On July 22 and 23, Houthi forces struck at least one Saudi vessel and an unspecified Saudi‑flagged tanker in the Red Sea, while Iranian‑backed militias likely attacked Kuwait’s Abdali border crossing, marking a new phase in Iran’s regional campaign. Since July 20, the Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab al Mandeb Strait, disrupting commercial traffic. Iran has supported the Houthis with personnel, equipment and funding, and has expanded its own attacks on U.S. and allied installations in the Gulf. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed on July 23 that the Houthis attacked a Saudi‑flagged tanker with an unknown projectile. Saudi state media reported a fire on the vessel ENCELIA but no casualties. Commercial ship tracking data showed a 40‑vessel decrease in traffic through the Bab al Mandeb since the blockade began on July 20. Reuters reported on July 23 that Iranian‑linked sources said IRGC commanders and missile equipment were transported to Yemen on July 13 via a diverted Mahan Air flight, which landed at Hudaydah Airport after Saudi‑backed forces attacked Sanaa Airport. The flight also carried gold intended to finance Houthi activities. The IRGC claimed on July 22 that an oil tanker struck a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz, disabling the vessel and prompting other tankers to turn back, though ISW‑CTP has not observed any commercial vessels hitting mines in that corridor. UKMTO previously reported a floating mine in the southern route on July 7. U.S. intelligence officials told Reuters that Russia may be providing Iran with targeting intelligence, potentially improving the accuracy of Iran’s drone and missile attacks, including a March strike on a CIA outpost in Saudi Arabia that analysts said used Russian‑enhanced Shahed drones equipped with MANPADS. President Donald Trump told Axios on July 23 that he may order expanded U.S. strikes against Iran, describing a possible “massive attack,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that U.S. strikes will continue daily until Iran agrees to a deal. U.S. Central Command announced on July 22 that it conducted its 12th consecutive evening of strikes against Iranian maritime, missile, drone, surveillance and air‑defense sites across southern, southeastern and western Iran, with Iranian officials confirming explosions in Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Sistan and Baluchistan, Kermanshah and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces. The strike on the Shalamcheh border crossing reportedly killed two people, including an Iranian Artesh captain, though details remain unconfirmed. Negotiations between the United States and Iran have not yielded any substantive progress, and the continuation of Houthi attacks and Iranian support for regional militias suggest the conflict may persist despite diplomatic efforts.

The U.S. Army awarded Raytheon a $442 million contract modification in April 2026 for PAC‑2 GEM‑T missiles, marking the first new‑production order for the system in more than three decades. The contract follows a period of no domestic PAC‑2 GEM‑T purchases since the early 1990s and is linked to Operation Epic Fury. Raytheon announced the deal on its quarterly earnings call, noting that it supports efforts to replenish missile stocks amid heightened demand from the conflict with Iran, operations in Ukraine, and other regional crises. The House Armed Services Committee has raised concerns about Patriot interceptor inventory levels and requested a briefing on stockpiles, capabilities, and future deliveries. The Pentagon is seeking $67.1 billion in supplemental funding to replenish munitions used in the Iran conflict. CSIS estimates the Army has expended between 1,060 and 1,430 Patriot interceptors this year, though the split between PAC‑2 and PAC‑3 variants is not disclosed. Production of GEM‑T missiles has been limited, with Raytheon establishing a new facility in Germany to increase output, while Lockheed Martin is expanding PAC‑3 production and introducing a lower‑cost variant called the Adapted Capability Effector. The new order reflects growing pressure on the defense supply chain and a shift toward maximizing existing interceptor inventories. The timing of delivery for the new missiles remains uncertain, as long‑lead‑time production typically takes several years, leaving the adequacy of Patriot missile stockpiles an open question.

On July 23, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected Russian claims that the United States and Russia had reached any agreement to end the war in Ukraine at the August 2025 Alaska Summit, stating after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on July 23 that Russian proposals had failed and that peace would require new concepts that the United States was prepared to support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his commitment to peace negotiations, saying he would consider trilateral talks with the United States and Russia in the fall of 2026, though he preferred July 2026 if timing permitted.

The war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in 2022, has involved extensive diplomatic maneuvering and military operations. Russian officials have invoked alleged “Anchorage agreements” as evidence of a willingness to negotiate, despite the lack of public confirmation, while U.S. officials have rejected that narrative.

Ukrainian forces conducted long‑range strikes on July 22‑23 that hit a fuel and energy facility in Novospassky Raion, Ulyanovsk Oblast, and a Wildberries warehouse near Novaya Usman in Voronezh Oblast, according to the Ulyanovsk Oblast governor and local residents, and geolocated footage published on July 23. A separate strike on the Subkhankulovo Linear Production and Dispatch Station in the Republic of Bashkortostan resulted in a fire, as reported by the Republic’s State Committee for Emergency Situations. Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that a Su‑57 fighter jet crashed during takeoff due to a malfunction. Ukrainian Air Force reported that from July 6 to July 22 it downed two Kh‑59/69 cruise missiles and 154 Shahed‑type and other drones, and that missile and drone fragments fell on four locations in multiple oblasts.

Ukrainian attacks also struck two Russian trucks near Selydove and an airfield used for drone operations in the Pokrovsk direction, according to the Ukrainian 7th Rapid Reaction Corps. Power outages were reported in 14 raions of occupied Kherson Oblast and in several districts of occupied Crimea after Ukrainian drone strikes on electrical substations, the Kherson occupation administration and the Crimea energy operator Krymenergo said. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree on July 23 to initiate the fall conscription cycle for reservists between September and November 2026, a schedule he described as consistent with previous cycles.

Both sides indicated a willingness to engage in future negotiations while continuing limited military actions, and the prospect of trilateral talks later in 2026 remains under discussion.

Decommissioned USS Mobile Bay and USS Peleliu were sunk in sinking exercises as part of the Rim of the Pacific 2026 naval drill off the coast of Hawaii. The exercise took place from June 24 to July 31, 2026, in and around Hawaii. Both ships were sunk in waters about 15,000 feet deep, more than 50 nautical miles north of Kauai. Mobile Bay was sunk on July 11 and Peleliu on July 17 by forces from the United States and partner nations. The sinkings were conducted using surface‑to‑air missiles, anti‑ship cruise missiles, artillery rockets and helicopter‑launched missiles. An F‑18 Super Hornet carried an AGM‑158C Long Range Anti‑ship Missile, HIMARS units fired a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System round, and Japan Ground Self‑Defense Force missile units launched Type 12 surface‑to‑surface missiles. Army AH‑64 Apache helicopters fired Spike NLOS missiles. The U.S. Navy also loaded a UGM‑84 Harpoon missile onto the submarine USS Columbia in preparation for the exercise. Units from Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Spain took part. A Royal Australian Navy aviation detachment on USS Wayne E. Meyer launched an AGM‑114N Hellfire missile, while HMAS Sydney fired a Naval Strike Missile. Spanish frigate Álvaro de Bazán fired an RGM‑84 Harpoon missile in coordination with JS Kongo. New Zealand frigate HMNZS Te Mana launched a Penguin missile from its SH‑2G helicopter. Italy’s ITS Giovanni delle Bande Nere deployed a Marte missile from its SH‑101 helicopter. U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Jeff Jablon said the exercise demonstrated the strength of partnerships and readiness created by combined operations. Republic of Korea Navy Rear Adm. Inho Kim said the SINKEX highlighted the coalition’s growing capability and commitment to regional stability. The RIMPAC 2026 exercise will conclude at the end of July, after which the participating nations plan to hold the next iteration in 2028.