Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including the US conducting a 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, more than 12,000 people being evacuated as a wildfire continued to spread in one of France's most popular tourist destinations, and Iran rejecting a US ceasefire proposal delivered by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi
US forces carried out a 13th consecutive night of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, according to a statement released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM said the operation concluded at 9 pm Eastern Time on July 23 and targeted military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities.
It said the strikes were intended "to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."
The US military also said that more than 50,000 American service members are currently deployed across the Middle East.
US strikes on areas near the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz killed four people and injured five others, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Later, air raid sirens sounded in Jordan's capital and explosions were reported near US military bases in Kuwait, according to Iranian media.
More than 12,000 people were evacuated as a wildfire continued to spread in Gironde, near Arcachon Bay, one of France's most popular tourist destinations, according to broadcaster BFM.
The fire, which broke out Wednesday, has already burned around 2,400 hectares of vegetation, according to local authorities.
France has faced several severe wildfire seasons in recent years, with scientists warning that rising temperatures and prolonged dry conditions linked to climate change are increasing the risk of wildfires across Europe.
Meanwhile, Spain has also been facing a challenging wildfire season with high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds complicating firefighting operations across several regions.
The European Union's Copernicus satellite monitoring system estimates that more than 123,000 hectares have burned across Spain so far this year, four times the area recorded during the same period in 2025.
Iran rejected a US ceasefire proposal delivered by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, The New York Times reported, as fighting between the two countries continued for nearly two weeks.
Citing Iranian and Iraqi officials familiar with the matter, the newspaper said al-Zaidi carried the proposal during a visit to Tehran after recently meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
The report said details of the proposal were unclear, but Iranian officials described it as the only proposal currently offered.
Tehran rejected it, they reportedly said, because it did not resolve the issue of control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The report said Iranian officials were preparing for the possibility of a wider conflict if Trump follows through on threats to strike Tehran and additional critical infrastructure.
The newspaper said two Iranian officials told it that such attacks would prompt Tehran to expand the war regionally, including by targeting Tel Aviv and asking Yemen’s Houthi group to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The US announced that it will impose additional tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on 60 trade partners over their “failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.”
The action was taken under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 following investigations into the acts, policies and practices of various economies related to forced labor imports, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement.
The tariffs, which cover 99.4% of US imports from the investigated economies, will be set at either 10% or 12.5%, subject to certain product exemptions.
The US also imposed sanctions on nine entities and two individuals accused of sustaining the Cuban government’s control over vital economic sectors and exploiting overseas labor.
The European Central Bank maintained its three key interest rates as President Christine Lagarde addressed the lingering effects of the energy crisis.
Lagarde stated that the full inflationary impact of the energy shock had yet to play out, through the website of the bank.
The institution observed that energy prices stayed highly volatile and remained above levels seen before the Middle East conflict.
Lagarde added that the energy shock and related uncertainties dragged down near-term economic growth.
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