· NY Post
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The U.S. and Iran continued trading airstrikes on Sunday after the U.S. military said it launched a new round of attacks to “swiftly punish” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard for hitting a base in Jordan, killing two U.S. soldiers.
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Iran responded by targeting two U.S. bases in Kuwait, while Jordan and Bahrain — also American allies — said they intercepted Iranian attacks on Sunday.
In the past week, both the U.S. and Iran have ramped up airstrikes against each other, targeting what they said were key infrastructure as the 60-day ceasefire signed between both sides collapsed less than a month after it began.
Here’s the latest on the Iran war on Sunday:
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it intercepted four ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz that had ignored Iranian warnings and acted in “support of American” forces, according to a statement published by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
“Two of them had an accident and stopped in place, and the other two refused to continue the route,” the statement said, per ABC News .
Bahrain sounded air raid sirens early Sunday as it dealt with more attacks it said were launched by Iran.
The Bahrain Defence Force said in a post in Arabic on social media that its forces “confronted, intercepted, and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks” early Sunday.
Early Sunday, Kuwait’s army said it was “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks,” following what it called “Iranian aggression.”
In a statement posted on X , it said any explosions that may be heard are the result of its air defence system intercepting hostile targets.
Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said one of its power and water desalination plants was hit for the second time in two days, leading to a fire breaking out in a number of the plant’s facilities, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.
Early Sunday, the U.S. embassy in Jordan said its international airport and sea port at the Red Sea city of Aqaba had been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat.”
According to AFP, Jordan’s state-run Al-Mamlaka channel reported that sirens sounded “in different parts of the kingdom.”
Jordan’s army said it shot down three Iranian missiles with no reported casualties, state TV reported.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Saturday its forces completed an eighth consecutive night of strikes, “successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities.”
It added in the post on X that “American military assets also targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched attacks against U.S. service members in Jordan on July 17.”
A previous post on X by CENTCOM said the strikes, which began Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, were also “designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
On Saturday, the U.S. military said two U.S. soldiers were killed, and another is missing on Friday as they “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks, CENTCOM previously said.
It said other service members
Four American service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. Other personnel who were evaluated for minor injuries have returned to duty.
· Yahoo Sports
The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain did not kick off on time and was delayed by six minutes. Kick-off at the New York New Jersey stadium was scheduled to be 8pm BST (3pm ET) but the most-watched sporting fixture in the world did not begin until 8:06pm BST.
The start of the match followed a performance by Robbie Williams, the singing of the national anthem by Jennifer Hudson, a bizarre pre-game speech by actor Tom Cruise, and a ‘let’s get ready to rumble’ build-up by ring announcers the Buffer brothers - Michael and Bruce.
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There was also the World Cup closing ceremony, 90 minutes before kick-off, featuring performances by Post Malone and streamer IShowSpeed, while the World Cup trophy was brought onto the pitch by Spain’s 2010 champion Andreas Iniesta and Argentina’s 1978 champion Mario Kempes, as well as tennis champion Carlos Alcaraz and Squid Game actor Hoyeon.
As anticipation for the World Cup final was beginning to build, Cruise appeared on stage and addressed the crowd. “So as we gather for one final chapter, let us celebrate a tournament that brought the world together. Let us celebrate each other. This is football. This is unity. This is greatness,” he said, in a strange monologue.
The World Cup final will also stage an extended half-time show, with performances from Shakira and Madonna expected to delay the restart of the final by several minutes. Donald Trump's attendance at the match also added extra layers of security, with hundreds of journalists, entertainers, and volunteers waiting in lines for up to three hours before entering the stadium.
As with all other matches at the World Cup, the final features a three-minute hydration break roughly halfway through each half. The conditions in New Jersey for the World Cup final are warm, with no air conditioning available at the outdoor venue - unlike in Dallas or Atlanta for the semi-finals.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina are bidding to become the first World Cup champions to defend their title since Brazil in 1962, while Spain are attempting to win the World Cup for the second time and add to their Euro 2024 victory.
Spain are the favourites after brilliantly beating France 2-0 in a surprisingly one-sided semi-final, so perhaps it is no surprise that Luis de la Fuente opted for an unchanged starting XI from that fixture.
(Getty) (Getty) (AFP/Getty)Lionel Scaloni made three changes from the Argentina side that started the semi-final victory over England. Nahuel Molina, Giuliano Simeone and Leandro Paredes all drop to the bench, with right-back Gonzalo Montiel and midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Nico Gonzalez starting instead.
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic will officiate the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina; Vincic will be joined by compatriot assistants Tomaz Klancnik and Andraz Kovacic, making history as the first ever referee from Slovenia to take charge of the landmark fixture.