For the first time in two weeks, the US did not strike Iran last night. A van drove into a crowd at Berlin's Pride festival, killing one. And oil crossed $100 a barrel after the Houthis opened their Red Sea front. Here is where things stand this Saturday, July 26.
The US Paused Its Iran Strikes. Both Sides Stopped for the First Time Since July 12.
On Friday night, the US military did not carry out strikes on Iran, ending a streak of 13 consecutive nights of attacks that had begun when the naval blockade was reinstated on July 14. A Department of Defense source told CNN that operations are "on a hold." According to Axios, Trump personally directed the military not to conduct new strikes on Friday after meeting with top national security aides, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Caine, who raised concerns about the US munitions stockpile and the risks of further escalation.
Iran responded in kind. Iranian army spokesman Amir Akraminia confirmed Sunday that Iran had also halted its retaliatory operations. "Americans stopped their attacks over the past two nights. Since our strategy has been entirely retaliatory, we also stopped our retaliatory operations," he said. He added that US officials "appeared divided and lacked a clear strategy," citing contradictions between Trump's public statements and CENTCOM's operational posture.
According to AP, a regional official involved in mediation efforts said that both the US and Iran want to return to the June 17 interim ceasefire deal, and that a compromise being negotiated centres on having Iran manage vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions. The official said the pause in strikes was "a positive signal that helps their efforts to de-escalate." Trump told reporters on Friday he was "not in a hurry" to end the campaign. The pause also comes as rising fuel prices are becoming an increasing political issue ahead of November's midterm elections, in which voters angry about gas costs could affect Republican congressional control. Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington next week, adding another variable to an already unsettled diplomatic picture.
The Houthis Struck Two Saudi Tankers. Oil Hit $100. A Second Chokepoint Is Now Active.
On Wednesday, July 23, Houthi forces struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Encelia and the Layla, under a declared "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia. The Encelia caught fire, though all crew were confirmed safe. Brent crude surged past $100 a barrel on Thursday morning, rising more than 6 percent to $101.10, according to The National. That is up about 40 percent since the re-escalation with Iran began in early July.
The significance is in the geography. The Red Sea route through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait was the workaround Saudi Arabia had been using to keep its oil flowing after Hormuz became largely unusable. With Iranian-backed forces now targeting Saudi tankers in both waterways simultaneously, the two main routes carrying Gulf crude to world markets are under threat at the same time. Goldman Sachs said Brent could rally above $120 a barrel by the fourth quarter if disruptions persist. Five Saudi tankers reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after the embargo was announced, according to The National. A Houthi spokesman said Friday that the group was not blocking all traffic through Bab el-Mandeb, only Saudi-linked vessels -- a distinction that analysts say will take days of observed behaviour to test.
Police Hunt Suspect After Berlin Pride Van Attack. One Dead, Sixteen Injured.
Shortly before 10 PM on Saturday, a white van drove at high speed into a crowd in Tiergarten park in central Berlin, near where hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for the city's Christopher Street Day Pride festival. One woman was killed and sixteen others were injured, several critically. The driver fled on foot after the van collided with a tree. Police also received reports of stabbings near the scene. The Christopher Street Day event, which had drawn around 80 floats through downtown Berlin earlier in the day, was cancelled.
By Sunday morning, Berlin police had issued a public wanted notice for the suspect, named as Abdul B., 21, described as known to police "as a member of Islamic circles" in Berlin. Authorities said the investigation into motive was ongoing and that he may be armed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the incident as a "heinous act" and an attack on German society, according to the Associated Press. Police confirmed at least two other individuals had been detained in connection with the incident.
Germany has experienced several vehicle-ramming incidents at public events in recent years, including a 2022 attack on Kurfurstendamm and the 2016 Christmas market attack in Berlin. Each prompted debate about security at large public gatherings. Authorities have not indicated whether this attack involved any broader network. The investigation is ongoing.
Rubio Met Lavrov in Manila. Thirty Minutes. No Breakthrough.
On the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks for roughly 30 minutes. It was their fourth meeting since 2025. The State Department said afterward only that the two officials "discussed the U.S.-Russia relationship and the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war." Russia's readout was slightly more detailed: Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's readiness for a "political and diplomatic settlement" based on the framework discussed by Trump and Putin at their August 2025 Alaska summit, and told Rubio that Russia opposes further arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Rubio told reporters that Trump remained committed to ending the war "if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible." That qualifier is worth noting. It does not signal imminent progress. The meeting came as Ukraine completed its military leadership reshuffle following the dismissal of General Syrskyi, and as the front line in eastern Ukraine remained largely static. Three of the four Rubio-Lavrov meetings have produced no publicly disclosed change in either side's stated positions. The channel is open. That is all that can be said for it right now.
Venezuela Withdrew From the International Criminal Court. The Timing Is Significant.
On Friday, July 25, Venezuela formally notified the United Nations of its "firm and irrevocable decision" to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia announced the move on X, saying Venezuela considers the ICC's work to reflect a "demonstrated geographical bias" that has disproportionately concentrated on African and Latin American countries. The ICC said it had not yet received formal notification as of Friday evening, and noted that under the Rome Statute, withdrawal takes one year to take effect -- meaning Venezuela remains bound by obligations that arose before the notice.
The announcement came on the same day ICC member states voted to dismiss the court's top prosecutor, Karim Khan, over allegations of sexual assault, which Khan denies. Khan was the official who in 2024 secured arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. The two events arriving on the same Friday is coincidental in timing but not in political context: the US has imposed sanctions on the ICC and its judges since Trump returned to office in 2025, and Venezuela under interim leader Delcy Rodriguez has aligned itself closely with Washington since the US-backed removal of Nicolas Maduro in January.
The practical consequence of Venezuela's withdrawal is not immediate. ICC investigations into alleged crimes against humanity committed under Maduro's government, which opened officially in 2021, can continue for acts committed while Venezuela was still a member. But the move widens a trend worth tracking: Hungary formally exited the ICC in June 2026, the Philippines withdrew in 2019, and Burundi in 2017. Each departure has cited political bias. The court's reach depends entirely on state cooperation, and each withdrawal narrows the pool of countries that provide it.
Taken together, the past 48 hours have been unusually compressed: a military pause that could be a genuine off-ramp or simply a tactical hold, a second energy chokepoint under strain, a van attack at one of Europe's most-attended public events, and a significant step in the quiet erosion of international legal institutions. Several of these threads will look different by this time next week.
If you like our Fast Read series, Read More from the same series:
Fast Read: Five Stories Shaping the World This Week
Fast Read: Iran Deal Signed, G7 Ends Without Breakthrough, Colombia Votes in Four Days
Fast Read: Four Signals Reshaping Global Politics
Santhosh Vishwamitra
Web Developer and Founder of Vishwamitra Chronicles, launched in February 2026.
Comments
Post a Comment