Iranian tankers leave blockade zone as US-Iran deal moves toward signing
Iranian crude exports resumed ahead of a planned US-Iran signing ceremony, even as disputes over Lebanon, shipping rules and implementation...
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US and Iran agree to ‘immediate’ end to military operations, will sign MoU in Switzerland
The content of the agreement, which follows weeks of fraught negotiations and periodic threats from Trump of fresh hostilities unless...
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WHO delivers its first medical aid to Gaza since March 2
The shipment of supplies, plasma and blood will be distributed among hospitals in the Palestinian territory in the coming days,...
- Israel imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip on March 2. More than two months later, it began allowing some food in, but no other aid items until now.
- Last week the WHO said only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were minimally to partially functional, with the rest unable to function at all.
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Iran strikes damage hard to assess under Israeli military censorship
Such regulations are nothing new in Israel, where any written or visual publication deemed potentially harmful to the loosely defined...
- But with the recent missile barrages from Iran that managed to breach Israel's vaunted air defenses and kill 28 people, the restrictions were further tightened.
- Most of the government's communication during the war focused on its military successes, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday praising a "historic victory" over Iran.
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US hits back at accounts Iran moved enriched uranium before bombing
Trump, seeking credit for ordering military action and then quickly announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, has lashed out...
- Trump has lashed out angrily at media accounts of a classified report that doubted the extent of damage to Iranian nuclear sites
- Vice President JD Vance, asked about the uranium on Sunday, had sounded less definitive and said the United States would discuss the issue with Iran
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Israeli commandos operated in Iran during 12-day war: military
The war erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise bombing campaign that it said aimed to stop Iran...
- "We achieved full control over Iranian airspace and in every location where we chose to operate," chief of staff Eyal Zamir said in a televised address
- "This was made possible thanks to, among other things, coordination and tactical deception carried out by our air force and ground commando units," he added
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Hezbollah hails Iran’s ‘divine victory’ over Israel
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday hailed what it called its ally Iran's victory over Israel after 12 days of...
- In a statement, Hezbollah offered its "most sincere congratulations" to the Islamic republic, praising its "glorious divine victory."
- The victory, it said, was "manifested in the precise and painful strikes it launched" against Israel, as well as "the lightning response to the American aggression
Geostrategy
Iran lawmakers back suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Tehran, Iran -- Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of suspending cooperation with the United Nations' atomic energy watchdog, state...
- The decision still requires the approval of the Guardian Council, a body empowered to vet legislation.
- Should it be ratified, Ghalibaf said "the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend its cooperation with the IAEA until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed".
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Trump sees ‘progress’ on Gaza, raising hopes for ceasefire
"I think great progress is being made on Gaza," Trump said, adding that his special envoy Steve Witkoff had told...
- Key mediator Qatar announced Tuesday that it would launch a new push for a ceasefire, with Hamas on Wednesday saying talks had stepped up.
- Gaza's civil defense agency, meanwhile, said Wednesday that Israeli fire killed another 35 people, including six who were waiting for aid.
Geostrategy
What does NATO’s 5% spending deal really mean?
The Hague, Netherlands - NATO leaders are set to sign off Wednesday at their Hague summit on a defence spending...
- Trump has insisted NATO countries hit the five-percent bar -- well beyond the current two percent baseline level currently required by the alliance
- Only a handful of allies -- such as Poland and the Baltic states -- are coming close to five percent at the moment, with the United States itself under 3.4 percent in 2024
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China calls CIA videos ‘absurd’ attempt to recruit spies for America
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) said the placement of what amounted to job advertisements on social media platform X...
- China said the placement of what amounted to job advertisements on social media platform X was an "amateurish gambit" to convince people to spy for America
- CIA director John Ratcliffe said that the videos posted last month -- which implored the sharing of state secrets -- were aimed at "recruiting Chinese officials to help the US".
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US intel says Iran nuclear sites not destroyed, only set back by a few months
Trump rejected that claim on Tuesday, posting on his Truth Social account that “the nuclear sites in Iran are completely...
- Trump rebuffed that claim on Tuesday, posting on his Truth Social account that "THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!"
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had previously confirmed the authenticity of the assessment but said it was "flat-out wrong".
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Iranian tankers leave blockade zone as US-Iran deal moves toward signing
Iranian crude exports resumed ahead of a planned US-Iran signing ceremony, even as disputes over Lebanon, shipping rules and implementation...
Geostrategy
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The armed groups clashing with Hamas in Gaza
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Trump heads for Asia and Xi trade talks
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UNRWA chief denounces Israeli police’s seizure of agency’s Jerusalem assets
The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January, when the law banning its operations...
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US-Israel-Qatar meeting seeks to salvage Gaza peace deal amid strain over Israeli strike on Doha
Axios also reported White House envoy Steve Witkoff hosted the meeting, with Mossad spy chief David Barnea representing Israel and...
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Trump says Putin wants to end war, US to hold new talks with Ukraine
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner huddled into the early hours with Putin in the Kremlin but reached...
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Trump warns Israel not to ‘interfere’ in Syria, days after deadly operation killed 13 people
"It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that...
- "It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria's evolution into a prosperous State,"
- Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him for another White House visit, Netanyahu's office said shortly after Trump issued the warning
Geostrategy
Trump says US freeze on asylum decisions will last ‘a long time’
US President Donald Trump said Sunday his administration intends to maintain a pause on asylum decisions for "a long time"...
- "We don't want those people," Trump said. "You know why we don't want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn't be in our country."
- The Trump administration issued the pause in the aftermath of the shooting in Washington on November 26, that left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom dead and another guardsman wounded
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Trump optimistic after Ukraine talks as Rubio says ‘more work’ needed to end war
US President Donald Trump said Sunday there was a "good chance" of a deal to end the war in Ukraine...
- An initial 28-point US proposal -- drafted without input from Ukraine's European allies -- would have required Kyiv to withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region
- A source close to the Kyiv delegation in Florida told AFP on Sunday that "the process is not easy because the search for formulations and solutions continues."