July 12, 2026

Good morning! Today is Sunday, July 12th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. With the Iran War now in its 134th day, Tehran signals talks in Oman while Trump warns a thousand missiles are "locked and loaded" over a Strait of Hormuz standoff. Scott Greer argues Karoline Leavitt's Fox News broadside against lazy, entitled Zoomers may thrill Boomer viewers but deepens the GOP's collapse among young voters. Spencer Neale examines how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's quiet refusal to endorse Graham Platner now looks prescient after sexual assault allegations ended his Maine Senate bid. and now for the details. We begin with the Iran War, which entered its 134th day on Saturday. Iranian officials are set to travel to Oman for talks over the future of the conflict, though the shape of those negotiations remains unclear. U.S. and Iranian delegates were initially reported to be meeting in Muscat, with CBS News saying Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff would attend. Qatari mediators later told CBS that no Americans would be present. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected in Muscat for discussions on management of the Strait of Hormuz, and is also slated to meet with Turkey's foreign minister. Iranian state media, citing unnamed sources, says Tehran has ruled out talks with Washington until its conditions are met—including a Lebanon working group, resolution of Hormuz management, and permission for Iranian oil exports. In a Truth Social post Friday evening, President Trump warned that a thousand missiles are, in his words, "locked and loaded" and aimed at Iran, and that thousands more would follow should Iran act on threats to assassinate him. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, the White House has reportedly given Iran a Saturday deadline to publicly declare the Strait of Hormuz open and to stop firing on commercial ships, or face consequences. The dispute centers on which corridor tankers use through the strait, with Iran demanding coordination and tolls on its side of the waterway while Western shipping organizations direct vessels through Oman's corridor. Brent Crude closed Friday at just over seventy-six dollars a barrel. Staying in the region, Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, was detained for ninety minutes by Israeli settlers while touring the West Bank on Wednesday afternoon. As David Brady reports for The American Conservative, Khanna—who is weighing a 2028 presidential run—was traveling through the ruins of Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian village, as part of a three-day trip when armed settlers surrounded and blocked his vehicle. According to the New York Times, Israel Defense Force members arrived at the scene during the encounter but did not assist Khanna. They blocked the road only after the settlers departed. The incident was captured by the congressman's team and witnessed by a Times photographer. Khanna has become an increasingly vocal critic of Israel's wars in Gaza and Iran. The trip was organized by Cameron Kasky, a Parkland shooting survivor and new member of Khanna's digital team, who himself ran for Congress in New York last year on a platform condemning Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide. On the domestic front, President Trump said Friday he will allow a major bipartisan housing package to become law without his signature, using the move to protest the Senate's failure to advance his SAVE America Act on election security. As Joseph Addington reports for The American Conservative, Trump dismissed the housing bill—the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act—as, quote, "a big yawn," and urged Congress to instead take up the SAVE Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The housing measure is expected to take effect Saturday under the constitutional provision allowing bills to become law if a president neither signs nor vetoes them within ten days while Congress is in session. The package passed with striking bipartisan support: 85 to 5 in the Senate, and 358 to 32 in the House. It aims to ease the nationwide housing shortage by accelerating environmental reviews, reducing regulatory barriers to construction, expanding support for manufactured and rural housing, and limiting the purchase of single-family homes by large corporate buyers. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.