reported that the United States and Israel were actively planning “one of the harshest bombing campaigns to date” targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing multiple inside sources. Also on Saturday, federal authorities were investigating whether Iran was responsible for a string of cyber attacks on U.S. water systems across several states.The cyber attacks, per The New York Times, “increasingly appeared to be the work of Iran.” As such, Parsi, a foreign policy analyst and president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, feared that the Trump administration’s plans and the cyber attacks could be connected.“If Iran is behind these cyberattacks on US water systems, the message is clear,” Parsi wrote in a social media post Saturday on Substack.“It's a warning: If the US strikes critical infrastructure in Iran, including desalination plants and power grids, Iran will respond in kind through cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the US. Essentially, Iran will bring the war to the US itself using cyber.”President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to destroy Iranian power plants and other critical infrastructure, threats that, if carried out, would likely be considered war crimes. Should the United States and Israel carry out its supposed plan to launch a massive attack on Iranian energy infrastructure, Parsi warned that the consequences could be astronomical for Americans.“The strategic mistake of starting – and restarting – this war is only becoming more enormous,” Parsi wrote.If Iran is behind these cyberattacks on US water systems, the message is clear.It's a warning: If the US strikes critical infrastructure in Iran, including desalination plants and power grids, Iran will respond in kind through cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in the US.Essentially, Iran will bring the war to the US itself using cyber.The strategic mistake of starting - and restarting - this war is only becoming more enormous. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/iran-cyberattack-water-systems.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260801&instance_id=179699&nl=breaking-news®i_id=75080685&segment_id=224053&user_id=a45a9b52edcc21d2f15a650c5a769bd9 - Trita ParsiRead on Substack

Aug 1, 2026 - World

Aircraft crashes into field after departing from nearby city of Pisco, according to local authoritiesPolice in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines.Local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site. Continue reading...

Aug 1, 2026 - World

Other members of expedition led by world-renowned climber on Broad Peak also died, climbing company saysA world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak.Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world’s 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday. Continue reading...