Trump threatens Hormuz tolls as Iran keeps strait closed ahead of Switzerland talks
The developments came ahead of technical talks between U.S. and Iranian officials expected in Switzerland as both sides seek to...
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US, Iran technical negotiations face delay after Vance postpones Switzerland visit
"The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing...
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Hamas armed wing says Israel blocking ceasefire and hostage release talks
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday accused Israel of blocking a deal in talks for...
- Negotiators from both sides have been in indirect talks in Qatar since July 6 to try to agree on a 60-day truce in the conflict, which would see 10 captives freed.
- But after nearly two weeks, there has been no breakthrough and each side has blamed the other for refusing to budge on their key demands
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Iraq says drones that struck military radar are foreign-made, doesn’t identify perpetrators
Sabah al-Numan, the military spokesman for the prime minister, said that Iraq identified "the origin of the drones used in...
- On June 24, the Iraqi government said that several small suicide drones targeted multiple Iraqi military sites and bases, including the radar systems at Camp Taji
- Sabah al-Numan, the military spokesman for the prime minister, said that Iraq identified "the origin of drones used in the attacks," adding that they were "equipped with warheads
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Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal Thursday over a story about...
- The Journal story says the letter featuring a sketch of a naked woman and Trump's signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003
- Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker "was told directly by (White House press secretary) Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE."
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Europeans tell Iran will reimpose sanctions if no progress on nuclear deal: France
Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not...
- The diplomats, from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of "their determination to use the 'snapback' mechanism
- They are applying pressure to convince Iran of "the urgency of returning to the diplomatic path without delay, in order to reach a robust, verifiable, and durable agreement."
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Erdogan accuses Israel of using Druze as pretext to expand into Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for...
- "I want to state this once again, clearly and directly: Israel is a lawless, unruly, unprincipled, spoiled, pampered, and greedy terrorist state," Erdogan said
- "At this stage, the biggest problem in our region is Israel's aggression... If the monster is not stopped immediately, it will not hesitate to throw first our region," he added
Geostrategy
Baghdad and Arbil agree to resume Kurdish oil exports: government
Baghdad, Iraq -- The Iraqi government announced Thursday an agreement to resume crude exports from the autonomous Kurdistan region after...
- Lucrative oil exports have been a major point of tension between Baghdad and Arbil, with a key pipeline through Turkey shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues.
- Oil exports were previously independently sold by the Kurdistan region, without the approval or oversight of the central administration in Baghdad, through the port of Ceyhan.
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Israeli tank shell strikes Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing three
Pope Leo XIV said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life, which a witness said was the result...
- The site was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children and 54 with special needs.
- "The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary," the Patriarchate said.
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Explosive-laden drones hit three oil fields in Iraq’s Kurdistan region
Kurdistan has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks, which have come as the regional government and the federal authorities...
- Production at two fields operated by the Norwegian group DNO ASA was temporarily suspended, the company said
- Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently experiences such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles between Iran and the US
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Syria says agreement reached to halt military operations in Sweida
Syria said a new ceasefire reached on Wednesday in the Druze-majority city of Sweida will bring a complete halt to...
- A previous truce announced on Tuesday appeared to have little effect on the ground in the southern region, where days of violence have left more than 300 dead
- heikh Youssef Jarboua, a Druze spiritual leader, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes "the full integration of the province" of Sweida into the Syrian state
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‘Strong argument’ for video in cockpit: IATA chief
Singapore, Singapore -- There is a "strong argument" for putting video cameras in airline cockpits to assist in accident investigations,...
- His comments followed the release of a preliminary report on last month's Air India crash, which found that the plane's engine fuel switches had been turned off.
- The crash killed all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.
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Trump threatens Hormuz tolls as Iran keeps strait closed ahead of Switzerland talks
The developments came ahead of technical talks between U.S. and Iranian officials expected in Switzerland as both sides seek to...
Geostrategy
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14 countries condemn Israel’s expansion of West Bank settlements, say actions ‘violate international law’
Fourteen countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, condemned on Wednesday Israel's recent approval of new Jewish settlements in the occupied...
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Saudi Arabia urges Yemen separatists to cede seized territory
The Kingdom said the military movements in the governorates of (Hadramawt and Al-Mahra), recently conducted by the Southern Transitional Council,...
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Iran Guards seize foreign-crewed oil tanker in Gulf: state media
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the Gulf carrying more than a dozen foreign crew members,...
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Libyans united in grief for army chief killed in plane crash
General Mohammed al-Haddad and his four aides died on Tuesday after a visit to Ankara, with Turkish officials saying an...
- "It will be hard to find a man of his calibre," Nasreddine al-Maghribi told AFP at a cafe in Libyan capital Tripoli.
- Until a successor is selected, Haddad's deputy, General Salaheddine al-Namroush, will stand in for him, according to the presidential council.
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Palestinian Authority says Israel tightening control over West Bank with new settlements
The Palestinian Authority condemned on Tuesday Israel's recent approval of 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing it of...
- On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements
- The latest move brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, Smotrich's office said
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Ex-Israeli PM accuses Netanyahu of ‘treason’ over alleged Qatar funding to his aides
Former Israeli premier Naftali Bennett, widely regarded as a leading contender in next year's legislative elections, called on Monday for...
- Bennet's remarks followed a report which purportedly revealed conversations between Netanyahu's advisers in connection with the case
- In April 2025, Netanyahu declared that Qatar was "not an enemy" of Israel, defending his two advisers who had been taken into custody