U.S. strikes dozens of Iranian military sites.
Today's events
Strikes inside Iran.
U.S. Central Command struck dozens of Revolutionary Guard sites in Iran — command centers, missile and drone plants, coastal defenses — after Iran's July 28 ballistic-missile salvo on U.S. bases was intercepted.1Jul 29 · CENTCOMStrait of Hormuz sanctions.
State designated two Revolutionary Guard-backed Iranian firms charging ships for “insurance” against seizures Iran threatens, plus eight carriers hauling Iranian crude to China and the Emirates. They back the Navy's blockade of Iranian ports, under Executive Order 13902.2Jul 29 · StateRates on hold.
The Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.50 to 3.75 percent on a 9–3 vote, tying still-elevated inflation partly to energy supply shocks; Beth Hammack, Neel Kashkari and Lorie Logan wanted a quarter-point increase.3Jul 29 · FedSubmarine contracts.
The Department of War awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding $76.6 billion to build five Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines and nine Virginia-class attack boats. Seven Columbia-class boats are now under contract.4Jul 30 · NavyVaccine alliance funding.
Secretaries Marco Rubio and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. released all $600 million appropriated to Gavi, the vaccine alliance, after it agreed to phase out mercury-containing vaccines, end routine COVID-19 procurement and downsize its Geneva staff.5Jul 29 · StateDrone import ban.
The Federal Communications Commission sought comment on prohibiting further importation and sale of foreign-made drones, drone components and video-surveillance equipment added to its national-security covered list in December 2025; comments close August 31.6Jul 30 · FCCRushdie attack verdict.
A federal jury in western New York convicted Hadi Matar of terrorism offenses and material support to Hizballah for the 2022 attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie; he faces life at a November 3 sentencing.7Jul 29 · DOJFirewall flaw exploited.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added a hard-coded-password flaw in Cisco's Secure Firewall Management Center (CVE-2026-20316) to its catalog of vulnerabilities under active exploitation. Federal civilian agencies must remediate under Binding Operational Directive 26-04.8Jul 29 · CISASteel and graphite duties.
Commerce set final anti-subsidy and dumping duties on Vietnamese steel rebar and preliminary countervailing duties on large-diameter graphite electrodes from China and India, and closed a review of Chinese refrigerant blends.9Jul 30 · Commerce
Allied Governments
British submarine investment.
The United Kingdom committed £8.4 billion to the fourth phase of its Dreadnought ballistic-missile submarine programme at Barrow-in-Furness, part of a nuclear enterprise supporting 47,000 jobs and 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035.aJul 30 · UK No.10Drones over Romania.
Britain told European security envoys in Vienna that Romanian jets downed drones on three consecutive days — one verified as a Russian Shahed type — and that a Russian strike damaged Latvia's consulate in Sloviansk.bJul 29 · UK FCDONicaragua drops elections.
Australia called President Ortega's announcement that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections an escalation of the dismantling of the country's democratic institutions, and urged restored democratic guarantees.cJul 29 · Australia DFAT
Voices
“More than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently deployed to the Middle East and remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”
U.S. Central Command · Jul 291
“These entities manufacture risk — including the threat of vessel seizures — and then charge commercial vessels for coverage against dangers created by the regime itself.”
Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, State Dept. · Jul 292
“Inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee's 2 percent goal, in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy.”
Federal Open Market Committee statement · Jul 293
“His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism.”
AAG John A. Eisenberg, DOJ National Security · Jul 297
“This historic investment underscores the Department's continued commitment to undersea superiority and the recapitalization of our nuclear triad.”
Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, Director, Submarine Programs · Jul 304
“This type of vulnerability is a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and poses significant risks to the federal enterprise.”
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities alert · Jul 298
Sources
- U.S. Central Command, “U.S. Strikes IRGC Targets After Attempted Iranian Attacks,” July 29, 2026. centcom.mil/…/us-strikes-irgc-targets
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Countering Iran's Exploitation of the Strait of Hormuz,” July 29, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/countering-irans-exploitation-hormuz
- Federal Reserve, “Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement,” July 29, 2026. federalreserve.gov/…/monetary20260729a
- U.S. Dept. of the Navy, “Department of War Awards Historic Shipbuilding Contract to Cement Undersea Dominance,” July 30, 2026. navy.mil/Press-Office/…/historic-shipbuilding-contract
- U.S. Dept. of State & HHS, “Strengthening Vaccine Safety, Accountability, and American Leadership in Global Health,” July 29, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/strengthening-vaccine-safety
- Federal Register (Federal Communications Commission), “Seeking Comment on Prohibiting the Importation and Marketing of Certain Covered UAS and UAS Critical Components,” July 30, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/covered-uas-import-prohibition
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Federal Jury Convicts New Jersey Man of Terrorism Offenses Relating to His Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie,” July 29, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/rushdie-terrorism-verdict
- CISA, “CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog” (CVE-2026-20316, Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center), July 29, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/…/kev-cve-2026-20316
- Federal Register (Dept. of Commerce), “Large Diameter Graphite Electrodes From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination,” July 30, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/graphite-electrodes-china-cvd
- UK Prime Minister's Office (No.10), “Burnham drives defence to deliver security and growth in every postcode with £8.4bn nuclear submarine investment supporting 22,000 apprenticeships,” July 30, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/…/dreadnought-84bn-investment
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, “Time is not on Russia's side: UK statement to the OSCE,” July 29, 2026. gov.uk/government/speeches/…/uk-statement-to-the-osce
- Australia Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade, “Statement on announcement that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections,” July 29, 2026. dfat.gov.au/news/media-release/…/nicaragua-elections