The day was defined by two machines seizing up at once: the Gulf sliding toward open war over the Strait of Hormuz, and the EU's sanctions apparatus jamming on a single veto — while European domestic politics strained from London to Prague.

Iran and Hormuz

  • Iran extended its strikes to Oman, a sixth Gulf state after Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, following a third round of US airstrikes since Trump declared the ceasefire over. more
  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they hit US bases across the region and Kurdish dissident targets in Iraq; Britain proscribed the IRGC as a terrorist organisation over threats on UK soil. more
  • Trump said the US will become 'the guardian' of Hormuz and 'probably run it'; both sides now claim the waterway that carries much of the world's seaborne oil. more

EU sanctions on Russia: stuck

  • The 21st package failed again, with Bulgaria's veto over adding Patriarch Kirill the sticking point; the bloc still moved on individual targets like the VK group and the Turla cyber unit. more
  • Inside the standoff: Bulgaria forced Kirill and oligarch Vagit Alekperov off the list, while France, Italy, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands pushed back on other measures; a watered-down deal may land around 13 July. more
  • Separately, the EU and UK jointly sanctioned 33 FSB-linked cyber targets; NATO condemned the activity and Moscow vowed an 'appropriate response'. more
  • In Paris, Zelensky and 25-plus leaders coordinated air-defence support for Ukraine even as the sanctions and NATO-guarantee tracks lagged behind. more

European politics under strain

  • Andy Burnham is set to become UK prime minister after Starmer's resignation, nominated by nearly 80% of Labour MPs but with no foreign-policy record and an unresolved fiscal plan. more
  • Germany's coalition faces its first real test as Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) moves to cut Unterhaltsvorschuss at age 16; the SPD is already resisting. more
  • A STEM/MARK poll finds nearly half of Czech opposition voters rate their own parties poorly, so a stumbling government isn't translating into opposition gains. more

Also on the EU desk

  • EU foreign ministers weighed trade curbs on Israeli settlement goods in Brussels, with Germany isolated as the chief obstacle and no qualified majority yet in reach. more
  • Europe's fire season turned political: one of Spain's deadliest recent wildfires killed 13, while France probes possible arson near Fontainebleau during its third heatwave in months. more