Iran closes Hormuz over Lebanon strikes as US, Iranian teams head to Switzerland
Iran's joint military command said the move was prompted by what it described as Israeli violations of the understanding reached...
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MENA energy transition slips as Hormuz crisis exposes security gaps: WEF
Hormuz disruption and weakening policy commitment dragged down Middle East transition readiness in 2026. Saudi Arabia bucked the trend with...
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Calling for better ties with West, Iran reformist wins presidency
In the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, Pezeshkian gave a speech thanking his supporters, saying their votes have...
- Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes, around 54 percent, and Jalili more than 13 million, roughly 44 percent, out of about 30 million votes cast
- The death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash necessitated the election, which was not due until 2025
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Israel says negotiators to hold fresh Gaza truce talks next week
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said Friday that "gaps" remained with Hamas on how to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release...
- There has been no truce in the nine-month-old war in Gaza since a one-week pause in November saw 80 Israeli hostages freed in return for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons
- The United States, which has worked alongside Qatar and Egypt in trying to broker a deal, had talked up the significance of Netanyahu's decision to send a delegation to Qatar
Early returns show reformist Pezeshkian leading Iran runoff vote: interior ministry
Iran held the first round of its snap presidential election last week which was marked by a record low turnout....
- Officials have so far counted more than 11 million ballots for Pezeshkian and around 9 million for Jalili, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami was quoted by IRNA
- Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the first round - the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the Islamic Revolution of 1979
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Reformist faces ultraconservative as Iran votes for president
In a contest between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the election comes amid heightened regional tension
- The election follows a first round marked by a historically low voter turnout last week
- Regardless of the result, Iran's next president will be in charge of applying state policy outlined by the supreme leader
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Lebanon’s Hezbollah rains rockets on Israel as Gaza war rages
Fire and smoke billows after rockets fired from southern Lebanon hit areas in northern Israel on July 4, 2024. (AFP).
- The Israeli military said its forces were "striking launch posts in southern Lebanon"
- UN chief Antonio Guterres is "very worried about the escalation of the exchange of fire"
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Iraqi armed groups say ready to fight Israel if Lebanon war breaks out
Baghdad, Iraq - As war rages in Gaza and threatens to spread to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups warn they are ready...
- A field commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said there would be "escalation for escalation" in the event of a full-scale war in Lebanon
- The commander, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the Iran-backed group had already sent "experts and advisors" to Lebanon
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Syrian-based armed Iraqi groups ready to fight Israel to support Lebanon if war breaks out
As war rages in Gaza and threatens to spread to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups warn they are ready to enter...
- Pro-Iran armed groups so-called "Axis of Resistance" is an alliance that includes Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Huthi rebels
- In late January, a drone strike launched by Iraqi armed groups killed three US soldiers across the border in Jordan
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Pro-Palestinian group scales Australia’s parliament
Sydney, Australia - Protesters scaled Australia's national parliament on Thursday, unfurling banners reading "Palestine will be free", and accusing Prime Minister...
- The protest follows recent divisions within the Labor government, which suspended a Muslim senator who voted in favour of Australia recognizing a Palestinian state
- Senator Fatima Payman said she had been "exiled" after supporting the parliamentary motion - put forward by the Greens party - in defiance of government policy
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Israel will not allow ‘winds of defeatism’ in Hamas war: Netanyahu
After a visit to troops on Monday, he said: "I saw very considerable achievements in the fighting being carried in...
- After the October 7 attacks by Hamas, Netanyahu's right-wing government vowed to destroy Hamas and return all hostages seized during the deadly incursion by the Palestinian group
- Netanyahu made his new vow of victory after the New York Times quoted sources as saying Israel was ready to make a deal without reaching all its goals
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Israel strikes southern Gaza after ordering evacuations
Other parts of the Gaza Strip were reeling from continued fighting nearly nine months into the devastating conflict. Witnesses and...
- Witnesses reported multiple strikes in and around the city of Khan Yunis, where eight people were killed and more than 30 were wounded
- The bombardment came after a rare rocket barrage claimed by the group Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas
Iran closes Hormuz over Lebanon strikes as US, Iranian teams head to Switzerland
Iran's joint military command said the move was prompted by what it described as Israeli violations of the understanding reached...
Geostrategy
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Hamas urges Israel to halt strikes as it searches for two hostages
Hamas's armed wing urged the Israeli military to temporarily halt air strikes and withdraw from part of Gaza City on...
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US unveils 21-point peace proposal: Israel to withdraw from Gaza, Hamas to disarm
While the plan offers several concessions to Palestinians, it also carries provisions favorable to Israel — including Hamas’ demilitarisation and...
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‘We’ll be ruined’: Iranians feel strain as sanctions snap back
Tehran, Iran -- As United Nations sanctions returned in full force on Sunday, Iranians felt the strain deepen, with prices...
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New Gaza-bound flotilla sets off from Sicily, EU officials on board
A statement from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and the Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) said they intended to "break...
- "For the most part, our boats carry medical supplies, dry food and school equipment, as this was highlighted as some of the biggest priorities by Palestinians," they said.
- They intend to join the Global Sumud Flotilla which is also bound for Gaza carrying aid supplies.
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Sweeping UN sanctions return to hit Iran after nuclear talks fail
The sanctions, three months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran, bar dealings related to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic...
- European and US diplomats stressed immediately after the resumption of sanctions that diplomacy was not over.
- Iran has allowed UN inspectors to return to its nuclear sites, but President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States had offered only a short reprieve.
Geostrategy
World’s highest bridge opens to traffic in China
Beijing, China -- The world's highest bridge opened to traffic in China on Sunday, state media said, capping an engineering...
- The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge towers 625 metres (2,051 feet) above a river and vast gorge in the country's rugged southern province of Guizhou.
- Live drone footage broadcast by state media on Sunday showed vehicles traversing the immense structure, its blue support towers partially engulfed in clouds.