Chester U. Dispatch
Chief Reporter
President Donald Trump said on 13 July 2026 that the United States would 'probably take over' the Strait of Hormuz and should be paid for guarding it, the latest twist in a conflict that has already pushed oil prices higher for a week.
The Israel–Lebanon cessation of hostilities began as a ten-day gesture on 16 April and has since been renewed at least once more in June, with Hezbollah alternately accepting and rejecting the terms.
Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 28 around Kyiv on 5 July and 22 more on 6 July, Reuters and AP reported. The pause everyone awaits remains, as ever, two weeks from the next negotiation.
The US–Iran ceasefire, originally scheduled to last a single fortnight, has now entered its fourteenth consecutive two-week period, with neither capital willing to rule out a further extension.
The Institute for the Study of War reports Russia's 2026 spring–summer offensive largely halted, with some weeks showing net Russian territorial losses. The map, officials note, remains a museum of previous two-week pushes.