Washington – Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Hours after new US airstrikes on Iran, Tehran launched missile and drone attacks on the Gulf on Sunday, while EU foreign ministers met in Brussels today to discuss restricting trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The US Central Command announced that its forces carried out a new wave of strikes inside Iran, targeting dozens of sites in various regions using precision-guided munitions.

The Command explained that the strikes targeted air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone equipment, as well as small boats, and were carried out with the participation of US Navy fighter jets, ships, and drones.

In response, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to official Iranian media, announced that it had targeted US military sites and bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. This development comes amid an ongoing escalation between Washington and Tehran, threatening the future of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides on June 17, which aimed to end the military confrontation that erupted on February 28, according to the Brussels-based European news network Euronews.

In a statement issued Sunday night, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the recent US strikes, considering them to have undermined diplomatic efforts made in recent months to reduce tensions in the region.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli military operations continued, while southern Lebanon witnessed ongoing military operations, with the National News Agency reporting that the Israeli army carried out a large explosion overnight in the town of Bint Jbeil.

The Jerusalem Municipality's Planning and Building Committee approved settlement plan number 1049873, which calls for the construction of approximately 450 settlement housing units in the Umm Leisun neighborhood, located between Jabal al-Mukaber and Sur Baher in the eastern part of the city. The plan was first submitted in 2022 by Topodia Real Estate, a company controlled by an Australian-registered firm. Its board includes Australian businessman Kevin Burmeister, Israeli right-wing activist Ehud Ragnonis, and the former spokesperson for the settlement organization Elad. Both men are also involved in other settlement projects in Jerusalem, including the Nof Zion settlement within the Jabal al-Mukaber neighborhood.

The company claims to have purchased the land from Israeli heirs who bought it in the 1930s, thus legitimizing the plan, in their view.

However, the plan has been frozen for over two years after the committee stipulated that the road leading to the project site be widened. This condition could not be met because private developers are not authorized to submit plans for widening public roads that are not on their property. Haaretz: Israel Concerned Over Washington's Focus on Hormuz and Neglect of the Iranian Nuclear Program

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that Israeli security officials are increasingly concerned about the United States' focus on the Strait of Hormuz crisis at the expense of addressing the Iranian nuclear program.

The newspaper quoted Israeli security assessments indicating that tensions between the United States and Iran are likely to persist for an extended period through limited escalations, with both sides keen to avoid sliding into a full-blown war.

The newspaper noted that the Israeli military believes Iran's restraint thus far from attacking Israel stems from a strategic decision aimed at confining the confrontation to the United States, and that Tehran will not target Israel as long as the latter does not actively and openly participate in attacks against it.

Conversely, Israeli security officials warned of the possibility that Iran might expand the scope of the confrontation to include Israel if American pressure intensifies, at a time when assessments indicate that Tehran has already begun repairing parts of its nuclear facilities damaged during the war. Haaretz quoted security sources as saying that the Israeli army has maintained a high level of alert and readiness since the end of the war with Iran, emphasizing that the Israeli Air Force remains fully prepared on both the defensive and offensive levels, in anticipation of the possibility that Tehran might decide to draw Israel into a confrontation.

The European News Network in Brussels quoted the deputy governor of Khuzestan as saying that eight cities in the province were targeted by American attacks this morning. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is to end American military interventions, explaining that the only way to reopen the strait is to end American military interventions and respect the sovereignty of the countries bordering it. They added that continued American interventions in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector.