China calls U.S. war-crazed & source of global chaos

• The United States informs Israel that it will expand military operations in Iran, and scenarios for Israeli involvement are being discussed.
• Iranian media: 7 people injured in a US attack targeting a residential area in Bandar Abbas.
• The US did it again: Last night US bombed dangerously close to a cancer hospital causing disruptions to chemotherapy treatments forcing 211 children to evacuate, Baghaei Hospital in Ahvaz.

• Israeli Channel 14: Bridges, railways, airports, and camps in southern Iran are being bombed with the aim of controlling the region. The US forces will soon enter Iran.
• According to additional reports, it looks like Iran struck American HIMARS systems in Kuwait. The same missile systems that were used to attack Iran. There’s large widespread fire, indicating a relatively large attack. 

• Hebrew Channel 12 Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Saudi Al-Arabiya channel: "My dream is to see peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. I have great respect for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and what we want most in Israel is to see rapprochement between the two peoples."
• War monger Pete Hegseth announced that he is rolling out a new screening program for "testosterone deficiency" among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their "absolute best." The screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members' required medical screenings for those 30 and older, he said. Troops under 30 can volunteer to be tested. [Reminds one of WW2 Nazi scientists doing experiments to create the perfect blonde-haired Aryan soldier.]

• The Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Iranian narrative that there are US military bases in Jordan is incorrect. There are no American bases in Jordan but rather American soldiers operating within the framework of military cooperation between us and Washington.
• White House spokeswoman after massacre of thousands of women and children in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran: Trump knows that our military never targets civilians or children. Iran is well known for killing women, children, and innocent people. 

• The chief engineer of the Russian Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant was killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A Ukrainian drone attacked an official vehicle, killing Alexander Yakovlev. Yakovlev’s driver was also killed reported Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom General Director.

• Another exchange of bodies of the fallen took place today. Russia and Ukraine conducted an exchange of the bodies of deceased military personnel. Russia received 31 bodies of Russian servicemen, while Ukraine received 501 bodies.
• Amidst the harsh heat in Gaza, a father created a makeshift pool for his children using simple materials, trying to give them moments of joy and alleviate the burden of the difficult circumstances. 

• NATO has launched more than 30 military interventions over the past 25 years. Military-industrial corporations have skillfully pulled the EU into NATO’s sphere of influence. NATO and the EU are using international terrorist methods. Kiev’s neo-Nazism was fostered by the intelligence services of the UK, France, and the US. The West has adopted a course of outright terrorism against Russia. Ukrainian long-range drone and missile strikes are only possible with Western support.

• NBC News: The ‘Donroe Doctrine’ continues in Latin America. The US will impose a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports from July 22, citing unfair trade practices. Brazil called the move unjustified and plans to challenge it through the WTO – which is another organization laid lame by the current hegemonic powers. A separate US investigation could raise total tariffs on some Brazilian goods to 37.5%. The reason here is not trade but the Brazilian election upcoming in early October. The US meddling has been ongoing with open support for the Bolsonaro family. In Brazil, a change in policy and rightist government has an added benefit of attempting to force China out of the region as trade partner.
• Mike Prysner Executive Director of the Center on Conscience and War: 'Unfavorable views of Israel surged from 41% to 60% between 2022 and 2026, driven in large part by attitudes of young (enlistment-age) Americans. Service members were part of that demographic. Then Trump started a new war with a single ally: Israel. They began that war with two clear US war crimes: the bombing of the Minab girls school, and the sinking of the defenseless IRIS Dena. Compared with previous generations, those age 17-29 are markedly more skeptical of military intervention, less committed to maintaining US military dominance, less willing to serve in the armed forces, and more likely to question traditional foreign policy assumptions.' 

• Chris Hedges: 'China has launched a blistering [verbal] attack on the US, describing Washington as "war-crazed" and accusing it of becoming a major source of global chaos. The message reflects Beijing's growing anger over America's military interventions, expanding alliances, sanctions, and involvement in conflicts across different regions of the world. Chinese officials appear to be arguing that the US presents itself as a defender of peace while repeatedly using military force, political pressure, and economic punishment to control events beyond its borders. Critics of American foreign policy argue that decades of wars, occupations, and regime-change operations have created instability rather than lasting peace. This is more than another diplomatic insult. It is part of a widening struggle between the world's two most powerful countries over who gets to define global order, security, and justice. America calls itself the guardian of stability. China is now openly calling it the engine of chaos.' 

• Mondoweiss, which credits The Electronic Intifada, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Intercept, and unnamed Palestinian writers for the research, exposes more than 20 senior editors, correspondents, columnists, and reporters “who have ties to the Zionist state.” One stunning but exemplary case is Natan Odenheimer, who served in an I.O.F. commando unit and then as a correspondent in The Times’s Jerusalem bureau—embedding with and covering his former colleagues. “How can we ever expect someone to report on the occupation correctly when he wore the occupier’s uniform for four years?” 
• The Cradle: Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi said on 13 July that the most dangerous threats in the region come not from Iran but from Israel, while lambasting the “myth” of the policy of “containment” that has for years targeted the Islamic Republic. “The gravest threats to Gulf security do not originate within the region itself. Rather, they stem from decisions taken outside it – above all, in Tel Aviv. That conclusion is now difficult to dispute,” the foreign minister wrote in an opinion piece released by Le Monde. Al-Busaidi added that Tehran “did not constitute an existential threat.” He criticized the expansion of the US military presence across the region, saying it did not provide protection or benefit the countries of the Gulf.

• Zelensky's decision to dismiss Defence Minister Mikhail Fedorov caused a wave of dissatisfaction among Ukrainian politicians, military personnel, and parts of society. Ukrainian dictator Zelensky states, "You know, during the war we cannot have elections due to, first and foremost, security considerations. You know this very well." Zelensky also made clear that all regime functionaries, except himself, can be replaced at his discretion. “It is very important for us to preserve the unity of our state. We have been working together for a long time. And sometimes there are conflicts. The law allows the government to be rebooted.”