BBC News, the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Independent, Financial Times and Reuters report that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK will develop a maritime protection mission with other European nations to allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Addressing the Commons after a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobr committee, Hunt said that if Iran continued to act as it had, it would have to accept a “larger Western military presence” along its coastline. Hunt repeated his call for the release of the Stena Impero and its crew detained by Iran and told MPs Iran’s seizure of the UK-flagged tanker represented an act of “state piracy”. The foreign secretary secured support for the initiative from French and German foreign ministers. It follows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s warning that the UK must be responsible for the safety of its ships in the Gulf.

The Guardian and Reuters report that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has stated that Iran does not seek confrontation with the UK, in a message directed at incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “It is very important for Boris Johnson as he enters 10 Downing Street to understand that Iran does not seek confrontation, that Iran wants normal relations based on mutual respect,” Zarif said. Zarif added that Iran acted when it observed that the UK-flagged tanker did not follow regulations. “The UK ship had turned down its signal for more time than it was allowed to (and) was passing through the wrong channel, endangering the safety and security of shipping and navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, for which we are responsible,” Zarif said. The Times reports that commercial tankers may drop Britain’s Red Ensign if hostilities with Iran continue. Analysts warn that shipping companies could move offices overseas and end contracts with British maritime and ancillary service providers.

The Independent reports that Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi has stated that Israel is “the only country in the world killing Iranians”, ratcheting up regional tensions. Hanegbi said Israel was the only country taking firm action against Tehran, referencing Israel’s strikes on Iranian positions in Syria. “For two years now, Israel has been the only country in the world killing Iranians. We have beaten the Iranians hundreds of times in Syria. Sometimes we admit it, sometimes foreign publications expose the matter”. When asked what would happen if Israel were to “get in trouble with Iran” he said Tehran would be “very limited in their responses”. “They understand that Israel means business,” he said, warning that Israel’s bombing campaign in Syria “isn’t over”.

BBC News, the Telegraph and Independent report that Israeli forces have begun demolishing buildings it says were built too close to the separation barrier in the occupied West Bank, in the face of Palestinian protests and international criticism. Bulldozers accompanied by Israeli soldiers and police moved in to Sur Baher, a Palestinian village on the edge of East Jerusalem. Residents said they had been given permits to build by the Palestinian Authority, and accused Israel of an attempt to grab West Bank land, though Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the buildings violated a construction ban. Palestinians fear that the razing of homes and buildings near the fence will set a precedent for other towns along the route of the barrier.

BBC News, the Guardian, Independent, Financial Times and Reuters report that Iran has captured 17 “spies” it claims were working for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) while a ministry official said some of those arrested had been sentenced to death. State television quoted the Iranian Intelligence Ministry as saying it had broken up a “CIA spying ring” and captured 17 suspects.  US President Donald Trump has dismissed the Iranian allegations, saying they are “totally false”.

The Financial Times and Reuters report that the US has issued sanctions against one of China’s largest state-backed oil companies for transporting Iranian crude oil.  Zhuhai Zhenrong and its chief executive, Youmin Li, will be barred from engaging in foreign exchange, banking or property transactions under US jurisdiction. The US has sought to force Iranian oil exports to zero as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA. In May, the Trump administration said it would not renew the waivers issued to several countries, including China, that allowed them to circumvent US sanctions and continue importing Iranian oil.

Reuters reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that Turkey would retaliate against US sanctions over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence system. “If the United States portrays an adversarial attitude towards us, we will take retaliatory measures, as we’ve told them. This is not a threat or a bluff”. Cavusoglu added that he did not expect the US administration to take such action. “Trump does not want to impose sanctions on Turkey and he frequently says that his administration and the previous US administration is also responsible for Turkey not being able to buy Patriot systems. This is true”, Cavusoglu said.

Reuters reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that if a planned safe zone in northern Syria is not established, Ankara would launch a military operation east of the Euphrates River. Turkey has been in talks with the US over the establishment of a safe zone in northeast Syria, where the US tates supports the Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara sees the YPG as a terrorist organisation. Cavusoglu also said he hoped an agreement would be reached after talks later on Monday with US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey. “The Americans sent Jeffrey and said there were new proposals in the talks that will start today. We hope an agreement can be reached on this. Concrete steps are needed on this now.”

BBC News, the Times and Independent report that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran for alleged spying, was kept in solitary confinement and chained to a bed in a psychiatric ward in Tehran, her husband has said. Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was returned to prison after being discharged from hospital on Saturday and described her treatment on the ward as “proper torture”. Last month she went on hunger strike for 15 days to protest her detention. It comes amid escalating tensions between the UK and Iran over the Iran tanker crisis.

The Times and Reuters report that US President Donald Trump has said that he decided against killing “ten million people” in a bombing campaign to end the war in Afghanistan. He added that the US would soon withdraw from what has turned into its longest war. Speaking in the White House, with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump said that Pakistan’s prime minister would help to bring peace to Afghanistan. Khan said that talks with the Taliban had brought a political solution closer in Afghanistan.

In BBC News, Mark Urban argues that Iran tanker crisis represents a uniquely difficult strategic moment for UK diplomacy: “In military terms there is no rapid fix. Even if the present crisis caused the government to open its cheque book, swelling the destroyer and frigate force back up, even say to 30, could be a decade’s work, not least because of the need to train up thousands of additional sailors”.

In the Guardian, former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami argues that US President Donald Trump should resist pressure from his hawkish advisers and de-escalate tensions in the Gulf: “It is easy to destroy, but far harder to build. Obstacles to a lasting peace are real. But they are not insurmountable. We must be proactive in our advocacy for peace and dialogue for our own sake and that of future generations. Dialogue, empathy and a willingness to listen to one another is the only way towards hopeful horizons of a bright future”.

In the Independent, Chris Stevenson argues that the Iran tanker crisis leaves the UK “in a precarious position, stuck between the EU and Trump”.

In the Financial Times, Andrew England and David Bond argue that the UK is engulfed in “dangerous tit-for-tat” with Iran: “With the UK drawn into a dangerous game of tit-for-tat, its attempt to delineate between its support for the nuclear deal, the impounding of the Grace 1 and its criticism of Iran’s regional behaviour has become ever more difficult”.

Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot and Maariv report on the demolition of buildings in East Jerusalem. The area, Wadi Hummus, abuts the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sur Baher and the buildings in question were situated in Area A, which is under full Palestinian security and civilian control, and were all built in close proximity to the separation barrier. The Palestinian Authority condemned Israel for the demolition of the empty buildings. “Israel bears the full responsibility for the dangerous escalation in Sur Baher, which is part of the implementation of the deal of the century, whose goal is to bury the Palestinian issue.” Maariv adds that the Arab League also condemned the demolition and called it a crime that was part of the aggression and escalation against the Palestinian people and its presence in Jerusalem. France also condemned the demolition and issued a statement noting that the demolition violated international law and UN Security Council resolutions.  It noted that for the first time the demolition had taken place in an area under PA control, making it a dangerous precedent that undermined the two-state solution. Kan Radio quotes Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Nizar Amer who said that Israel was fully entitled to demolish illegal buildings that had been built near the security barrier. Amer wrote on Twitter that the High Court of Justice had rejected the petition against the buildings’ demolition on the grounds that the buildings endangered the security of Israel’s citizens. He also said that the construction of the houses in Wadi Hummus was a deliberate act of provocation by the PA.

Kan Radio reports that Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on the Saudi blogger, Mohammed Saud, during his visit to the Temple Mount. Objects were thrown at him, including chairs. The Foreign Ministry statement noted that Saud had come to Jerusalem to be a bridge to peace and understanding between peoples and that the attackers had used the holy site as a political tool. The Foreign Ministry also described the attack as cruel and immoral behavior. It said that Israel embraces the young man who was and has remained an honored guest. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Katz are scheduled to meet today with the group of Arab bloggers visiting Israel.

Maariv reports that Labour Party leader Amir Peretz is facing mounting pressure within the left wing as a whole, including within the Labour Party, to reach a merger agreement with Meretz and the Israel Democratic Party. Peretz called on Israel Democratic Party leader Ehud Barak to withdraw from the race. “Barak decided to enter the political arena and expected a far more supportive public response and at least a double-digit number of seats [in the polls],” said Peretz. “That didn’t happen. In my opinion, he needs to reconsider his path here on in, and to do so responsibly so that there really is a chance to replace Netanyahu.” Responding to the criticism that he has faced from Barak and Meretz Chairman Nitzan Horowitz, Peretz said: “I love my friends on the left and Horowitz, and if their statements win them more votes, I’m in favour.” The Labour Party Convention is scheduled to convene on July 31 to approve the agreement with Gesher and any other possible motions by Peretz to place other figures on the party’s Knesset list. MK Stav Shaffir is trying to muster sufficient support to introduce a motion to approve a merger with the Israel Democratic Party and Meretz.  Barak said yesterday that he intends to run “till the end,” even if no merger agreement is reached with either the Labour Party or Meretz. “I’m a big believer in unity. We have to unite,” said Barak in a live Facebook broadcast. “In the end, we’re all fighting against the Netanyahu regime, which has forged an alliance with the Kahanists and which has capitulated to Hamas. The only way is to unite.”

In Haaretz, Chemi Shalev writes that: “On the eve of the September elections deemed crucial for the future of Israel, the leaders of the center-left bloc are acting like spoiled, annoying children in kindergarten. Historians will be hard-pressed to explain their behaviour. Rather than standing shoulder to shoulder against Benjamin Netanyahu, they are fracturing themselves to oblivion. Rather than keeping their pledge of allegiance to the state, they are allowing arrogance, ego, pettiness, vindictiveness and expedience to dictate their moves, all the way to certain defeat.” Shalev adds that “Nonetheless, it’s not too late to put the centre-left back on course with the help of outside intervention, as is often needed for groups that seem to have gone off the rails. The ideal solution would be to hold open primaries for a united center-left list and its leader, but time is short, the task is formidable and the potential candidates would probably shun the process. Desperate times, however, call for desperate measures, which in this case means the establishment of an appointments committee that would dictate the makeup of a unified list.”

Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom report on renewed talks within the right wing for a merger between the New Right and the United Right. New Right leader Ayelet Shaked and Jewish Home leader Rafi Peretz are expected to meet in the course of the week to discuss a possible merger amid disagreements over who should head the joint list and its composition. The prevailing assessment is that the decision about the identity of the list’s leader is likely to be decided shortly in Shaked’s favor, but the two sides remain deeply divided over the composition of the joint list.

Maariv reports that Shas leader Aryeh Deri launched his party’s campaign yesterday in Jerusalem. The slogan of the campaign is: “A social force in the government.” Deri said at the campaign launch that Shas would recommend that the president task Netanyahu with forming the next government, but refrained from answering questions about whom he would support if Netanyahu were to fail to form the government. Deri did say that he would not disqualify either Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, or his fellow party members Gabi Ashkenazi and Moshe Yaalon. Regarding Yair Lapid, Deri said: “He hasn’t changed anything from what he promised and did in the Finance Ministry. Lapid has stayed Lapid. We’ll do everything so that the government is without Lapid. His place is in the opposition.”

Haaretz reports that at least 16 new outposts have been established in the West Bank since 2017, according to a report released by Peace Now. None of the outposts have seen moves toward evacuation, the report indicates.  Peace Now report that a total of 31 outposts of the type described have been established from 2012 to 2019. The paper writes that its journalists have visited all of them over the past few weeks, and found that most are various kinds of farms, raising mostly sheep and goats.

Kan Radio reports that a young Palestinian man who was in Israel without a permit tried to stab a policeman last night in Hadera. The assailant was shot by a second policeman. Neither of the policemen were hurt. The assailant sustained moderate injuries and underwent surgery last night at Hillel Yaffe Hospital.