By Michael Martina

WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakersintroduced a bipartisan bill on Tuesday to increase penalties for foreign government agents who threaten people on U.S. soil, a move aimed at countering the rise of what officials call "transnational repression" by countries such as China and Iran.

The bill, put forward by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Senator John Curtis, comes after China's ethnic unity law went into effect on July 1, establishing what Beijing says is its right to target certain critics beyond its borders.

July 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Tuesday it was launching more strikes against Iran.

The strikes began Tuesday afternoon Eastern Time, the U.S. Central Command said in a social media post.

The strikes come as the U.S. is preparing to reinstate a blockade of Iranian shipping after Tehran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. blockade is set to go into effect at 1600 E.T. (2000GMT), according to the Central Command.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Writing by Christian Martinez; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

By Enas Alashray, Elwely Elwelly, Tala Ramadan and Katharine Jackson

CAIRO/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump stepped back on Tuesday from a proposal to charge a 20% transit fee on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid the war with Iran, saying he would instead seek investment deals with Gulf states.

U.S. forces carried out attacks for a fourth night in a row after Tehran said it had closed the strait, prompting Trump on Monday to reinstate a blockade of Iranian shipping and propose the fee.

By Maya Gebeily and Alvise Armellini

BEIRUT/ROME, July 14 (Reuters) - Lebanon and Israel resumed talks on Tuesday in the Italian capital, with Beirut hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered agreement, although expectations for swift progress were low.

A U.S. State Department official said in a brief statement that the Rome talks were positive and would continue on Wednesday, adding that both sides were eager to move forward.

By Enas Alashray

DUBAI, July 14 (Reuters) - One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded when two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's shipping arm ADNOC L&S later confirmed the very large crude carriers (VLCCs) Mombasa B and Al Bahyah were struck while transiting Hormuz and had sustained "significant damage".

By Enas Alashray, Elwely Elwelly, Tala Ramadan and Katharine Jackson

CAIRO/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday as President Donald Trump reinstated a blockade of Iranian shipping and proposed charging a 20% fee to guard the Strait of Hormuz.

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO, July 14 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike and gunfire killed at least 10 Palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy, and a senior Hamas police officer, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Gazan health and police officials said.

The deaths add to a toll of more than 1,100 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since an Octoberceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, according to health officials in the enclave.

By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK, July 14 (Reuters) - A key cooperating witness in the U.S. government's criminal investigation into Turkish state-run lender Halkbank's alleged role in helping Iran evade sanctions avoided prison time at his sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

Reza Zarrab was sentenced to time served by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman at a hearing in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors had urged the judge to take his cooperation with their case into account in determining his punishment.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, July 14 (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran was a significant blow to civilians in the region that risked severe disruption to the flow of food, medicines, and other essentials.

The fighting "undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region," the U.N. high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said in a statement.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, July 14 (Reuters) - Sudan risks sliding backwards into deeper hunger as conflict, aid funding cuts and rising agricultural costs driven by disruption linked to the Iran war threaten to reverse gains made after famine took hold in parts of the country, a senior World Food Programme official said on Tuesday.