SINGAPORE, July 22 (Reuters) - Vessel crossings via the Strait of Hormuz dropped further on Tuesday, shipping data showed, as security concerns lingered amid ongoing attacks by the United States and Iran.

A total of three commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from four the previous day, Kpler data showed.

The general cargo ship the Kaiser exited the strait loaded with cargo, while the dry bulk carrier H7 Smb8 entered the strait in ballast, Kpler data showed, meaning it will take on a cargo in the Gulf.

DUBAI/PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) - An Iranian foreign ministry official denied on Wednesday that two French diplomats were mistreated by Iranian security personnel who detained them for several hours in Tehran.

Paris swiftly dismissed the Iranian official's comments, which were reported by state media, and has warned that there will be consequences over the incident.

The French foreign ministry summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires on Tuesday over the incident, in which it said two French embassy staff had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services.

MANILA, July 22 (Reuters) - Canada is calling for a de-escalation and a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East, with the situation "quite grave", its foreign minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting.

She also reaffirmed Canada's support for international law in addressing tensions in the South China Sea during meetings with Southeast Asian counterparts in Manila.

By Doina Chiacu

July 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested when he visits the U.S., after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was still considering the move.

"Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America," Trump wrote in a social media post that did not refer to the mayor's comments.

MANILA, July 22 (Reuters) - Australia's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Asian countries face a choice in how they respond to instances of aggressive conduct in the South China Sea that were of concern to Canberra.

A recent encounterin the South China Sea between China and the Philippines was a real concern, in addition to being destabilising and risky, Penny Wong said on the sidelines of a meeting led by the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN.

KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE, July 22 (Reuters) - Civil society groups have called on Malaysian billionaire tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary to revoke the appointment of Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem as executive chairman of logistics giant MMC Port Holdings due to his alleged ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Reuters reported exclusively last week that Emirati Bin Sulayem was set to take control of Malaysia's largest port operator, five months after his resignation from Dubai's DP World amid scrutiny over his email exchanges with financier Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019.

GDANSK, July 22 (Reuters) - Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.

Below is a summary of what countries and companies are doing to regulate access to social media amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children's health and safety.

AUSTRALIA

By Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said late on Tuesday it ended its latest round of strikes on Iran that marked the 11th consecutive night of American attacks.

Here are quotes and details:

• "CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.