Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Fuel prices have soared as Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz and Houthis attack Saudi shipping in the Red Sea
- Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth requests fresh funding for Iran war in remarks to senators
- US attacked Iran for 11th consecutive night, CENTCOM says
Follow below for the latest developments on the US war with Iran and news from the wider Middle East:
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Skip next section Iran denies conducting nuclear activities at ‘Pickaxe Mountain’07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Iran denies conducting nuclear activities at ‘Pickaxe Mountain’
Iran has denied engaging in nuclear activities at the site known as “Pickaxe Mountain” in the center of the country.
In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai described US reports on the matter as “nothing more than a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction, and sabotage.”
He also added that Iran’s nuclear activities have been fully reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
US President Donald Trump threatened to launch attacks on a fortified underground site known as “Pickaxe Mountain,” located in the Kuh-e Kolang mountain range, south of the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran.
“We’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HZLfSkip next section Brent oil price soars above $95 a barrel07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Brent oil price soars above $95 a barrel
Amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, world oil prices soared on Wednesday. The main contract, Brent North Sea crude, surpassed $95 (€83) per barrel for the first time in nearly six weeks.
Brent oil jumped 4.4% to $95.02 per barrel, while the key US contract, West Texas Intermediate, rallied 4.5% to $88.16.
The US attacked Iran overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday for the eleventh consecutive night. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Houthis threatened to attack oil tankers calling at Saudi ports on the Red Sea.
The Red Sea has become the main alternate route for millions of barrels of Saudi oil per day, as Iran has threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HYdqSkip next section Pakistan condemns Houthis’ threats against Saudi Arabia07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Pakistan condemns Houthis’ threats against Saudi Arabia
Pakistan expressed deep concern over attempts to draw Saudi Arabia into the war in the Middle East and condemned threats by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against the kingdom and shipping in the Red Sea.
“Pakistan is deeply concerned by attempts to drag the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the conflict in the Middle East, and it reiterates its unwavering support for the security, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and prosperity of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said the Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry in a statement.
It also said the country reserves the right to use force to protect its own interests.
The move comes as the Yemen’s Houthis, who control the coast at the mouth of the Red Sea, announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan, a nuclear power, maintains a far-reaching military alliance with Saudi Arabia.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HYnASkip next section Lebanon PM calls for ‘complete Israeli withdrawal’07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Lebanon PM calls for ‘complete Israeli withdrawal’
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Beirut is working toward a “complete Israeli withdrawal” from occupied areas during a visit to a village in the south of the country where the Lebanese army recently deployed.
“We will continue mobilizing our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from the south,” he said in Zawtar al-Gharbiya.
This battered village is one of several “pilot zones” intended to demonstrate the Lebanese army’s ability to remove and disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah as part of a Washington-sponsored deal with Israel.
Salam’s visit to the village comes a day after President Michel Aoun’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, where Aoun said he “stressed the urgent need for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.”
Trump promised to support the Lebanese government’s efforts to establish state control throughout the country.
According to the agreement signed last month, the Lebanese army is supposed to disarm Hezbollah militants in the “pilot zones” where it will operate. This will ban military activity by any non-state groups and should pave the way for future Israeli withdrawals from other areas.
However, the Iran-backed group has repeatedly rejected the agreement and refuses to lay down its weapons.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HYULSkip next section Trump to witness return of US soldiers killed in Middle East07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Trump to witness return of US soldiers killed in Middle East
President Donald Trump on Wednesday will attend a ceremony for four US service members who were killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East. Their bodies will return to American soil in flag-draped caskets.
Trump will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the ceremony, known as a “dignified transfer.”
The three US service members who were killed when an Iranian missile hit their sleeping barracks at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday were First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25; Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, 28; and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19.
Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, died on Sunday in a separate incident in Erbil, Iraq, during a controlled detonation of an attack drone.
Eighteen US service members have been killed since the Iran war began on February 28.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HYNrSkip next section Jordan army says it intercepted four Iranian missiles07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Jordan army says it intercepted four Iranian missiles
The Jordanian army said it intercepted four Iranian missiles, while two others fell in an open area.
“Air defence systems today detected six missiles coming from Iranian territory,” the military said in a statement.
They added that they “intercepted and downed four missiles, while the other two fell in two remote, uninhabited areas without causing any human casualties or material damage.”
Earlier, the Iranian army said it targeted accommodations and equipment storage facilities at the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HYGySkip next section Iran executes one more person over January protests07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Iran executes one more person over January protests
Iran has executed a man on charges linked to protests in January, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency.
Mizan identified the man as Mehdi Khaneki and said he was executed for “operational actions” that benefited Israel, the United States, and hostile groups. The agency also reported that he produced and possessed weapons.
The report did not specify the exact time of the execution. To date, the Iranian judiciary has executed at least 25 men in connection with the protests and subsequent unrest according to the German DPA news agency.
Demonstrations broke out in Iran amid the country’s economic crisis in late December. These demonstrations quickly escalated into mass protests against the authoritarian leadership. However, the Iranian government violently suppressed the protests, killing thousands of demonstrators.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HXTGSkip next section Iran hits US bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Iranian media report07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Iran hits US bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Iranian media report
The Iranian army said it targeted US forces in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to reports from the Iranian state-run media.
The army said it attacked with drones accommodations and equipment storage facilities at the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, as well as equipment warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.
The Iranian army also reportedly launched a large-scale drone strike against US military facilities at Camp Doha in western Kuwait. The attack targeted ammunition storage sites and logistics infrastructure supporting American ground forces.
There has been no confirmation of these attacks by the US yet.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HXKeSkip next section Trump approves nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia — reports07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Trump approves nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia — reports
According to media reports, the United States plans to announce a deal with Saudi Arabia as early as Wednesday, granting the country permission to enrich uranium as part of a civilian nuclear program.
Citing two people familiar with the matter, the Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would involve US firms in developing the program.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Trump administration plans to submit a pact with Saudi Arabia to Congress within days, citing two unnamed sources.
According to Reuters’ sources, the pact would allow the sharing of nuclear power technology, but it would not include the safeguards that the US has long said would prevent materials from being used in nuclear weapons programs.
The Trump administration reportedly said the 30-year deal will provide billions of dollars for the US nuclear industry. Following a joint US-Saudi study, the deal could allow for the construction of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia.
However, some US lawmakers from both parties and Israeli officials have expressed concerns about a civilian nuclear project in Saudi Arabia, fearing it could eventually lead to the development of nuclear weapons.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HX9RSkip next section Rubio says US open to talks, warns against Iranian control of Hormuz07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Rubio says US open to talks, warns against Iranian control of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubiosays Washington remains willing to negotiate with Iran but doubts Tehran is serious about finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
“The problem we’re having right now is that they’re not serious about talks,” Rubio said during a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, in reference to Iran. “If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies.”
His remarks came as the US military launched an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iranand concerns grew over disruptions to global energy supplies.
Rubio warned that Iran must not be allowed to control the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that such a move would have implications far beyond the Middle East.
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don’t pay them blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Rubio said.
Despite the fighting, Rubio said the US remains “open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations and discussions” if Iran honors its commitments.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HX4zSkip next section US completes 11th straight night of strikes on Iran07/22/2026July 22, 2026
US completes 11th straight night of strikes on Iran
US Central Command (CENTCOM), says its latest operation targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime assets, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites and logistics infrastructure.
CENTCOM accused Iran of attacking more than 30 commercial vessels in the strategic waterway over the past three months, saying the attacks endangered civilian crews and disrupted freedom of navigation.
Despite the ongoing conflict, the US military said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial traffic. Since early May, CENTCOM says it has helped facilitate the transit of around 900 commercial vessels carrying approximately 450 million barrels of crude oil through the region.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HX29Skip next section READ: Trump allows direct US flights to Lebanon in historic move07/22/2026July 22, 2026
READ: Trump allows direct US flights to Lebanon in historic move
The US will allow direct flights to Lebanon, President Donald Trump announced.
It comes over 40 years after the US suspended direct flights between the two countries in 1985, during US President Ronald Reagan’s administration, in the wake of the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HX0NSkip next section Explosions reported in Tehran for first time since latest escalation with US07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Explosions reported in Tehran for first time since latest escalation with US
Iran activated air defense systems over Tehran early Wednesday, with explosions heard in the northeastern part of the capital, according to Iranian state media.
State television reported air defense activity in several districts across Tehran, including the western, eastern and northeastern parts of the city, which is home to around 9 million people.
A reporter with German news agency DPA also reported explosions in the Iranian capital.
The reports mark the first explosions in Tehran since the latest escalation in the conflict between Iran and the United States. A 60-day ceasefire between the two sides fell apart on July 8.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HX1rSkip next section US launches 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran07/22/2026July 22, 2026
US launches 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran
The US military says it has begun an 11th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran.
US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said the operation started at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (11 p.m. UTC/GMT) and is aimed at further reducing Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest attacks are part of an ongoing US campaign targeting Iranian military capabilities linked to maritime operations and regional security.
Iranian media reported fresh explosions around Sirik in southern Iran.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HX0cSkip next section Pentagon seeks billions more for Iran war07/22/2026July 22, 2026
Pentagon seeks billions more for Iran war
US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth faced tough questioning from lawmakers on Tuesday as he defended the growing cost of the US military campaign against Iran.
Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth said the conflict has so far cost $37.5 billion (€32.89 billion), a figure significantly higher than earlier estimates. He argued that additional funding is urgently needed, warning that the military faces critical shortfalls without it.
The hearing was repeatedly interrupted by protesters and came days after the Pentagon confirmed that three more US service members had died in the conflict, bringing the American death toll to 17.
Democratic senators challenged both the cost and direction of the war. Senator Patty Murray warned of “another forever war,” while other lawmakers questioned why the Pentagon was seeking more funding when some previously approved military spending has yet to be used.
The debate comes as Republicans push a $95 billion budget package that includes tens of billions for the military and national security, as well as funding for agriculture and election-related measures.
Meanwhile, opinion polls suggest many Americans remain critical of US President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict as fighting with Iran continues.
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