Reports have emerged of explosions occurring in the Iranian coastal city of Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island, a site noted for containing an underground “missile city.” These incidents coincide with the announcement from the US Central Command that a new series of strikes against Iran’s clerical regime has been conducted.

Recent days have seen a heightened exchange of retaliatory strikes between Iranian and US forces following President Trump’s declaration that the memorandum of understanding between the two countries is void.

There is no current information on possible damage or casualties from the explosions, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency, Mehr.

Strategically, Bandar Abbas is vital due to its location on the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Qeshm Island is significant for hosting ballistic missiles and is heavily guarded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran has reportedly claimed, via Mehr, that it successfully shot down a “hostile Lucas-type” American drone over the skies of Bandar Abbas.

It comes as CENTCOM announced American forces had hit “dozens of targets” as part of its latest wave of attacks.

The strikes “degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said. 

“CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using US fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time,” it added.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it.

“US forces are postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping despite Iran’s continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations.”

Meanwhile, Tehran says it has targeted US military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, and destroyed radar systems in Oman in response.

Tehran has vowed it has closed the strait, which has sent oil prices rising.

Brent crude rose by 3% Monday — although it remains well below peaks reached earlier in the near five-month-old conflict.

Tehran wants to establish a permit system for ships using the vital waterway, but Washington says Tehran “does not control the strait.”

With Post wires.

It has been revealed that a community leader from Washington state was the unfortunate victim of a bison attack at Yellowstone National Park, which saw him launched eight feet into the air.

The injured individual, Carl McDaniel from Bothell, was identified as the grandfather who encountered the enraged animal near the Bridge Bay Campground by Yellowstone Lake around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, as detailed by The New York Times.

A dramatic video, now viral online, captured the moment when the bull bison became agitated and swiftly charged at McDaniel, who is in his mid-60s.

The confrontation escalated when the bison closed in on McDaniel, using one of its horns to violently toss the grandfather into the air.

According to reports, the sudden and violent encounter left McDaniel with multiple broken bones.

The grandfather is a known community leader in Washington state, having served as a commissioner for Columbia Valley water and parks districts and other boards, per a profile published in December by Cascadia Daily News.

McDaniel, who was described as a sort of Good Samaritan that even dresses up as Santa Claus when needed, has lived in Kendall – about 110 miles north of Seattle – for about 25 years.

He has been passionate about bringing people together and building new parks in his community, according to the outlet.

McDaniel has also been a Whatcom County Surface Mining Advisory Committee member and a board member for the Foothills Community Alliance.

Mike MacLeod, a Montana photographer who was in the area, explained how the bison had been roaming the campground and charging at other campers.

The gigantic animal had initially targeted a group of teenage boys, who ran away from the area, before turning to a picnic table with dinner leftovers.

‘When he got up, it was kicking like a rodeo horse who’s clearly very agitated,’ MacLeod told The New York Times.

It was then that McDaniel drove up in a pickup truck with his grandson and began taking photos of the bison, apparently catching the beast’s attention.

‘As soon as they stop taking pictures, the bison stands up and the grandfather’s like, “Let’s get out of here. I don’t like this,”‘ MacLeod added.

Shortly afterwards, the bison began chasing McDaniel and his grandson around and through the trees.

McDaniel’s grandson was able to flee and lose the beast, but the Washington state grandfather was not as lucky.

Even after effectively flipping McDaniel into the air, the bison still ‘didn’t leave,’ according to MacLeod.

‘He stood right over Carl, and he was really, really angry,’ MacLeod said. ‘His head’s pumping up and down and he displayed all that aggressive behavior.’

At that point, MacLeod said that he ran at the animal ‘pumping my arms up and down, yelling at the top of my lungs and jumping up trying to look big and distracting.’

The attempt to distract the bull bison apparently paid off, as other onlookers soon joined in and the creature subsequently ran off.

A park ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later, with campers tending to McDaniel until then.

But despite the shocking footage and the violent attack, McDaniel’s mood was described as positive.

‘He was in a lot of pain with his leg, and otherwise he was conscious the whole time, in good spirits, joking,’ MacLeod told the outlet.

Park regulations require visitors to stay about 75 feet from the bison at all times, leading some online commenters to speculate about whether McDaniel had been closer than that.

However, MacLeod said that ‘most people [saw] that these two did not ask for it’ and that everyone he observed that day kept a ‘respectful distance.’

MacLeod claimed that McDaniel’s grandson told him that the latter suffered ‘some pretty significant injuries’ and was still not ‘out of the woods yet,’ according to Cowboy State Daily.

He also said McDaniel feared the attack had been caused by something he had done, but MacLeod insisted the bison was the one that started it.

As of Sunday night, the National Park Service and Yellowstone had not released any information about the bison attack.

The terrifying encounter came during the annual bison rut, which runs from June to September.

During that time, bulls become fueled by heightened energy and aggression as they battle for dominance and females.

The Daily Mail has reached out to McDaniel, the National Park Service and Yellowstone National Park for comment.

Before his unexpected passing, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reportedly jested, “I can’t die now,” after feeling unwell. Sadly, Graham died at 71, likely due to a ruptured aorta triggered by long-standing heart disease.

News of Graham’s death emerged in the early hours of Sunday, just days after his visit to a hidden Ukrainian military drone facility and a meeting with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, amidst their ongoing conflict.

Set to feature on Sunday’s edition of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Graham shared with a confidant that he was not feeling well on Saturday, soon after his return from Ukraine, as reported by Axios.

In a light-hearted manner, Graham, known for his alliance with Trump, remarked, “I can’t die now. I still need to address Russia sanctions, solve issues with Iran, and facilitate Israeli-Saudi relations,” as relayed by the source.

Graham had engaged in a conversation with President Trump concerning his Ukraine visit and the bipartisan initiative for Russian sanctions that he was promoting in Congress alongside Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Lawmakers had reached an agreement with the White House – and the measures would allow the Trump administration to slap hefty tariffs on nations fueling Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

Blumenthal said passing the bill would be a “fitting tribute” to the late senator. 

“I will forever remember our last lengthy conversation this weekend, when he exulted at reaching an agreement on our Russian sanctions bill & said, ‘this is a big effing deal—we all did good,’” Blumenthal wrote on X Sunday.

“He was tireless in pursuing freedom for Ukraine & brought to this cause his signature relentless energy & optimism,” he said. 

“He marched to his own drummer. He could be strong-minded, fiercely driven, & sometimes unpredictable, but also deeply compassionate & sympathetic when he saw suffering & injustice. I was always impressed with his kindness to people we met along the way.”

Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said he would put forward a Russia sanctions bill in the House of Representatives, while Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) suggested the package could be on Trump’s desk this week.

Graham was also pushing for an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal before the swearing in of the new Congress in January 2027.

He was reportedly planning trips to Israel and Saudi Arabia to see if there was any scope for talks.

Graham suggested work for intensive talks could start in September – with a framework for a deal agreed by November, coinciding with the US midterms. 

The pol had identified the lame duck period between the two Congresses for potential ratification. 

Saudi Arabia has long vowed it will not normalize relations with Israel until an independent Palestinian state is created.

Graham’s team said he died from a “sudden illness” before preliminary findings from the DC medical examiner’s office revealed he died from “Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.”

The condition involves a tear in the body’s main artery; it mostly affects older men, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the medical examiner’s office said in its initial assessment.

President Trump led the tributes to Graham – describing the longtime pol as “one of the greatest people” he had known.

“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social early Sunday.

But the two didn’t always see eye to eye.

Graham was one of Trump’s sharpest Republican critics during the 2016 presidential campaign and even ran against him for the GOP nomination.

“If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it,” Graham warned at the time.

After the 2016 election, however, the two became close political allies, with Graham emerging as an outspoken defender of Trump in the Senate.

Graham stood firmly behind Trump during both of the president’s impeachment trials, voting to acquit him each time.

After Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Graham backed Trump’s efforts to challenge the results in several battleground states but ultimately accepted Biden’s victory after the Electoral College certified the results. 

He also campaigned with Trump during the 2024 presidential race and was a key Trump ally on foreign policy and national security. 

In recent months, Graham was one of the strongest Republican voices backing Trump’s decision to strike Iran, arguing the military action was necessary to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“I have a lot of respect for President Trump. He is his own man,” Graham told Axios in February.

“And as with all presidents, he will be held responsible for his decisions on such weighty matters. As to me, history will be very clear as to where I stood, for better or worse.”

MIAMI (AP) — Florida recently executed a 74-year-old prisoner, marking the oldest individual to face execution in the state’s contemporary history. The subsequent prisoners lined up for execution are even older.

As the state prepares to conduct more executions by the month’s end, it draws attention to the aging demographic of death-row prisoners nationwide. Among those to be executed in July is an 80-year-old man, sentenced for the 1986 murder of his former girlfriend’s parents, possibly becoming just the second known octogenarian to be executed in the United States.

This situation raises ethical questions for some about the practice of executing inmates who might naturally die soon. For others, it highlights the complex balance between ensuring constitutional rights through lengthy appeals and potentially delaying justice.

“Is the intention to prevent prisoners from escaping execution through natural death?” pondered Rev. Dustin Feddon, a Catholic priest actively ministering to death row inmates in Florida since 2013. While acknowledging the church’s firm stance against capital punishment, he remarked, “Executing the frail and elderly is exceptionally harsh and unusual.”

In contrast, Marilyn Gifford, whose sister’s murderer is scheduled for execution on Tuesday, holds a different perspective.

“I’m just happy it’s ever happening in our lifetime,” she said. “I wish my mother was alive to see it.”

Death warrants follow decades on death row

On June 25, Dusty Ray Spencer, who was convicted of fatally stabbing his wife in 1992, became the oldest person executed in Florida in modern history. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the 74-year-old’s appeal that his liver disease rendered him susceptible to excruciating pain from lethal injection.

Dennis Sochor, convicted of killing 18-year-old Patricia Gifford just hours into 1982 after meeting her at a New Year’s Eve party, would be just a week older if his execution is carried out on Tuesday. Marilyn Gifford said she and her family plan to be there.

Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, has spent nearly four decades on death row after being sentenced in the murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. He is scheduled to die July 28 and would become the second oldest prisoner known to be put to death in the U.S., after 83-year-old Walter Moody Jr. Moody was executed in Alabama in 2018 for killing a federal judge and a Black civil rights attorney.

There are three inmates older than Occhicone on Florida’s death row.

The scheduling of executions is up to the governor

It’s unclear why Florida set the executions for the three prisoners consecutively. Maria DeLiberato, legal director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, noted that in Florida, the governor has practically sole discretion when it comes to the scheduling of executions. In many other death penalty states, the scheduling is up to the courts.

About half of Florida’s 242 death row inmates have exhausted their appeals and could see their death warrant issued at any time. The family of Michael Sheridan spent a year calling and writing to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, requesting he sign a death warrant, before Sheridan’s killer was executed earlier this year.

DeSantis said last year his goal is to bring justice to victims’ families who have waited for decades.

“Some of these crimes were committed in the ’80s,” the governor said last year. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Death row gets older

The average age of inmates executed in the U.S. has crept up from the 30s to the 50s over the past half-century, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. While some inmates committed capital offenses later in life, lengthy appeals and mandatory reviews have resulted in many spending decades on death row, sometimes developing medical conditions that can complicate efforts to execute them.

Occhicone has several age-related ailments, including kidney and prostate problems, according to his attorneys. He needs help getting in and out of the shower, they noted.

Under Supreme Court precedent, those who were under 18 when they committed their crimes cannot be put to death. But advanced age alone doesn’t provide a legal case for avoiding execution, said Gerod Hooper, an attorney with Florida’s Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, a state agency that provides post-conviction legal representation.

“You’d have to say it’s unconstitutional to execute this 80-year-old because he’s mentally deficient, he doesn’t have capacity to be executed,” Hooper said. “Or because of some underlying medical condition, the drug cocktail they inject would cause undue pain and suffering.”

Death row inmates with dementia in Utah and Alabama have avoided execution and later died of apparent natural causes. An inmate in Idaho received at least one stay of execution because of cancer and other health problems, but state officials continue to push for his death.

‘He could live another 20 years’

At the time of Gifford’s disappearance, Sochor was free on probation from a 1980 rape conviction.

“I knew him as a child, and he was a bully,” said Frank Frandel, who grew up as a family friend in Portland, Michigan. “I could believe he could be violent like that.”

Frandel offered no sympathy for Sochor’s advanced age, pointing out that Sochor’s father will turn 99 this year.

“He could live another 20 years,” Frandel said. “So no, I don’t feel sorry for him being at that age.”

A young student athlete, who dreamed of joining the NFL, has tragically lost his life due to a stabbing incident near a Los Angeles elementary school. His grieving family shared his aspirations, following his untimely death.

Fifteen-year-old Aziel Zacapala was fatally stabbed on Friday near Potrero School in El Monte around 1 p.m., as reported by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Zacapala attended Rosemead High School, located a few miles from the incident, and played on the school’s football team.

Authorities were alerted about the altercation outside the school after a local hospital informed them of three stabbing victims, including Zacapala, who had sought emergency medical attention.

Tragically, the teenager was declared dead shortly after arrival at the hospital. The other two individuals, described as adult males, survived and are reported to be in stable condition, according to police.

Authorities have not yet made any arrests in connection with the incident, and investigations are ongoing to determine if multiple individuals were involved, stated the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

The department added that it is investigating the crime and that ‘currently, there is no suspect description available.’   

It remains unclear why Zacapala was near the elementary school or what caused the fight that led to three people being stabbed. 

A GoFundMe page set up by Zacapala’s uncle to help the teen’s single mother of three pay for a funeral and cover regular expenses while she grieves revealed the student athlete’s dreams of ‘making it to the big leagues as a football player.’

The uncle, Daniel Aguilar, described Zacapala as ‘a beloved nephew, friend, son, and high school football player/great friend.’ 

‘Aziel was a good kid, full of promise and kindness, and he had big dreams of making it to the big leagues as a football player,’ Aguilar added. 

The uncle said that less than a week before the fatal stabbing, Zacapala had been spending time at his high school’s Fourth of July event with his football friends, who referred to him by the nickname ‘AZ.’ 

‘His dedication to his sport and his positive spirit inspired everyone around him, and his absence leaves a deep void in our family and community,’ Aguilar said. 

The teen’s death has devastated his mother, who is raising two younger siblings, including a newborn. She is also unemployed and has been doing Instacart deliveries ‘just to stay afloat,’ the uncle said. 

‘As a father of three myself, I cannot begin to imagine the pain my sister is experiencing,’ he added. 

As of Sunday morning, the GoFundMe smashed its original goal of $9,000 and has raised more than $18,000. 

Zacapala was killed less than a week after another student-athlete football player was found dead in Mississippi on July 6. 

In that case, 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells had gone missing on July 4th after enjoying a boating day with friends, and his body was discovered after a two-day, multiagency search.