Iran denies Trump’s claim of talks; Israeli strikes on Gaza kill over 30 since Friday “deal”; Cuba’s electricity collapses again

Iran denies Trump’s claim of talks; Israeli strikes on Gaza kill over 30 since Friday “deal”; Cuba’s electricity collapses again Monday, August 3, 2026 – President Donald Trump says U.S.-Iran talks will resume Monday; Tehran says no negotiations underway. Iran strikes Kuwait. NYT: U.S. dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on family in Qeshm. Iran says it is near agreement for Hormuz control. Saudi Crown Prince notes Saudi concern about strikes on call with Trump. Iran says several U.S. allies will not participate in future U.S. strikes. Two more executed in Iran. Ansarallah will not charge for Bab Al-Mandab transit, officials say. Two Saudi oil tankers transit Bab Al-Mandab despite Ansarallah blockade. Israel kills 34 Palestinians, wounds 134 since Gaza deal announcement. UN: 67% of Gaza faces food insecurity, 10% nears famine. Report: Israeli forces, settlers carried out 2,256 attacks in West Bank in July. Israel says it will not withdraw from Gaza despite agreement. Israeli court freezes Itamar Ben Gvir’s plan for crocodiles in prison moat over animal rights concerns. Israeli phosphorus attacks hit southern Lebanon despite ceasefire. Lebanon-Israel talks progressing while blast wounds five Lebanese soldiers. Major primary contests set for Michigan, Missouri, Washington state, Kansas, Virginia. Rep. Haley Stevens features pastor with anti-LGBTQ, Islamophobic history in Michigan Senate ad. Justice Department scraps parts of Trump’s IRS deal to save Todd Blanche’s Attorney General confirmation. Sen. Bernie Moreno calls former son-in-law Rep. Max Miller “unfit for office.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon asks universities to commit to reforms by end of 2026. Author of DNC autopsy says party buried chapter questioning Joe Biden’s 2024 run. Senate appropriators unveil stopgap bill to avert shutdown. Drone strikes Russian Black Sea resort, killing six. Suicide bombing kills 17 outside police station in northwest Pakistan. Cuban electricity grid collapses again. Trump’s shadow envoy in Venezuela is out. Taiwan defense chief states that U.S. military ties are “far closer” than publicly understood. Sudanese army drone strike on a community court in Darfur kills at least 35. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims Cuba is operating a vast espionage and influence network inside the United States. Turkey and Iraq sign one-year deal to keep Iraqi crude flowing to the Mediterranean, bypassing the Gulf. U.S. Treasury steps in to help Japan’s yen. (substackcdn.com)Displaced Palestinians inspect the destruction following an Israeli airstrike that targeted the nearby medical supplies warehouse of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip on August 1, 2026. Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images.This is Drop Site Daily, our free news recap We send it Monday – FridayIranTrump says U.S.-Iran talks will resume Monday; Tehran says no negotiations underway: President Donald Trump announced (x.com) that renewed diplomatic negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday afternoon, claiming he had shelved plans for what he had previously described as “biggest attack since World War II.”Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One, President Trump stated that the impending military operation was aborted at the last minute following direct appeals from key Middle Eastern allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.He also told reporters that the talks would address the Strait of Hormuz and the “denuclearization of Iran.”Iran’s Foreign Ministry said (en.mehrnews.com) Monday that Tehran is “not holding any negotiations with the United States at present,” stressing that ongoing talks are exclusively with Oman and f