Russian Strikes Kill 4 in Ukraine

A damaged vehicle sits on a road, following a Russian airstrike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy, Ukraine, July 11, 2026 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. State of Emergency Service of Ukraine in Sumy Region/Handout via REUTERS
A damaged vehicle sits on a road, following a Russian airstrike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy, Ukraine, July 11, 2026 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. State of Emergency Service of Ukraine in Sumy Region/Handout via REUTERS
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Russian Strikes Kill 4 in Ukraine

A damaged vehicle sits on a road, following a Russian airstrike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy, Ukraine, July 11, 2026 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. State of Emergency Service of Ukraine in Sumy Region/Handout via REUTERS
A damaged vehicle sits on a road, following a Russian airstrike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Sumy, Ukraine, July 11, 2026 in this screengrab obtained from a handout video. State of Emergency Service of Ukraine in Sumy Region/Handout via REUTERS

Russia fired a wave of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

The strikes came a day before Ukraine's allies were set to meet in Paris for talks on pressuring Russia to end its more than four-year war.

Ukraine's air defenses have come under strain from repeated Russian ballistic missile strikes in recent weeks.

The United States this week gave Ukraine permission to build US-designed Patriot air defense systems capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, but it may be months before they enter production.

Three people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region overnight, including two in a strike on an "industrial enterprise" in the city of Kryvyi Rig, regional officials said.

A separate drone attack on the southern city of Kherson killed a 48-year-old, mayor Yaroslav Shanko reported.

A Ukrainian drone struck a tanker as it was entering the Azov-Black Sea Canal, Yury Slyusar, governor of Russia's Rostov region, said on Sunday.

A vessel is seen in this screen grab taken from undated drone footage which Ukrainian authorities said showed an attack on a Russian vessel at sea, released by Ukraine's Unmanned Aerial Systems Force on July 12, 2026. Commander of Unmanned Aerial Systems Force/Handout via REUTERS

The fire caused by the attack has been brought under control and ⁠there was no ⁠risk of an oil spill because the vessel was empty, Slyusar said on messaging app Telegram, adding ⁠that there were no casualties.

The Ukrainian military has recently attacked more than 40 Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov as part of what Ukraine describes as a campaign aimed at disrupting fuel supplies ⁠to Russian ⁠forces and isolating Moscow-occupied Crimea.

Ukraine has intensified attacks on logistics and energy infrastructure in Crimea in recent weeks, contributing to fuel shortages and prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in the peninsula.



Iran Shuts Language Center Affiliated with French Embassy in Tehran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Iran Shuts Language Center Affiliated with French Embassy in Tehran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iranian authorities on Sunday announced the closure of a French language center associated with the embassy, accusing it of having undertaken "illegal activities".

"Based on the Tehran prosecutor's office, the illegal center affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed," the judiciary's Mizan news website said, referring to the French Language Centre (CLF).

According to AFP, the judiciary accused the center of conducting "illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions".

It alleged the center "abused its status as a language training facility" and sought to "identify and build networks among the country's elite figures while facilitating their departure".

There was no immediate comment from the French embassy.

Relations between Tehran and Paris have been strained in recent months.

Last month, France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats in response to the brief arrest and banning of two French envoys to Iran.

Tehran had accused the two French diplomats of "interference in Iran's internal affairs".


Iran Reportedly Informed that US Plans to Resume Action

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Iran Reportedly Informed that US Plans to Resume Action

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran received information that the United States, with the backing of some regional countries, was preparing to resume actions against ⁠Iran, the country's central military ⁠command said in a statement on Sunday, according to ⁠state media.

The military said that any US attack would trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region, the report ⁠added, ⁠warning that regional countries supporting US aggression against Iran would be considered parties to the conflict.

This came after US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday.

Iranian parliament speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that Tehran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and US commitments are ⁠implemented.


Iran Says Strait of Hormuz will Remain Closed Until its Conditions Are Met

FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Iran Says Strait of Hormuz will Remain Closed Until its Conditions Are Met

FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iran will not ​reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are ‌met ‌and ​US ‌commitments are ⁠implemented, ​parliament speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday according to ⁠the semi-official ‌Fars ‌news ​agency.

Iran ‌must ‌both fight and negotiate, Ghalibaf said, ‌adding that Tehran would use military ⁠force ⁠to push back its enemies and diplomacy to consolidate battlefield gains when ​the ​time is right.

His comments came as US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday.

There was no explanation from the administration why Trump was no longer returning on Sunday from Camp David, a secluded presidential complex in rural Maryland, as had been previously announced.