Morning update

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US and Iran have exchanged accusations amid renewed attacks. While the US said it launched new strikes in retaliation to Iran's hit on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has accused Washington of violating the Memorandum of Understanding. The US Central Command (Centcom) said it hit over 80 targets in the latest wave of attacks against Iran. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) indicated it struck 85 key US military facilities in the region. Here are the latest developments: The US Treasury Department has revoked the general licence that authorised the sale of Iranian oil, according to a statement issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. A US military official indicated that air strikes against Iran would go on "for a while", according to the New York Times. CNN reported similar remarks, with one official quoted as saying that the latest US attacks were a "punishment", adding that it "won’t be over for a bit". US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to visit Israel on Wednesday, according to CNN citing three sources familiar with the matter. This would mark Hegseth's first visit to Israel since he began his role as Pentagon chief. The White House has invited Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit the US on 21 July, according to Reuters citing an American official. Two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, wounding 18 people and overshadowing the first visit to Syria by an EU head of state since Bashar al-Assad was toppled.