July 13 2026 News

The United States launched a new wave of strikes on Iran into Monday morning, following an Iranian attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz that set it ablaze and left a crew member missing over the weekend. Tehran retaliated with further strikes on countries across the region. The fresh US strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump said the American military had “hit them hard,” and claimed that Iran had agreed to a diplomatic deal before it attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. With rhetoric and tensions sky high, an Iranian foreign ministry statement suggested in the wake of the latest strikes that the time for diplomacy was now over.

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is under house arrest by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence arm after Iranian authorities uncovered a significant portion of his contacts with Israel, The New York Times reported on Monday, citing four senior Iranian officials. For years, Israel conducted a covert operation aimed at recruiting Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset and, at a later stage, even planned to install him as Iran’s leader following the overthrow of the regime, according to an extensive New York Times investigation. According to the report, one of the operation’s more unusual stages took place in early 2024, when a senior Hungarian government official asked Gergely Deli, rector of the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, to invite Ahmadinejad to a conference on climate change.

The UK government has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after attacks on the Jewish community and Iranian dissidents, Sky News first reported on Monday. Ministers fast-tracked the National (State Threats) Bill 2026, as promised by the prime minister. The existing legislation to proscribe terror groups did not extend to state-backed groups.

A video of an Iranian state television anchor appearing to celebrate the death of US Senator Lindsey Graham has gone viral on social media, drawing widespread attention amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. Graham, a senior Republican senator and one of US President Donald Trump’s closest political allies, died on Saturday following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.”

A Syrian government-funded school network teaches children to demonize Jews and Christians, glorifies jihad against “infidels” and portrays Israel as an illegitimate state, according to a new report by the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center. Based on an analysis of 65 official Syrian textbooks and workbooks used from kindergarten through sixth grade, the report argues that the curriculum promotes religious extremism and anti-Israel narratives at a time when Syria’s new leadership is attempting to present itself to the West as more moderate.

Christians across Communist China are being arrested, detained and effectively “disappeared” for worshipping outside state-controlled churches, according to a major investigation by The Telegraph. The report details accounts from underground Christians who say police have raided homes in the middle of the night, separated families and imprisoned pastors as the regime intesifies its campaign against independent religious groups.Under Xi’s iron-tight grip, China has expanded its nationwide suppression of Christians during the last decade, arresting more than 10,000 people, according to Bob Fu, the founder of ChinaAid, a charity for victims of persecution in the country. In the most recent crackdown, armed police stormed the Early Rain Covenant, an influential underground church, and detained more than 30 members last month.

A 15-year-old Dutch girl has been arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing her parents to death inside their home during the early hours of June 18 in what authorities are investigating as a double murder. The suspect, who reportedly first identified as a boy and later as a dog, allegedly attacked her mother and father, Johan Enting and Mathilda Diemel, both 53, in their Meerstad residence, according to Dutch News.She also reportedly stabbed the family’s pet golden retriever during the rampage. In a sickening detail that has horrified the community, the girl allegedly took photographs of her parents’ blood-covered bodies and sent the images to classmates via WhatsApp shortly after the killings, the Telegraaf reported.

The supervolcano Kikai Caldera is experiencing a resurgence, with new magma rising from the depths after 7,300 years. Scientists have discovered a significant magma reservoir forming beneath its surface, signaling the potential for future activity. As we delve deeper into the mysteries of volcanic behavior, the challenge of predicting the next super-eruption remains. Uncover the secrets behind this geological giant and what it means for our planet.