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President Donald Trump declared Monday that U.S. forces have devastated Iran’s military capabilities and are moving to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as American warplanes launched another wave of attacks against Iranian targets. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the campaign has progressed rapidly, insisted Iran’s armed forces have been severely weakened, and maintained that Tehran will never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Asked how long the operation could continue and whether it risked becoming another prolonged U.S. conflict, Trump dismissed such comparisons and said the military campaign has produced swift results.

.@POTUS on Iran: "We're not going to put up with it. We are just going forward — we're attacking them tonight. We're taking out all their capability for anything having to do with the Strait… What they're doing is being very foolish, very stupid." pic.twitter.com/wkspzB3kcH

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 13, 2026

“Well, I think it’s going very fast. We’ve demolished their military. We’re hitting them very hard. We had a deal yesterday, or the day before yesterday, it was all done. And then they broke up that deal immediately because they found out there was something in the deal they didn’t like. And they’re wired differently, and we’re not going to put up with it. But we are just going forward,” said Trump.

He added, “We’re attacking them tonight. We’re taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the Strait, with the Hormuz Strait. And I think, in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing. And what they’re doing is being very foolish, very stupid. And they’ve treated people horribly. They’ve killed 52,000 protesters so far that we can determine. It might be more than that, but 52,000 protesters have been killed. And it’s a really terrible situation. But we’ll have it under control very quickly.”

When asked whether diplomacy remained an option despite the ongoing bombing campaign, Trump said negotiations were still possible even as military operations and a renewed maritime blockade continued.

“No, I never reached that conclusion [that a deal is not possible], but we’re hitting them very heavy tonight, as you know. We’re hitting them. We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have numbers that we haven’t had in years. And we’re hitting them very hard, and it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Trump also outlined the administration’s strategy in the Strait of Hormuz.

“But we’re knocking out all of their offensive capability, and we’re controlling the straits. We’re putting the blockade back. And it’s a blockade not for anybody but Iran. In other words, anybody doing business with Iran can’t go through. Everyone else will be able to go through. So, it’s a blockade. It’s a very strong blockade. The blockade was probably more effective even than hitting them, but I think the combination is the thing that really does it.”

Asked directly whether a negotiated agreement with Tehran remained within reach, Trump replied, “Yeah, I think a deal is possible, sure. I do.”

Rejecting suggestions that the United States was becoming bogged down in another endless war, Trump contrasted the current campaign with America’s lengthy involvement in Vietnam, arguing that the military had already inflicted overwhelming damage on Iran’s armed forces.

“Well, you know, we’re in Vietnam for 19 years. We’re here for four months. So, I think we’ve done a lot. We’ve knocked out their Navy in a period of one month. We knocked out their Air Force. Their Air Force is non-existent. We knocked out most of their missiles, most of their drones. We knocked out their drone manufacturing capability, about 92 percent. Their missile capability for manufacturing, we knocked out 89 percent. And they have a little capability, but they don’t have any capability for us. This is almost a military skirmish.”

Trump said Iran had repeatedly backed away from agreements after negotiations appeared complete, while criticizing previous administrations for failing to resolve the conflict.

“Now, with all of that being said, you have to get people that want to make something. We had a deal with them two days ago, and then they said, ‘oh, we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.’ And this is what they’ve done for 47 years. The difference is nobody negotiated like I do. And this should have been done by Bush and Obama and Biden and people before them, frankly. It’s 47 years. They’ve been ripping off everybody. And really hurting and killing thousands of people. So, they killed 52,000 protesters, but they killed many, many people with Soleimani, who I killed in the first term. Soleimani killed many people, many, many people. And not only killed, when you see a young former soldier walking around with no legs, no arms, a face that’s been horribly, horribly hurt, that was done by Iran. That was done by Soleimani. He was a person that was very evil. He was an evil genius. He was looking to take out a lot of our military installations in Iraq and Iran. And I got him before he got us.”

Trump reiterated that the United States would continue its operations until Iran could no longer threaten the region, while again insisting Tehran would never possess nuclear weapons.

“So, we have to do what we’re doing. And the strait is open. It will be open. We’ve cut down their capability very substantially. But they, you know, they’re going to fight for a while. Our military has done a fantastic job. And, you know, the bottom line, though, and I say it to everybody, and I say it as much as they want to listen, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. If we didn’t bomb them with the B-2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear weapon long ago. One month. Within one month from the day we bombed them, they would have had it. If we didn’t do it, they would have had a nuclear weapon. If they had a nuclear weapon, Israel would no longer be with us. And the Middle East probably would no longer be with us.”

Describing Iran’s leadership, Trump said they are “stone cold crazy. They are crazy. And we’re not going to put it up.”

His remarks came shortly after the U.S. military confirmed that it had begun a third consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command announced, “At 4:45 p.m. ET today, US Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”

“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement stressed.

Iranian news outlets reported explosions in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, followed by additional blasts on the nearby islands of Qeshm and Kish.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced that Washington would restore its naval blockade targeting Iran after the previous blockade had been lifted following a recently signed memorandum of understanding.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving,” he wrote on social media.

He added, “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded online by acknowledging Trump’s remarks regarding compensation for securing the strategic waterway.

“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.”

He concluded by asserting Iran’s longstanding role in the region while objecting to the proposed fee.

“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. military announced Monday that American forces have carried out the first-ever combat mission using unmanned surface vessels, striking a major Iranian naval installation that officials say played a role in supporting attacks on commercial shipping.

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation was conducted on Saturday and targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base. The announcement was made in a post on X.

Military officials said the attack combined one-way strike drones with three Corsair unmanned surface vessels, which successfully hit the naval port after the aerial drones were launched.

“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” the command said.

CENTCOM emphasized that the mission represented a historic milestone for the U.S. military, marking the first operational use of autonomous surface vessels in combat.

“Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” the statement said.

The military said the operation significantly reduced Iran’s ability to threaten commercial maritime traffic in the region.

“Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said.

The Pentagon did not disclose the full extent of the damage inflicted during the strike and did not say whether any Iranian naval vessels were destroyed, rendered inoperable, or whether casualties were sustained.

As of Monday, Iranian authorities had not publicly responded to the U.S. announcement.

Bandar Abbas, situated on the Strait of Hormuz, serves as Iran’s primary naval headquarters and is one of the country’s most strategically important military installations, housing assets belonging to both the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, carrying a substantial portion of global oil exports and frequently serving as the flashpoint for confrontations involving Iran, the United States, and international commercial shipping.

The strike comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain elevated following earlier U.S. military operations against Iranian targets and continuing concerns over Iranian-linked attacks on merchant vessels operating in the region.

The Corsair is an autonomous unmanned surface vessel capable of carrying out reconnaissance missions and precision strikes without a crew on board. The Pentagon has devoted increasing resources to developing unmanned air, sea, and undersea platforms as part of its strategy to confront adversaries while minimizing the risk to American service members.

CENTCOM did not indicate whether similar unmanned maritime attacks are planned in the future or whether Saturday’s operation was part of a larger campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure.

Although Defense Department officials have repeatedly pointed to autonomous weapons systems as a key component of future warfare, CENTCOM said Saturday’s operation marked the first publicly acknowledged combat deployment of U.S. sea drones.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Mrs. Miriam Stern a”h, the wife of Rav Dovid Asher HaKohen Stern. She was 62.

The levayah proceeded Monday afternoon from her home in Bnei Brak to the Ponovezh Cemetery, where she was brought to kevurah.

In light of her petirah, the daily shiur delivered by her brother, Rav Asher Arielli, at Yeshivas Mir was not given.

Mrs. Stern was born during Sukkos 5724 (1963) to Rav Chaim Yaakov Arielli, zt”l, one of the outstanding gedolei Torah of the previous generation and the author of the sefer Be’er Yaakov. She was a granddaughter of Rav Yitzchak Arielli, zt”l, author of Einayim LaMishpat, and of Rebbetzin Shulamis, daughter of Rav Asher Sternbuch, zt”l, of London.

She was raised in a home permeated with Torah, yiras Shamayim, and noble middos, and was privileged to descend from some of the most illustrious Torah families in the Lithuanian and Brisker world.

On her mother’s side, she was a niece of the senior posek, Rav Moshe Sternbuch; Rav Eliyahu Sternbuch, zt”l, Av Beis Din of Machzikei Hadas in Antwerp; and Rav Chanoch Ehrentreu, zt”l, Av Beis Din of London; and the wife of Rav Meshulam Dovid Soloveitchik, zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Brisk.

Throughout her life, she stood devotedly at the side of her husband, Rav Dovid Asher HaKohen Stern, and together they established a distinguished bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel, built upon Torah and yiras Shamayim, with exceptional tznius, in their home on Rechov Rambam in Bnei Brak. She was known for her many acts of chesed, her quiet humility, and the gracious manner in which she received every person.

Her brothers are counted among the leading marbitzei Torah of the generation: Rav Asher Arielli, , who delivers the largest daily shiur in the world at Yeshivas Mir; Rav Shmuel Arielli, rosh yeshiva of Chevron HaChadashah; and Rav Shlomo Arielli, a marbitz Torah at Yeshivas Tchebin and editor of the writings of Rav Akiva Eiger.

Tehei nishmasah tzerurah bitzror hachaim.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly signaled to senior U.S. officials that it is prepared to reopen discussions about joining the Abraham Accords, but only if Israel agrees to a series of significant political and policy changes that are widely viewed as unacceptable to the current government.

According to a report in Yisroel Hayom, Riyadh has conveyed messages in recent weeks to officials in the Trump administration indicating a renewed willingness to pursue normalization with Israel. However, sources familiar with the discussions said the Saudis have attached conditions that Israel’s present coalition is unlikely to accept.

Three individuals with knowledge of the diplomatic contacts said Saudi Arabia has been actively engaging with senior figures in Washington, including officials at the White House, the State Department, and members of Congress. One source said representatives of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman outlined two primary conditions: that Binyamin Netanyahu no longer serve as prime minister following Israel’s next elections, and that policies advanced by Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich in Yehuda and Shomron over the past several years be reversed.

According to American officials cited in the report, Saudi Arabia views those two conditions as closely connected. Riyadh believes that as long as Netanyahu remains in office, he will continue backing Smotrich’s policies in Yehuda and Shomron, making it impossible to reach a normalization agreement under the current circumstances.

During the war, Saudi Arabia reportedly explored the possibility of formally recognizing Israel on several occasions in exchange for major Israeli concessions on the Palestinian issue. Among the demands discussed was a public declaration by Netanyahu expressing a willingness, in principle, to support the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu rejected those conditions, and negotiations did not advance.

The report also noted that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham had been actively involved in recent years in efforts to strengthen ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia and to help pave the way toward normalization.

Sources familiar with the diplomatic efforts said many of Saudi Arabia’s demands are intended to move the political process forward rather than necessarily secure immediate results. They also claimed that Riyadh frustrated President Donald Trump during the war with Iran by blocking, according to those sources, a U.S.-backed initiative to open the Strait of Hormuz to safe commercial shipping for vessels not connected to Iran.

The same sources further alleged that Saudi Arabia’s refusal to allow American forces to use U.S. military bases on Saudi soil for operations against Iran also angered President Trump.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia’s latest diplomatic initiative is intended in part to demonstrate to Trump that the kingdom remains a critical strategic partner for the United States while also advancing a political arrangement aimed at preventing another military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.

{Matzav.com}