This is Beirut - middle east

U.S. Signals Readiness for New Military Action Against Iran While Leaving Door Open for Diplomacy

This is Beirut, 19/05 21:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Israel Middle East Tehran

U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States was “one hour away” from launching strikes on Iran on Monday before deciding to delay military action to allow more time for negotiations. Speaking during a White House press briefing alongside Vice President JD Vance, Trump revealed that several Gulf countries had contacted ...

U.S. Tightens Economic Grip on Iran With Sanctions Surge and Global Security Push

This is Beirut, 19/05 18:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Middle East Tehran Turkey United Arab Emirates

The United States on Monday announced new sanctions targeting Iranian financial intermediaries, exchange houses, and maritime assets, as part of an intensified effort to disrupt what Washington describes as Tehran’s “shadow financial system” used to fund regional operations and evade international restrictions. According to a statement by ...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Calls for Global Crackdown on Terror Financing

This is Beirut, 19/05 16:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Europe Hezbollah Middle East United States

On Tuesday at the “No Money for Terror” conference in Paris, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for stronger international coordination against terrorist financing networks, particularly those linked to Iran. Speaking on behalf of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Bessent argued that economic sanctions are ...

Oil Prices Retreat as Trump Delays Iran Strike Amid Diplomatic Push

This is Beirut, 19/05 15:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Middle East Tehran United States Oil Hormuz

Global oil prices fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he had postponed a planned military strike on Iran, opting instead to give diplomacy another chance in an effort to end the escalating conflict in the Middle East. In a statement posted on social media Monday evening, Trump said a U.S. attack initially scheduled for ...

Oil Prices Surge as Middle East Tensions Escalate

This is Beirut, 18/05 03:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Middle East Donald Trump United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia

Global oil prices continued their upward trajectory on Monday amid mounting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as diplomatic efforts to halt the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran appeared to falter. Brent crude futures rose by $1.44, or 1.32%, reaching $110.70 per barrel by 23:37 GMT after hitting their highest level since May 5 ...

CENTCOM Pushes Lebanese Army Support as Hezbollah Supply Routes Collapse

This is Beirut, 14/05 20:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army Lebanon Hamas Middle East

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held today, Chairman Roger Wicker questioned Admiral Brad Cooper on Iran’s continued support for regional proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, amid ongoing U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Wicker stressed that Iran’s influence extends beyond its nuclear ...

U.K. Defence Secretary: Britain Commits £115 Million, HMS Dragon and Typhoon Jets to Hormuz Security Mission

This is Beirut, 12/05 20:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Middle East United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has announced a significant military contribution to a planned multinational maritime mission aimed at securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor frequently exposed to regional security tensions. Speaking during a virtual multinational summit of defence ministers, UK Defence ...

U.S. War Costs Against Iran Rise to $29 Billion as Pentagon Seeks Additional Funding

This is Beirut, 12/05 19:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Middle East United States US Congress Washington

The United States has spent an estimated $29 billion on military operations tied to the war with Iran, according to testimony delivered Tuesday before Congress, as senior Pentagon officials defended both the financial and strategic costs of the ongoing campaign. Appearing on Capitol Hill for a series of budget hearings, Jules Hurst III, the ...

Iran's Guards hold military drills in capital as ceasefire teeters

This is Beirut, 12/05 17:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump Gulf Middle East Tehran United States

Iran's Revolutionary Guards held military exercises in the capital, Tehran, to prepare for any confrontation, state media reported Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump warned a ceasefire in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse. The drills involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, the ideological arm of Iran's ...

Netanyahu: Lebanon Held ‘Hostage’ by Hezbollah and Iran

This is Beirut, 10/05 19:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Middle East Tehran

In an interview with 60 Minutes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel seeks peace with Lebanon but argued that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has effectively taken control of the country and holds the Lebanese people “hostage.” Netanyahu claimed Hezbollah had planned an October 7-style attack on Israel’s Galilee ...

CENTCOM says U.S. Forces Disabled Iranian-Flagged Tankers in Gulf of Oman Blockade Enforcement

This is Beirut, 08/05 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gulf Middle East Tehran United States USA

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced U.S. forces disabled multiple Iranian-flagged oil tankers this week as part of ongoing blockade enforcement measures aimed at preventing vessels from entering Iranian ports via the Gulf of Oman. In a statement, CENTCOM said the operation targeted the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda on May 8, as both vessels ...

Rubio: Lebanese State Must Be Empowered to Confront Hezbollah

This is Beirut, 08/05 15:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Middle East Tehran United States

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered sharp remarks from Rome on Friday, accusing Hezbollah of acting as an Iranian proxy and stressing that Washington’s priority is strengthening the Lebanese state rather than engaging with the group. Rubio said Washington will not negotiate with Hezbollah, describing the group as “an Iranian ...

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