Situation Reports

The United Kingdom denounced Iran's seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf as a "hostile act" on July 20, Reuters reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, PressTV reported July 19.

The U.S. Treasury Department enacted sanctions against four former and current Iraqi leaders on July 18 over human rights violations and corruption under the Global Magnitsky Act. The targeted individuals include two commanders of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and two former provincial governors.

The Nepal-China railway link, a key project under China's Belt and Road Initiative, is reportedly facing delays due to technical problems and financing uncertainties, the Asia Times reported July 18.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has called on the country's reformists not to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections in February 2020 after several factions of the fragmented reformist movement have threatened to avoid the polls, Ghatreh reported July 19.

A South African public prosecutor has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of deliberately misleading the country's parliament over a $35,000 campaign donation, Reuters reported July 19.

An apparent airstrike on a warehouse in eastern Iraq has killed two Hezbollah fighters and injured some Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members, Al Arabiya reported July 19.

The finance ministers of the G-7 have reached a consensus about working toward an agreement on the taxation of large internet companies, according to French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, France 24 reported July 18.

Iran has offered the United States permanently enhanced inspections of its nuclear program in exchange for Washington's agreement to lift all sanctions against Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said during a visit to New York City, The Guardian reported July 18.

The White House has announced that Turkey will be blocked from further participation in the F-35 fighter jet program over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, The New York Times reported July 17.