News Headlines - 31 July 2019

▽Germany will not join US naval mission in Strait of Hormuz | DW

Germany will not participate in a naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz that is led by the United States, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday.
"Germany will not take part in the sea mission presented and planned by the United States," Maas told reporters during a trip to Poland.
The German government said it remains in close consultation with France and the UK over a European approach to the freedom of navigation crisis in the Persian Gulf.

▽US sanctions Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif - CNNPolitics

The United States sanctioned Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Wednesday, following through on a weeks-old threat that is likely to elevate already heightened tensions with Iran.
Senior administration officials said that the designation was due to Zarif's actions on behalf of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom the administration sanctioned in late June.

▽Son of Qaeda Founder Is Dead - The New York Times

Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden, who was viewed as an eventual heir to the leadership of Al Qaeda and had repeatedly threatened to attack the United States, is dead, according to two American officials.
Details of the strike that killed him were scarce, including when and where. The United States government played a role in the operation, but it was not clear how...

▽Pompeo hopes to help patch up Japan-South Korea ties - Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would encourage the two biggest U.S. allies in Asia - Japan and South Korea - “to find a path forward” from a dispute that has roiled their ties when he meets their foreign ministers this week.

▽China freezes permits for individual travel to Taiwan - Nikkei Asian Review

China is banning individual citizens from visiting Taiwan from Thursday, due to the state of cross-strait relations, Beijing's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Wednesday, a move that will hit the island's service industry.
The new rule states that residents of 47 mainland cities are no longer allowed to traveled to the self-ruled island without signing up to tour groups. Taiwan received over 1 million individual visitors from those cities last year, accounting for about 40% of all arrivals from the mainland.
The decision follows an arms deal worth $2.2 billion agreed between Taiwan and the U.S. Earlier in July, the U.S. State Department approved a possible sale of M1A2T Abrams tanks, Stinger missiles and related equipment.