MIDDLE EAST - The US has said it successfully intercepted a “surprise attack” by Iran on American forces in the Middle East. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces “launched multiple ballistic missiles in an attempted surprise attack on US forces”, US Central Command said on Tuesday evening. It marks yet another return to conflict, despite Donald Trump saying on Monday that there were “very friendly negotiations going on” during a lull in fighting. A return to missile strikes in the Middle East will mark a blow for Mr Trump, who has increasingly sought an exit from the conflict before the US midterm elections in November.

MIDDLE EAST - The war in the Gulf that everyone thought had ended a few weeks ago is escalating. US forces have been attacking Iranian targets in response to Tehran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz. The weekend saw a lull in exchanges between the two protagonists, raising hopes of more talks, though reportedly because the US is running out of missiles. Moreover, the conflict has flared up in the Red Sea where the Houthi militia – proxies of the Iranians – have targeted shipping heading for the Suez Canal. There are now two major waterways critical to world trade through which ships pass at their peril. The price of oil has shot up, jet fuel could start running out in a few weeks, supplies of fertilisers crucial for agriculture are dwindling and global trade is at risk of seizing up.

UK - While the biggest domestic issue for investors may be the fiscal choices of a new Burnham-Healey administration, the pressing global matter remains the price of energy. Oil continues to grab the headlines, as it surges above $100 (£75) a barrel once more, but traders tell Questor that the real story to follow is not the cost of crude, but the availability and price of refined products. We put petrol or diesel or jet fuel into cars, tractors, and aeroplanes – not crude oil, after all. This takes us to the so-called “crack spread”, which measures the difference between the price of crude and the refined products that are extracted from it. The bad news is that the crack spread is soaring and this could yet have implications for inflation and, in turn, consumer confidence, corporate profits and thus investors’ portfolios.

USA - Melania and Barron Trump targeted by Iran in disturbing video encouraging their assassination. First lady Melania Trump and son Barron are the latest targets of Iran’s sick anti-US propaganda. A new video out of Iran is encouraging supporters of the Islamic regime to assassinate President Trump’s wife. Entitled “How to Kill Melania Trump,” the video shows images of the first lady in the motorcade and in some locations around New York City, even naming some of the designer stores that she shops. President Trump also has faced threats from Iran and acknowledged he’s their number one target, after a US-Israel operation knocked off its supreme leader and regime figures.

IRAN - Iran has urged countries worldwide against aiding the US in the war against the country, warning that any support for the aggression will make them legitimate targets for retaliation. The US and Iran have been trading tit-for-tat strikes for the past two weeks following the collapse of a tentative ceasefire earlier this month. The Pentagon has been largely focused on targets across southern and central Iran, while Tehran has attacked US military installations across the region. The renewed hostilities have disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and a number of merchant ships have been struck.

GERMANY - The majority of Germans do not believe their armed forces are capable of protecting the country, a recent YouGov survey has found. According to the International Flagship Survey published on Friday, 70% of respondents in Germany said they are not confident their armed forces are strong enough to fend off an attack. The German economy is reeling from the cost-of-living crisis and high energy prices, exacerbated by the phaseout of Russian energy and the ongoing war in the Middle East.

UK - For much of modern history, religion and science have been cast as natural enemies. But today there is a growing (albeit minority) view among scientists that God may well be behind their new discoveries. As they continue to untangle the complexities of the universe and molecular biology, they see a system that only a higher power could construct. Simple mechanical explanations simply fail to meet the explanatory test. “The new discoveries in science push us in this direction,” notes Dr Stephen C Meyer. As scientists learn more about cells and chromosomes and the programming they share, some are openly challenging Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution with a view that sees a purpose behind natural phenomena.

IRAN - Iran’s Hadid 110 drone has had an upgrade. Now, it flies lower, faster and is harder to see. Jet-powered, with a top speed of more than 300mph, the new stealth drone has been built to slip through American air defences. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had been deployed for the first time in the past fortnight, fired towards US bases and warships in the region. The Telegraph understands that the drone is an advanced version of their standard Hadid 110, a weapon Iranian officials consider one of their most capable. The suicide drone was first shown to Ali Khamenei last year, before the then ayatollah was killed in the war’s opening strikes. What distinguishes the new Hadid 110 is speed and stealth. Where most of Iran’s attack drones are propeller-driven and slow, this one carries a turbojet engine that Iranian sources say pushes it to 316mph, making it the fastest-known Iranian drone. It is launched by a solid-fuel booster that lifts it to speed and altitude before the jet ignites, allowing rapid deployment from the field. The speed offers it a huge battlefield advantage.

TURKEY - Donald Trump has told Benjamin Netanyahu that “nobody can tell me what to do”, in a row over the United States selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. The US president said during this month’s NATO summit in Ankara that he was lifting US sanctions imposed on Turkey that blocked it from the F-35 programme over purchasing missiles from Russia in 2019. But the suggestion has raised fears in Israel that bolstering the Muslim country’s firepower would upset a delicate balance of power in the Middle East. Turkey, unlike its NATO allies, does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation. Turkey and Israel are also jockeying for greater influence in Syria. Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has personally lobbied Mr Trump about the potential sale, publicly describing Turkey as a “nation infected with the Muslim Brotherhood” and claiming that Turkey has “aggressive aspirations”.

USA - One world leader visiting Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday has a thirst for war. The other wants nothing more than for the fighting to stop. The wars in Ukraine and Iran are lingering over the upcoming November Midterms like a bad smell. Volodymyr Zelensky is hoping to convince his US counterpart to help him finally bring an end to almost five years of fighting with Russia. The same cannot be said of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who believes a full-scale resumption of the war with Iran is the only way to topple the Islamic Republic’s regime and end its nuclear weapons programme. Both men are in Washington to attend the funeral of Lindsey Graham, who was arguably Ukraine’s biggest ally in the Senate, but also a cheerleader for strikes on Iran. The contrasts between the two meetings couldn’t be starker. Mr Zelensky arrives hoping diplomacy can deliver more weapons. Mr Netanyahu arrives hoping diplomacy has already failed and strikes on Tehran can continue at pace.