Iran — Trump Calls Renewed Talks Tehran’s “Last Chance”; Hormuz Deal With Oman Nears#

President Trump said this weekend he called off what he described as “the biggest attack since WWII” on Iran, in part after Gulf states including Saudi Arabia asked him to hold back, and said new negotiations would begin Monday, August 3. Iran’s foreign ministry initially denied any talks were resuming, prompting Trump to call Tehran’s leadership “unbelievably duplicitous.” By Monday the picture had shifted: Trump repeated that the talks are Iran’s “last chance” to reach a deal “before decapitation,” while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Iran “defends its borders but does not seek an expansion of war.”

Separately from the US track, Iran’s foreign ministry said talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz are in their “final stages.” Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran and Muscat are close to a deal on a new maritime route through the strait, distinct from existing shipping corridors — not a reopening of the strait to its pre-war status, which Iran says will never return. Oil prices fell as the news broke, with Brent crude dropping about 4.6% to just over $83 a barrel.

Sources: Bloomberg — Trump Says Iran Talks to Begin Monday After Scrapping Attack · CNN — Trump calls Iranian leadership ‘unbelievably duplicitous’ after Tehran denies talks resumed · Washington Post — Iran rejects Trump’s claim that talks will restart · Al Jazeera — Iran says negotiations with Oman over Strait of Hormuz in final stages · Al Jazeera — Iran war live updates, August 3

Ukraine — Moscow-Region Drone Strike Kills 5; Russia Guards Black Sea Ships After Ukraine Sinks Cargo Vessel#

A Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Moscow region killed five people and injured ten others early Tuesday, regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said, with the worst damage in the Chekhov district’s Novoselki industrial zone. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed more than 320 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Moscow and Leningrad regions; drone debris also damaged Wildberries logistics warehouses in the Leningrad and Tver regions, part of a recent Ukrainian campaign against the retailer’s storage network, which Kyiv says is used to move Russian military equipment.

Russian strikes on Ukraine killed civilians the same night: an 89-year-old woman in Mykolaiv, and two children and an elderly woman in Sumy, killed by Russian guided aerial bombs. The exchange follows Ukraine’s sinking of the Russian-owned container ship Yanina near Novorossiysk on August 1 — struck by at least two drones while carrying civilian cargo including frozen food and construction materials. Russia’s Transportation Ministry said Monday it is stepping up protection for ships in the Azov–Black Sea basin and developing alternative cargo routes after the sharp escalation in maritime attacks by both sides.

Sources: Bloomberg — Five Die in Ukraine Drone Strike in Moscow Region, Governor Says · TASS — Drone attack on Moscow Region kills five, leaves six people injured · UPI — At least 8 killed, 17 injured after Ukraine, Russia trade attacks · The Moscow Times — Ukraine Sinks Russian-Owned Container Ship in Black Sea, Rosatom Says · The Moscow Times — Russia Steps Up Ship Protection in Black Sea as Attacks Threaten Grain Exports

Indonesia — Search Continues for 41 Missing After Java Ferry Fire#

Search and rescue teams continued combing Java Sea waters Tuesday for 41 people still missing after the passenger ferry Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire Sunday morning while sailing from Surabaya to Makassar. Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, Basarnas, said 271 people — 232 passengers and 39 crew — were aboard when the fire broke out; nearby vessels rescued 225 and recovered five bodies by Sunday afternoon. One survivor said the fire appeared to have started from a truck on the lower deck; the cause remains under investigation.

Sources: CNN — Blaze engulfs Indonesian passenger ferry off Java, leaving at least five dead · Al Jazeera — At least five dead, 41 missing after ferry catches fire off Indonesia · The Jakarta Post — Five dead, 41 missing after ferry catches fire off East Java · NPR — A blaze on an Indonesian passenger ferry leaves at least 5 dead and dozens missing

Ethiopia — Tigray Fighting Resumes in Worst Clashes Since 2022 Peace Deal#

Fighting broke out August 1 between the Ethiopian National Defence Force and Tigrayan forces near Shererina, close to the Sudanese border — the most serious clashes since the Pretoria peace agreement ended the 2020–2022 Tigray war. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front accused federal forces of launching the assault to “subjugate and divide” the region, while Addis Ababa blamed the TPLF for initiating the confrontation. Sudanese authorities and residents reported heavy gunfire, explosions, and military aircraft near the border, and hundreds of people have fled into Sudan. Amnesty International warned that Tigray residents face renewed risk of human rights violations as violence returns to the region.

Sources: Al Jazeera — Fighting breaks out in western Tigray as Ethiopia and TPLF trade blame · Amnesty International — Ethiopia: Tigray residents at renewed risk of human rights violations as violence returns to the region · GlobalPost — Fighting Resumes Between Ethiopia and Tigray, Threatening Ceasefire

AI — White House Brings OpenAI, Anthropic, Google to the Table Over New Safety Framework#

The Trump administration hosted OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google at the White House Tuesday to present a finalized framework for voluntary AI cybersecurity safety testing — the first time the labs have seen its full contents. The framework implements Trump’s June 2 executive order on AI cybersecurity, which asks companies to opt into benchmarking of a model’s “advanced cyber capabilities” and seeks access to models for up to 30 days before release. Some of the framework’s benchmarks remain confidential under the order, and the administration has not disclosed publicly what it contains or who has reviewed it so far. The meeting is described as a first step toward a broader push on AI regulation.

Sources: Bloomberg — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google to Join White House AI Safety Meeting · CNN Business — White House to meet with top AI companies ahead of first big regulation push · PYMNTS — White House Will Present Finalized AI Oversight Framework to Tech Giants Tuesday

Space — NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Wraps Eight-Month ISS Mission#

NASA astronaut Chris Williams recapped his roughly eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Johnson Space Center in Houston, following his return to Earth. During his stay, the station crew’s research included printing living cells and tissue and studying ways to increase the effectiveness of exercise in microgravity, as the current Expedition crew steps up preparations for a series of spacewalks planned this month.

Sources: NASA — 2026 News Releases · NASA Science — August 1, 2026

Tomorrow’s watch list: whether the Trump–Iran talks and the Iran–Oman Hormuz route deal actually convene and hold, further casualty updates from Indonesia’s ferry search, and whether Ethiopia’s federal government and the TPLF de-escalate before the Tigray clashes widen.