What Mattered This Week

STRAIT OF HORMUZ — The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that negotiations with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages. The Joint Maritime Information Center Update 079, covering March 1 to August 2, listed two confirmed maritime security incidents in the Strait of Hormuz on August 1.

An LNG carrier, name withheld, was struck by an unknown projectile at 11:30 p.m. UTC on July 31 while transiting outbound, 11 nautical miles north-east of Lima, Oman.

CEUTA, SPAIN — The U.S. Department of State on August 1 updated its Travel Advisory for Spain, raising Ceuta to Level 3 - Reconsider Travel due to unrest.

The overall advisory for Spain remains Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution due to terrorism and unrest. No subsequent U.S. Embassy Madrid or State Department revision to that Level 3 rating has been issued.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State on August 1 advised Americans currently in the Middle East to exercise caution and heightened vigilance and to prepare for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.

Some airlines in the region have postponed resumption of earlier flight schedules; others have cancelled some routes.

MEXICO — On July 31, the U.S. Mission to Mexico stated that local security forces in the state of Michoacan have been put on alert due to reports of roadblocks and criminal activity in the state which have the potential to escalate.

The Mission reminded U.S. citizens that the State Department’s Travel Advisory for Michoacan remains Level 4 – Do Not Travel.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Environmental Protection Agency issued Public Service Announcement I-073026-PSA on July 30 stating that malicious cyber actors have conducted cyber attacks against Operational Technology devices, specifically Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series Programmable Logic Controllers, in the Water and Wastewater Sector.

Since July 27, utility companies in at least seven states have reported incidents to the FBI, with some of the activity degrading water operations. After remotely accessing internet-facing devices, the actors changed IP addresses and passwords, producing a loss of monitoring and control functionality.

POLAND — An armed Russian Kh-101 cruise missile violated Polish airspace and crashed in a field near Tarnawa-Kolonia, approximately 31 miles (50 km) from Lublin, during a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight into July 30.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the missile was armed and in all probability Russian, with no reason to believe Poland was the target. Two objects violated Polish airspace; one crashed with physical evidence at the site, and the other briefly approached the border.

MIDDLE EAST — The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on July 30 again claimed full control of the Strait of Hormuz and said two oil tankers that tried an unauthorized route turned back after a fire broke out on one of them.

The same day Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates condemned continued UAV attacks by Iran-affiliated militias operating from Iraqi territory against Saudi oil facilities in the Eastern Region.

MIDDLE EAST — On July 29, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that five Iranian rockets traveling 8,500 miles per hour had been knocked down the previous night and that U.S. forces would hit Iran very hard in response.

U.S. Central Command confirmed that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran at 5:45 p.m. ET on July 28 in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East, with all missiles successfully intercepted and U.S. forces remaining at a high state of readiness.

BLACK SEA — On July 29 around 10:30 AM, the Romanian Ministry of Defense radar surveillance system detected a group of aerial targets flying 20 km northwest of Snake Island.

Two Romanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting NATO-led enhanced Air Policing missions scrambled from Borcea 86th Air Base at 10:57 AM to monitor the situation and secure national airspace.

MIDDLE EAST — On July 28, U.S. Central Command and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes against Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours.

MIDDLE EAST — On July 28 the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.

According to U.S. Central Command all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. The command added that U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness.

MIDDLE EAST — On July 27, the Saudi Ministry of Defense stated that air defenses intercepted and destroyed a number of drones during the past hours that attempted to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Region and Riyadh.

The official spokesperson, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said the attempts were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iranian-backed terrorist militias.

JORDAN — The General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army stated that Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft intercepted and downed two drones that breached Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory on the morning of July 27.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) separately reported intercepting two unmanned aerial vehicles identified near the Jordanian border the same morning.

MIDDLE EAST — The reciprocal pause in U.S. and Iranian strikes has continued into additional nights with no new U.S. Central Command strike-completion announcement after the July 23 statement that forces had finished the 13th consecutive night of operations.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described the pause as giving diplomacy “some space” and “a little bit of time,” while noting that U.S. forces remain “locked and loaded.”