First Thing: US continues attacks on Iran ‘in honor’ of dead service members | Martin Belam

Donald Trump at the World Cup final on Sunday. Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Donald Trump at the World Cup final on Sunday. Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images First Thing: US continues attacks on Iran ‘in honor’ of dead service members The US launches a ninth night of strikes targeting Iran. Plus, the glorious art deco LA Central Library celebrates 100 years Good morning. The US launched a ninth night of strikes targeting Iran early Monday, after announcing the death of another American service member – the third in recent days. Donald Trump said the new attacks were “in honor” of the dead. Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned in a statement of “unforgettable lessons” if the US kept attacking. Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power stations and bridges to try to compel Tehran to loosen its hold on the strait of Hormuz. Last week the US reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The military on Saturday said it had redirected six ships and disabled one since then. Oil prices rose at the opening of trading in Asia on Monday, with the price of Brent crude climbing 2.72% to $90.50 a barrel. Where have US service personnel been killed? The service member was killed on Saturday in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of what was called unexploded ordnance on a downed Iranian attack drone. It was the third US death in recent days, after two military service personnel were killed in an Iranian attack on a Jordanian airbase on Friday, with a third missing in action. Since the war began, 17 US service members have been killed. What is the US mission against Iran? The war was started in February when the former Iranian supreme leader was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes. Trump has indicated several motives for the war, including preventing Tehran from gaining nuclear weapons and trying to force regime change. On Sunday, the US energy secretary, Chris Wright, argued the mission has shifted toward ensuring oil shipments can move through Hormuz, after the US-Iran ceasefire has faltered. Mamdani exploring whether he can arrest Netanyahu if he visits New York View image in fullscreen New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks with prisoners on Rikers Island. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he was reviewing whether his administration could arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if as expected he visits the city for the UN general assembly in September. The mayor said he believed Israel’s prime minister “belongs in The Hague,” referring to the Dutch city home of the international criminal court (ICC). It issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024. Marco Rubio has announced a US policy of trying to “dismantle” the court. Early in his presidency, Trump ordered economic sanctions against the ICC, maintaining it lacked jurisdiction over the US or Israel. Netanyahu brushed off Mamdani’s arrest threats in a radio appearance, saying he was not concerned