US Pauses Wider Iran Strikes as Crimea Power Crisis Deepens

In the 24 hours ending 26 July 07:30 UTC, the United States paused plans to expand strikes on Iran.

Donald Trump, the US president, delayed larger attacks after military leaders warned about shrinking air defence missile stocks. US forces then passed a second straight night without striking Iran. Diplomacy and economic pressure remained possible.

US forces kept the blockade of Iran in place. They have redirected 12 commercial ships, disabled two, and boarded two others.

Ukrainian drones hit another major power station and substation in Russian-occupied Crimea. Earlier strikes also hit 19 energy sites across the peninsula.

Large parts of Crimea now receive only a few hours of power every several days. Alupka has lacked power for four days. Repeated outages also forced Feodosia to reduce water pumping pressure.

President Zelenskyy of Ukraine said Russia gave Iran satellite images of Gulf states and US military sites. He said the images helped Iran direct strikes.

A car drove into a crowd at a Berlin Pride event, killing one person. Sixteen others were injured, including some with life-threatening injuries. Police began a search for the driver.