Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy says it has stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. (AFP via Arab News)
    • July 2026 United States strikes against Iran
      • The Islamic Republic News Agency reports that the U.S. military struck the Shalamcheh area near the Iran–Iraq border. Two people are reported to be killed and 11 are reported injured. (The Guardian) (Middle East Eye)
  • Red Sea crisis
    • The Houthis claim to have attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea for their violation of the blockade by Yemen's Houthi-led armed forces. There are no reported casualties. (Al Jazeera)
    • Shipping data shows that two Chinese very-large crude carriers carrying four million ​barrels of Saudi Arabian oil, the Singaporean-flagged VLCC Xin Long Yang and Chinese-flagged VLCC Cosnew Lake, are heading towards Bab-el-Mandeb strait. (The Standard)
    • Reuters reports that Iran sent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers, along with drone- and missile-related equipment, on a Mahan Air flight to Houthi-controlled Yemen on July 13, in preparation for the blockade on Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 2026 Iran war fuel crisis
    • Oil prices, including Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate, increase to over US$101 per barrel and to nearly $93 per barrel, respectively, after the escalation in the Red Sea. The United States gasoline national average increases to $4.09 per gallon. (NBC News)

Law and crime

• International Criminal Court investigation in Darfur
  • The International Criminal Court at The Hague officially drops charges against former militia leader Abdallah Banda, who was previously charged for his role in a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers during Sudan's Darfur conflict. (The Straits Times)

Politics and elections

• Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
  • The United States House of Representatives, in a 214–208 vote, approves war powers legislation attempting to require the president of the United States to halt military action against Iran. The United States Senate, in a 47–49 vote, stops the legislation from advancing. (Reuters) (CNBC)

July 23: Tisha B'Av (Judaism, 2026); Birthday of Haile Selassie (Rastafari)

• 1891 – During a visit of the French Navy to Kronstadt in Russia, the two nations reached a secret agreement on a joint response to any future war in Europe.
• 1942 – Bulgarian poet and communist activist Nikola Vaptsarov was executed by firing squad.
• 1995 – Hale–Bopp, one of the most widely observed comets of the 20th century, was independently discovered by astronomers Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp.
• 1999 – Forty-seven people were arrested in Tulia, Texas, for dealing cocaine; 35 of them were pardoned by the governor of Texas years later.
• 2010 – The English-Irish boy band One Direction (pictured) were formed while auditioning for the 2010 series of the British singing competition The X Factor.