By Steve Holland, Parisa Hafezi, Phil Stewart and Yomna Ehab
WASHINGTON/DUBAI, July 12 (Reuters) - U.S. and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting U.S. facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz.
The renewed violence casts further doubt on the future of an interim U.S.-Iranian agreement signed last month that aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations.
BAGHDAD, July 12 (Reuters) - Iraq's prime minister will visit Washington on Monday to deepen strategic ties with the United States, with oil and gas deals expected to be signed as part of a broader push for economic, trade and investment cooperation.
Iraq has been seeking to balance its ties with neighbouring Iran and the U.S. as military escalation between the two rivals continues.
By Steve Holland, Akanksha Khushi, Thomas Derpinghaus and Tim Reid
WASHINGTON, July 12 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a one-time vocal critic of Donald Trump who went on to become one of the president's staunchest allies, died late on Saturday from a heart ailment caused by hardening of the arteries, his office said on Sunday. He was 71.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump said he spoke to Graham "minutes" before the South Carolina Republican was taken ill and ruled out any foul play.
JERUSALEM, July 12 (Reuters) - Israel is set to hold a national election on October 27, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, its first since Hamas' 2023 attack and the wars that ensued in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
The precise ballot date had been unclear since the Israeli parliament voted in May to disband, raising the possibility the election could be held early.
However, coalition head Ofir Katz told a parliamentary committee on Sunday that the original October 27 date set by law would be kept.
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO, July 12 (Reuters) - Israeli attacks killed at least six people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a 9-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials said, as mediators held more talks to safeguard the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military said it was not aware of the incident.
By Khalil Ashawi
DAMASCUS, July 12 (Reuters) - Syria's new parliament convened for the first time on Sunday, 19 months after rebels led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad, a milestone in the country's political transition despite the chamber's current limited powers.
Sharaa, in a speech at parliament in Damascus, told lawmakers to "make this council a model of responsibility and competence" and described it as "a platform for truth and justice".
WASHINGTON, July 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic, though the U.S. and Iran continue to trade attacks that have raised concerns over safety on one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes.
Trump's comments were made during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press.
(Reporting by Jarrett RenshawEditing by David Goodman)
