LiveLive Updates July 23, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeJuly 23, 2026Houthis claim attacks on Saudi tankers in Red Sea, raising risk of new chokepoint in Iran warThe Iranian-aligned Houthis on Thursday claimed military strikes on two Saudi oil tankers as part of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, advancing toward a second chokehold on world oil supplies at the Red Sea in coordination with Iran's attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz.The Yemen-based militants, who control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the opposite end of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in what some analysts have viewed as a tactical move by Iran to seek leverage.Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, and three tankers loaded with Saudi oil for China and India made U-turns on Tuesday.Then the Houthis said their forces carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, identifying them as the Encelia and the Layla.A maritime security source said Encelia had transmitted a distress call, reporting it had been struck by a missile near the Saudi port of Jizan in the Red Sea late on Wednesday. British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the Saudi-flagged tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Saudi Arabia's Al Shuqaiq. The attack on the Layla remained unconfirmed.U.S. forces launch 12th night of strikes against Iran, CENTCOM saysThe U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched a new round of strikes on Iran at President Donald Trump's direction, marking the 12th successive night of American attacks."The mission will continue to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.U.S. says it reached 'historic' nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi ArabiaThe U.S. and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement on civil nuclear power, the U.S. Energy Department said on Wednesday, a deal that allows the kingdom to build nuclear reactors using American technology and to enrich uranium.The deal would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and reprocess nuclear waste, both of which are potential pathways to making a nuclear weapon. The UAE agreed to forgo both of those when it signed a similar deal with the U.S. in 2009.U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and his counterpart Price Abdulaziz bin Salman signed the pact, known as a 123 Agreement, alongside a bilateral safeguards agreement, the U.S. Energy Department said in a release.See full story.RECAP: Trump says U.S. striking Iran over nuclear program, 'We don't need Hormuz'Here are Thursday's latest updates from the U.S.-Iran war and Israel's strikes in Gaza, Lebanon and the Middle East:■ U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is striking Iranian assets along the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, adding that Iran "will be ready very soon" to negotiate.■ The U.K. announced that it has "temporarily" evacuated its embassy staff from Iran "due to the security situation."■ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will respond to any aggression, vowing to attack aggressors' allies.■ Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that no one will sell oil "if our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe."■ Israeli strikes killed 11 people in Gaza in the past 24 hours, and another person died of wounds sustained in a previous strike, the Gaza Health Ministry reported, saying 12 others were wounded and others remain trapped under rubble.In the NewsU.S. Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran; Houthis Attack Saudi Tankers in Red SeaJudge Justifies Jewish Terror. Israel Must Act on West Bank Settler ViolenceHow Israel's 'Meaningful' Military Service Creates Lost Generation in West BankIf I Could Have Netanyahu on a Podcast, I'd Ask Him How He Sleeps at NightIran Strikes on CIA Facilities Prompt Questions About Possible Russian RoleRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Most Optimistic Israeli in Jerusalem Is Leaving the CountryAs Ground Invasion Looms, U.S. and Iran Want Wild-card Israel Out of the FightBetween Messi and Milei: How Argentina Became Israel's Team at the World CupThe Original Ozempic Society of Ancient RomeDemocrats Rejected U.S. Aid to Israel, and AIPAC Couldn't Stop Them'Choose Hope': Natalie Portman Backs Arab-Jewish Party Ahead of Israeli Election