https://p.dw.com/p/5HrF9
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
This blog has now closed. Read below for the latest developments concerning theIran warand the wider Middle East on Tuesday, July 28:
- Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington
- Israeli PM meets President Trump for the first time since the start of the Iran war
- Netanyahu hails ‘excellent’ meeting with Trump
- Trump also meets with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Iran executes two men in relation to January protests
- US sets date for next Israel-Lebanon talks
For the latest updates on the war on Wednesday, Jul 29, 2026, you can read our blog here.
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Skip next section US intercepts Iranian missile attack in Middle EastJuly 29, 2026
US intercepts Iranian missile attack in Middle East
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it stopped an Iranian missile attack on Tuesday afternoon.
“Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East,” CENTCOM said on X.
“All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. US forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.”
CENTCOM did not specify where the missiles were fired.
American troops stationed on bases in the Gulf states as well as Jordan have been targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks this year.
The latest attack marks an end to a lull in fighting that has stretched for days.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Huy3
Skip next section Tehran rejects Oman TSS proposal for Hormuz transitJuly 29, 2026
Tehran rejects Oman TSS proposal for Hormuz transit
Iran on Tuesday rejected an Omani proposal for the equal division of transport routes through the Strait of Hormuz, saying instead that all traffic in both directions must transit through Iranian waters as a matter of national security.
Speaking on Iranian state television, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the waterway would remain closed if Muscat refused to acquiesce, adding that Tehran had never recognized a southern route along the Omani coast as an alternative shipping lane.
The so-called Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) — which passes through Omani waters and is recognized by the International Maritime Organization — is currently unnavigable due to the presence of mines.
“This is for national security and not bullying, because when the TSS was for 60 years in Omani waters, we didn’t say anything,” noted the deputy foreign minister, adding that Tehran would not allow third parties, even those invited by Muscat, to remove mines from the waterway.
The Reuters news agency cited an unnamed Western diplomat as saying Oman meanwhile presented Tehran with a Gulf-backed plan for managing the strategic waterway which involves collecting voluntary fees for passage.
However, a US official reiterated Washington’s rejection of any tolls or fees for passage.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Huxk
Skip next section Houthis claim they fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Red Sea tankerJuly 28, 2026
Houthis claim they fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Red Sea tanker
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday claimed to have forced a Saudi-flagged oil tanker identified as the NCC Ghazal to turn around in the Red Sea as part of a naval blockade declared by the Iran-backed group.
“The targeting of the Saudi vessel [with ballistic missiles] came after it ignored warnings,” a Houthi spokesman said.
Saudi Arabia, which claimed to have shot down drones in another incident targeting oil facilities, did not comment on the Houthi statement.
The pro-Iran Houthis declared last week a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, threatening to further choke the kingdom amid an existing Iranian blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HuxN
Skip next section Netanyahu, Trump cite ‘positive and productive’ closed-door meetingJuly 28, 2026
Netanyahu, Trump cite ‘positive and productive’ closed-door meeting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump and their teams praised cooperation between their two administrations after a closed-door meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
The sit down, the first since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, looked likely to go either way before Netanyahu arrived for Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral, with Trump boisterously complaining about the Israeli leader in public, most notably on Fox News.
Tuesday’s talks, which lasted for 90 minutes, were described as “positive and productive” by the White House.
In a social media video posted after the meeting, Netanyahu called it “one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with the president of the United States,” adding that it touched on “our common goal: ensuring that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.”
Tuesday’s meeting comes ahead of elections in Israel. The Reuters news agency cited unnamedeelection campaign ahead of the October 27 vote
https://p.dw.com/p/5Huwh
Skip next section EU rejects Iran ‘aggression’ against French diplomatsJuly 28, 2026
EU rejects Iran ‘aggression’ against French diplomats
The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement that the bloc condemned an “aggression” this month by Iranian security services against two French diplomats in Tehran.
“The EU unequivocally condemns the aggression against two diplomats of the Embassy of France in Tehran perpetrated by Iranian security forces on July 19,” Kallas said.
“Such acts constitute a blatant violation of the Vienna Conventions and jeopardize the very conduct of diplomatic relations,” she added. Kallas was referring to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
France said its diplomats were detained in Iran for no particular reason and had suffered “an extremely serious act of intimidation” by Iranian security services, with one of them physically abused.
For its part, Iran’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the French ambassador on Monday to protest the conduct of the diplomats.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Hua3
Skip next section IN DEPTH: Who is still transiting the Strait of Hormuz?July 28, 2026
IN DEPTH: Who is still transiting the Strait of Hormuz?
The Strait of Hormuz has become one of the world’s most dangerous waterways since March, when Iran began attacking shipping vessels as a pressure tactic in its ceasefire talks with the United States.
A significant proportion of the global oil trade has ended up bottlenecked at the strait — but shipping traffic has never completely halted.
Who is still risking the dangerous passage through the Strait of Hormuz — and why?
Read DW’s in-depth analysis to find out more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Hsju
Skip next section Iran discusses Strait of Hormuz with Oman, Saudi ArabiaJuly 28, 2026
Iran discusses Strait of Hormuz with Oman, Saudi Arabia
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the status of the Strait of Hormuz in separate phone calls with his Omani and Saudi Arabian counterparts on Tuesday.
A statement from the Iranian foreign ministry said Araghchi “emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region, and lift the insecurity imposed on the Strait of Hormuz due to the aggressive actions of the United States.”
An unnamed Gulfr al-Busaidi had presented a proposal to Araghchi for a joint regional mechanism to manage the key waterway
The proposal is reportedly based on the model used to regulate the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, which uses a system of voluntary fees to fund navigation, environmental protection and search and rescue.
The proposal would ensure that Iran would not exercise sole control of the Strait of Hormuz and would therefore be potentially more palatable to the United States and other regional powers.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Hrit
Skip next section Iran executes two men in relation to January protestsJuly 28, 2026
Iran executes two men in relation to January protests
The Iranian judiciary announced on Tuesday that two men convicted of acts of violence during anti-government protests in January had been hanged.
“The death sentences of Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir-Hossein Safari were carried out this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online portal said.
It said the pair had been found guilty of “attacking police officers with machetes and knives, tying them to road signs, pulling them on the ground, dousing them with gasoline, and setting them on fire.”
Other charges included “moharebeh [waging war against God] by drawing weapons and creating fear and terror” and “corruption on earth for committing acts that severely disrupted public order and security in the country.”
The Mehr news agency reported that the executions took place in “a square in the city of Malekshahr” in the central Isfahan province, in the presence of members of the public.
Two other men were hanged on similar charges in Isfahan province on July 19.
In December 2025, a protest movement initially sparked by the high cost of living in Iran rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.
Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” which they claimed were orchestrated by the United States and Israel, while rights groups based abroad maintain that security forces fired on protesters.
According to Amnesty International, Iran conducts the second most judicial executions of any country, after China.
Wartime executions surge in Iran
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrQ4
Skip next section Zelenskyy to meet Trump as Ukraine, Iran conflicts overlapJuly 28, 2026
Zelenskyy to meet Trump as Ukraine, Iran conflicts overlap
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, emphasizing the increasing overlaps between the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US war against Iran.
The meeting comes after Ukraine reportedly carried out long-range strikes against Iranian-linked vessels in the Caspian Sea over the weekend, which Zelenskyy claimed had been carrying military cargo linked to Iran.
Tehran confirmed that one of its ships had exploded in the attack, killing a sailor and injuring several others, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei warning that Ukraine’s actions amounted to a “dangerous act of adventurism.”
The common denominator in both conflicts is Russia, which is separated from northern Iran by only a short sea route bypassing Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea, or by a 250-kilometer (155-mile) strip of Azeri territory over land
Earlier this month, Zelenskyy claimed that Moscow has been providing Tehran with satellite imagery of US bases in the Gulf region.
President Trump has played down the impact of any potential Russian assistance for Iran, telling reporters on Air Force One on Monday: “I don’t think they’ve been doing it, certainly not at a high level. And if they have, it has been very un-impactful.”
Other overlapping issues linking the wars in Ukraine and Iran include the stretching of US munitions stockpiles available for each theater and the cutting-edge Ukrainian experience in drone warfare, which Kyiv has been sharing with the US.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrOG
Skip next section US support for Iran war in decline — surveyJuly 28, 2026
US support for Iran war in decline — survey
Popular support for the United States’ war with Iran has fallen to its lowest since the start of the conflict five months ago, according to a new survey conducted by the Reuters news agency and the Ipsos polling institute.
According to the poll, carried out over the weekend and published on Monday, only one third of US citizens remain supportive of their country’s military operations.
Meanwhile, 69% are of the opinion that US President Donald Trump has failed to adequately explain the goals of the intervention.
A government spokeswoman told Reuters that the White House doesn’t attach any meaning to the poll and that President Trump doesn’t make decisions based on fluctuating survey results.
She insisted that the most important objective in the war against Iran remains the degradation of Tehran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon.
18 US service personnel have been killed during operations so far, in addition to thousands of people in Iran and Lebanon, despite Trump promising during his 2024 election campaign to keep the United States out of foreign wars.
The survey put general public support for Trump at 37%.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrKx
Skip next section Israel intercepts drone near Jordanian borderJuly 28, 2026
Israel intercepts drone near Jordanian border
The Israeli air force said on Tuesday morning that it had intercepted a drone close to the border with Jordan — although it provided no information regarding the potential provenance of the weapon.
According to the air force, the drone did not enter Israeli airspace.
The operation came following the interception of two further drones near the Jordanian border on Monday, the provenance of which also remains unclear.
In addition to Israeland the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan also shares borders with Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, giving it a geographically important position amid several regional conflicts. The United States also maintains a military presence on Jordanian air force bases.
Although Israel took joint part in the initial offensive against Iran back in February, it has not participated in the most recent round of strikes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrIx
Skip next section US confirms next round of Israel-Lebanon talksJuly 28, 2026
US confirms next round of Israel-Lebanon talks
The US State Department confirmed on Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon would begin in Rome next week on August 4.
“In Rome, technical groups will focus on advancing the full implementation of the framework agreement,” a State Department official told the French AFP news agency.
The Israel-Lebanon framework deal calls for an end to hostilities, the disarmament of militant group Hezbollah, the deployment of Lebanese military troops in the south of the country, and for Israeli forces to gradually withdraw from Lebanon in two so-called “pilot zones.”
The official said the agenda would include “resolving all outstanding border issues,” among other things.
“The experience of the initial zones will help us perfect pilot-zone implementation so it can expand in a phased manner,” the official added.
Despite the framework agreement, Lebanon has reported intermittent Israeli strikes and artillery shelling on the south of the country in recent days.
Could US-backed Israel-Lebanon deal lead to civil war?
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrFc
Skip next section Netanyahu lands in Washington to meet with TrumpJuly 28, 2026
Netanyahu lands in Washington to meet with Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Tuesday to meet with US President Donald Trump .
It will be Netanyahu’s first visit to the White House since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, triggering the ongoing war.
“This is a great privilege, but it is also a great responsibility,” Netanyahu said before departing Israel on Monday.
“We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost Iran. Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us,” he added.
The trip comes as Trump increasingly expresses frustration toward Netanyahu over hostilities in the Middle East, referring to him in one interview as a “difficult guy.”
Trump vs. Netanyahu: Is the US betraying Israel for a deal with Iran?
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrFO
Skip next section Welcome to our coverageJuly 28, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Welcome to our coverage of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to discuss the conflict today with US President Donald Trump in Washington. The two leaders have publicly disagreed throughout the course of the war, with Trump in recent weeks expressing frustration with Netanyahu’s actions in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, arrangements are being made for the next round of direct Israeli-Lebanese talks early next month
Follow our blog for the latest updates.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HrFA
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