Middle East

Iranian Attacks on UAE Continue Amid Hormuz Crisis
Iranian Attacks on UAE Continue Amid Hormuz Crisis

The United Arab Emirates said Friday that Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting the country injured three people, marking another serious escalation despite the ceasefire that took effect last month between Iran, the United States, and Israel. In a statement posted on X, the UAE Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems intercepted ...

Iran Creates Agency to Collect Strait of Hormuz Tolls: Shipping Journal
Iran Creates Agency to Collect Strait of Hormuz Tolls: Shipping Journal

Iran has created an authority to approve transit through the Strait of Hormuz and to collect tolls from vessels, a shipping journal said Friday, even as Washington pushed for a deal to reopen the strategic waterway that Tehran has closed. "The Persian Gulf Strait Authority has already introduced a new framework requiring ships to obtain transit ...

Gulf Clash Threatens Hopes for Quick U.S.-Iran Deal
Gulf Clash Threatens Hopes for Quick U.S.-Iran Deal

A new clash between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Gulf dented optimism for a negotiated peace Friday, despite President Donald Trump insisting a shaky truce was still holding while the sides inch towards a deal. U.S. Central Command said Iranian forces had launched missiles, drones, and small boats at three U.S. warships overnight but that none ...

U.S. Awaits Iran Response to Latest Deal Offer
U.S. Awaits Iran Response to Latest Deal Offer

The United States was waiting on Thursday for Iran to respond to its latest proposed deal to end the war in the Middle East and to reopen the key shipping lane out of the Gulf. Oil prices tumbled five percent after U.S. President Donald Trump said once again that an agreement could be near after positive talks and Iran said it would pass on its ...

U.S. Sanctions Iraqi Oil Officials and Iran-Linked Militias in Major Crackdown
U.S. Sanctions Iraqi Oil Officials and Iran-Linked Militias in Major Crackdown

The United States Treasury Department announced sweeping new sanctions targeting Iraqi oil officials and Iran-backed militias accused of exploiting Iraq’s oil sector to finance armed groups aligned with Tehran. At the center of the measures is Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil. In the press release, the department accuses ...

Senior Hezbollah Commander Killed in Israeli Strikes in Beirut Suburbs: Source Close to Group
Senior Hezbollah Commander Killed in Israeli Strikes in Beirut Suburbs: Source Close to Group

A senior commander from Hezbollah's elite force was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first on the area in nearly a month, a source close to the group said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military had targeted "the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force". The source close to Hezbollah ...

U.S. Says Warplane Disabled Ship that Tried to Break Iran Port Blockade
U.S. Says Warplane Disabled Ship that Tried to Break Iran Port Blockade

A U.S. Navy warplane fired on and disabled the rudder of an oil tanker that tried to break Washington's blockade of Iranian ports, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. It is the second time the U.S. military has fired on a ship it said was attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13. U.S. forces warned the ...

Israel Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs for First Time Since Ceasefire
Israel Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs for First Time Since Ceasefire

Israel carried out a strike Wednesday night on Beirut’s southern suburbs, marking the first attack on the Dahiyeh since the ceasefire that came into effect on April 17 and was later extended under U.S.-backed mediation efforts. The strike targeted a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, according to a joint statement issued by ...

Beirut to Further Develop Plan for State Control of All Weapons, Says PM Salam
Beirut to Further Develop Plan for State Control of All Weapons, Says PM Salam

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced Wednesday that Beirut will “review and further develop” its plan to place all weapons under state control.  The remarks came as Salam also confirmed on Wednesday that the tender process for the long-delayed René Moawad Airport project in Qlayaat, northern Lebanon, will ...

Trump Threatens 'Higher Level' Bombing of Iran if Deal Not Agreed
Trump Threatens 'Higher Level' Bombing of Iran if Deal Not Agreed

President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum Wednesday for Iran to accept a deal to end the war or face renewed, more intense U.S. bombing, in the latest of a series of abrupt policy shifts. "Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is perhaps a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end," Trump posted on ...

Crude Falls for Second Day as Trump Signals Possible Iran Deal
Crude Falls for Second Day as Trump Signals Possible Iran Deal

Oil prices fell for a second straight session on Wednesday as easing geopolitical tensions and renewed hopes for a U.S.-Iran agreement raised expectations that constrained Middle East supply could soon return to global markets.  Brent crude futures dropped $1.69, or 1.5%, to $108.18 a barrel as of 06:40 GMT, after falling 4% in the previous ...