Russia and Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey on Wednesday + Iran and E3 Nuclear Talks in Istanbul on Friday + Australia Delivers First Tranche of M1 Tanks to Ukraine + IDF Drone Strike on Houthi Port + More

For review:

1. Iran and E3 Nuclear Talks in Istanbul on Friday. Iran, Britain, France and Germany will hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday- following warnings by the three European countries that failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran.

2. Iran could withhold security commitments if European states invoke a UN mechanism to reimpose international sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a member of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission said on Monday. In the past, Iran has used the threat of disrupting maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz as a means to push back against Western pressures on its nuclear program.

3. IDF Drone Strike on Houthi Port. Israeli Air Force drones struck Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Hodeida port in response to the Iran-backed group’s continued attacks on Israel, the IDF said Monday.

4. Russia and Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey on Wednesday.

5. Australia Delivers First Tranche of M1 Tanks to Ukraine. Australia pledged to give Kyiv 49 Abrams tanks that it recently retired.

6. Belgium to increase defense spending to 2% GDP in 2025- will order more F-35s and procure air defense systems.

7. The US House passed its $832 billion defense appropriations bill for FY26 in a 221-209 vote on 18 Jul. 

This version of the FY26 defense budget is not the final word on the topic, as the House bill will have to be reconciled with the Senate’s spending bill further down the line. The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to release its defense spending proposal.