Conflict & Security
Israel Says US Warplanes Used Its Bases to Strike Iran
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said American warplanes used Israeli bases during attacks on Iran, while warning that Israel was ready to retaliate if it came under fire.
Katz told Israel's Channel 14 on Tuesday that Iranian forces were firing at targets in the region but not at Israel. "They know that American aircraft are taking off from here to carry out strikes," he said.
He added that Israel did not know what would happen next, but had made its response clear. "If Israel comes under fire, we will strike back with full force," Katz said.
The latest fighting between the United States and Iran has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of US strikes. US President Donald Trump said on Monday there was a "good chance" diplomacy with Iran could produce a deal, but warned that Washington would resume military action if the effort failed.
Iran and the United States have held their fire for three consecutive days. Tehran denied that direct negotiations with Washington were taking place. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said mediators could relay messages from the United States, but said Iran was not currently engaged in negotiations with Washington.
Trump insisted that Iran was talking to the United States about a deal and said that if diplomacy failed, "we go back to doing what we were doing" before the pause.
The lull between Washington and Tehran did not end wider regional tension. Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said it intercepted several drones fired by Iran-linked groups in Iraq towards oil facilities. No group claimed responsibility, and Riyadh called on Baghdad to prevent such attacks from being launched from Iraqi territory.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels separately said they launched drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure in response to incursions by Saudi drones. Saudi Arabia had not commented on the Houthi claim.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major obstacle to any agreement. Iran says it must manage the key oil and gas route, and its Revolutionary Guards have been stopping vessels attempting to pass through the waterwayin recent days. Iran said it had held talks with Oman on principles and mechanisms for safe passage, while its foreign ministry said the United States was not involved in those discussions.
Update
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said American warplanes used Israeli bases during attacks on Iran.
Katz said Iran was firing at targets in the region but not at Israel.
Katz said Israel would strike back with full force if it came under fire.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 July 2026 at 11:28:19 UTC.
Update
Trump said in Michigan that Iran was talking to the United States about making a deal, while Iran continued to deny negotiations were under way.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called for an investigation into Saudi Arabia's allegations about drone attacks launched from Iraq.
Pakistan condemned the reported drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying they threatened regional peace and stability.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 21:15:26 UTC.
Update
Global stock markets rallied and Brent crude fell six percent to around $86 a barrel after the pause in US-Iran strikes.
Iran said it had recently discussed safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman and said the United States was not involved in those talks.
Iranian state television said six vessels had sailed outside Iran's designated route in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticised US conduct, saying it resembled that of a mafia gang.
The Israeli military said it intercepted two drones near the Jordanian border and was investigating where they were launched from.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 18:15:17 UTC.
Update
Trump warned that Washington would resume military strikes if negotiations with Iran failed.
Trump said Iranian leaders had requested a meeting and claimed they wanted one because the United States had been hitting Iran hard.
Trump dismissed concerns that five months of war had depleted US ammunition stocks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 17:53:43 UTC.
Update
Trump said on Air Force One that he had “a lot of patience” for negotiations with Iran.
Trump said he thought there was “a good chance that something could happen” in the talks.
The source said the two sides held their fire for a third consecutive day.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 17:19:55 UTC.
Update
Iran's army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Iran had halted its retaliatory operations.
AFP reported that Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights passed without US bombing after 13 consecutive nights of US strikes on Iran before Friday.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump was giving negotiations room and denied that the US military lacked needed munitions.
The New York Times reported that plans to escalate the US campaign had been shelved in part because of shrinking munitions supplies, citing two people briefed on the matter.
Benjamin Netanyahu was due at the White House on Tuesday and said Iran's nuclear programme had to end with or without a deal.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they downed a Saudi drone over northwestern Yemen and claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco sites after Saudi strikes on Houthi targets.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 04:15:59 UTC.
Update
Brent shed more than seven percent at one point and briefly dropped back below $90 a barrel.
Around 0230 GMT, West Texas Intermediate was down 4.3 percent at $85.45 a barrel and Brent was down 3.9 percent at $92.97 a barrel.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said talks with Oman focused on principles and mechanisms for safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting sovereign rights.
The source cited a report saying Pakistan was looking at resuming US-Iran peace talks after a push initiated by China.
Most equity markets rose as the oil move eased inflation and rate-hike worries, while some Asian technology shares remained under pressure.
China's CXMT jumped 470 percent on its Shanghai market debut after raising $9.8 billion in an IPO, according to Bloomberg News.
Source note: AFP news report published on 27 July 2026 at 03:12:45 UTC.
Update
Oil prices fell in early Asian trading on Monday, with Brent down 5.89 percent to $91.08 and West Texas Intermediate down 5.73 percent to $84.19 about half an hour into trading.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump was giving negotiations with Iran room while US forces remained ready.
Waltz denied reports that US military plans were constrained by shrinking supplies of Patriot interceptors or other defensive weapons.
Benjamin Netanyahu is due at the White House on Tuesday and said he backed Trump's efforts to shut down Iran's nuclear programme, with or without a deal.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they downed a Saudi drone over northwestern Yemen, after saying they attacked Saudi Aramco sites in Jizan and Yanbu.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 23:25:25 UTC.
Update
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump was giving negotiations with Iran some room while US forces remained ready.
Waltz denied reports that the US military was constrained by munitions supplies.
Benjamin Netanyahu is due at the White House on Tuesday and said he backed Trump's efforts to end Iran's nuclear programme, with or without a deal.
The New York Times reported that plans to escalate the US campaign had been shelved in part because of shrinking munitions supplies.
Unconfirmed Iranian media reports said an oil tanker had been damaged by a sea mine.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they downed a Saudi drone over northwestern Yemen after claiming attacks on Saudi Aramco sites.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 16:47:17 UTC.
Update
Iran said it halted retaliatory attacks because the United States had stopped its attacks for the previous two nights.
The New York Times reported that plans to escalate had been shelved in part because of shrinking supplies, including Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.
Axios reported that Trump declined to authorise a 14th night of strikes and instead favoured a push for talks.
CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance and top US general Dan Caine raised escalation concerns at a White House meeting.
Iran warned that the war would widen further if the United States restarted its attacks.
Iran-backed Houthis said they downed a Saudi drone over northwest Yemen and had attacked Saudi oil facilities a day earlier.
The Greek air force media office said a Greek-operated surface-to-air battery in Saudi Arabia downed two ballistic missiles and a drone over Yanbu.
Iranian state television said Iran's armed forces stopped six vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz over 24 hours after warnings.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 10:53:54 UTC.
Update
CNN reported that US operations against Iran were on hold, citing an unidentified Pentagon source.
The New York Times reported that plans to escalate had been shelved in part because of shrinking supplies of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.
CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance and General Dan Caine raised concerns about escalation at a White House meeting.
Axios reported that Trump declined to authorise a proposed 14th night of strikes in favour of a push for talks.
Iran's army warned that the war would expand geographically if the United States continued airstrikes.
Yemen's Houthi rebels said they struck Saudi Aramco sites in Jizan and Yanbu, while the Greek air force media office said a Greek-operated battery in Saudi Arabia downed two ballistic missiles and a drone over Yanbu.
Iranian state television said Iran's armed forces stopped six vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the previous 24 hours.
Iran said it had made progress in talks with Oman on principles and mechanisms for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Source note: AFP news report published on 26 July 2026 at 08:36:38 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Katz’s statement that US aircraft used Israeli bases is attributed to him and is not independently verified in the supplied material.
Tehran denied direct negotiations with Washington, while Trump said Iran was talking to the United States about a deal.
No group claimed responsibility for the drone attacks that Saudi Arabia said it intercepted.
Source
AFP news report published on .