Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Iran sets one-month deadline for US to end naval blockade, wars in Iran, Lebanon

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  Iran has set a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end a US naval blockade and permanently end the war in Iran and...

  Iran sets one-month deadline for US to end naval blockade, wars in Iran, Lebanon

  

  Iran has set a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end a US naval blockade and permanently end the war in Iran and Lebanon, according to a report Saturday by Axios, Anadolu reports. Tehran submitted a 14-point revised proposal Thursday for a framework agreement to Washington. Two sources briefed on the document said it lays out a strict one-month timeline to secure a deal covering maritime access, ending the US naval blockade and a lasting ceasefire on both fronts. “If they misbehave, if they do something bad — but right now, we’ll see. It’s a possibility that could happen, certainly,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday when asked whether he could order
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  Iranian supertanker carrying $220M of oil evades US blockade, says tracker

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  An Iranian supertanker carrying nearly $220 million worth of oil has evaded US blockade efforts, TankerTrackers reported Sunday, Anadolu reports. “A National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertanker carrying over...

  Iranian supertanker carrying $220M of oil evades US blockade, says tracker

  

  An Iranian supertanker carrying nearly $220 million worth of oil has evaded US blockade efforts, TankerTrackers reported Sunday, Anadolu reports. “A National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertanker carrying over 1.9 million barrels (valued at nearly $220 million dollars) of crude oil has managed to evade the U.S. Navy and reach the Far East,” TankerTrackers wrote on US social media platform X. The vessel, identified as “HUGE” (9357183), was last seen off Sri Lanka more than a week ago and is currently moving through the Lombok Strait in Indonesia toward the Riau Archipelago. The tanker has not transmitted Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals since March 20, when it departed the Strait of Malacca bound for Iran, according to maritime tracking
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  Israel approves plan to buy F-35, F-15IA fighter jets from US

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  An Israeli ministerial committee approved the purchase of two new squadrons of US-manufactured F-35 and F-15IA fighter jets, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, amid ongoing tensions with Iran, Anadolu reports....

  Israel approves plan to buy F-35, F-15IA fighter jets from US

  

  An Israeli ministerial committee approved the purchase of two new squadrons of US-manufactured F-35 and F-15IA fighter jets, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, amid ongoing tensions with Iran, Anadolu reports. In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said the Ministerial Committee on Procurement approved a plan to acquire a fourth squadron of the F-35 aircraft and a second squadron of the F-15IA aircraft. The deals valued at “tens of billions” of shekels and “include full fleet integration into the Israeli Air Force, comprehensive sustainment, spare parts, and logistics support,” the statement said. This came as Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, in violation of the ceasefire agreements. Reports suggest Tel Aviv also prepares for a possible
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  New Israeli attacks kill at least 7 in southern Lebanon

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  Fresh Israeli attacks killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon on Sunday despite an ongoing ceasefire, Lebanese media reported, Anadolu reports. Three people were killed in an airstrike in...

  New Israeli attacks kill at least 7 in southern Lebanon

  

  Fresh Israeli attacks killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon on Sunday despite an ongoing ceasefire, Lebanese media reported, Anadolu reports. Three people were killed in an airstrike in the town of Safad al- Battikh, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) said. Another airstrike near Tyre killed three more people – two Syrians and an Egyptian, NNA added. Another person was killed when a drone struck a motorcycle in the same area. On March 2, Israeli army has launched expanded strikes in Lebanon, killing over 2,600 people and displacing over 1.6 million others, according to the Lebanese officials. On April 17, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, before he extended it by three
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  Israeli occupation of Gaza Strip expands to 59% despite truce: Report

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  Israel has expanded its occupation to 59% of Gaza and is preparing for possible resumption of genocide in the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli Army Radio said Sunday, Anadolu reports. Before...

  Israeli occupation of Gaza Strip expands to 59% despite truce: Report

  

  Israel has expanded its occupation to 59% of Gaza and is preparing for possible resumption of genocide in the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli Army Radio said Sunday, Anadolu reports. Before the October 2025 ceasefire, Israel occupied 53% of the strip, the broadcaster said. For its part, Palestinian group Hamas has said Israeli army occupies over 60% of the coastal enclave. Senior Israeli military officials “are pressing for a resumption of fighting in Gaza and believe that the best time to defeat Hamas is now,” the radio said. The radio also reported military preparations for a possible resumption of fighting, noting that the army has reduced forces in southern Lebanon and redeployed regular brigades to Gaza and the West Bank. It
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  Apple… The digital Strait of Hormuz

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  I return to my favourite writer, John Thornhill, and borrow from him that rare glint of insight. When he replaced the Strait of Hormuz with Apple, the analogy seemed exaggerated...

  Apple… The digital Strait of Hormuz

  

  I return to my favourite writer, John Thornhill, and borrow from him that rare glint of insight. When he replaced the Strait of Hormuz with Apple, the analogy seemed exaggerated at first glance, almost too bold. But the more one contemplates it, the more its precision reveals itself. The Strait of Hormuz is not merely a waterway; it is a choke point of power, a bottleneck through which energy flows and from which the world is watched. Apple, in Thornhill’s metaphor, performs the same function—only in the digital geography. When it comes to how artificial intelligence is deployed in consumer services, Apple controls the technological equivalent of the Strait of Hormuz. Not because it is always the most innovative, nor
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  Israel’s inevitable failure to disarm Hezbollah

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  Since the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to expel the PLO, Hezbollah has been a thorn in Israel’s side. Born of that very invasion, the Party — as it is...

  Israel’s inevitable failure to disarm Hezbollah

  

  Since the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to expel the PLO, Hezbollah has been a thorn in Israel’s side. Born of that very invasion, the Party — as it is called — waged a relentless guerrilla war against Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon, backed, financed, and trained by Iran. Its ideological allegiance to Tehran was never a secret. In a remarkably candid 2016 speech, the late Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah declared openly what enemies had long alleged: “Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In a separate address to Iranian nationals in Beirut, Nasrallah went further, proclaiming that “We were born with Iran’s Islamic revolution
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  Palestinians mark World Press Freedom Day in Gaza

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  IMAGES: On Labor Day, workers in Gaza are living under difficult conditions and earning very little due to the war

  Palestinians mark World Press Freedom Day in Gaza

  

  IMAGES: On Labor Day, workers in Gaza are living under difficult conditions and earning very little due to the war
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  Fresh Israeli attacks in occupied West Bank kill 1 Palestinian, injure several others

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  One Palestinian was killed and five others, including a child, were injured on Sunday in Israeli attacks in Nablus, a city in the northern part of the occupied West Bank,...

  Fresh Israeli attacks in occupied West Bank kill 1 Palestinian, injure several others

  

  One Palestinian was killed and five others, including a child, were injured on Sunday in Israeli attacks in Nablus, a city in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem, the Health Ministry said, Anadolu reports. “26-year-old Nayef Firas Ziyad Samaro was killed, and four others were injured by live ammunition, during an Israeli military raid on the city of Nablus,” the ministry said. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that 40 Palestinians suffered suffocation from tear gas during the Israeli army raid on Nablus, with 10 of them transferred to the hospital. Local sources told Anadolu that Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades at civilians, medical teams, and journalists during the raid, in addition
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  Trump must choose ‘impossible’ war or ‘bad deal’ with Iran, says IRGC

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Sunday that US President Donald Trump must choose between an “impossible” war or a “bad deal” with Iran, Anadolu reports. In a post...

  Trump must choose ‘impossible’ war or ‘bad deal’ with Iran, says IRGC

  

  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Sunday that US President Donald Trump must choose between an “impossible” war or a “bad deal” with Iran, Anadolu reports. In a post on the US social media company X, the intelligence department of the IRGC said Tehran sent the US military a deadline to end its blockade of Iranian ports. It added that Europe, China and Russia are adopting a more critical tone toward Washington. “There is only one way to read this: Trump must choose between ‘an impossible military operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran. “The room for US decision-making has narrowed,” it said. The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering
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  Israeli court extends detention of 2 Gaza-bound flotilla volunteers

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  An Israeli court extended on Saturday the detention of Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, two volunteers aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, for two days, Anadolu reports. Israeli prosecutors sought...

  Israeli court extends detention of 2 Gaza-bound flotilla volunteers

  

  An Israeli court extended on Saturday the detention of Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, two volunteers aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, for two days, Anadolu reports. Israeli prosecutors sought a four-day detention extension for the Global Sumud Flotilla activists over security-related allegations, according to a statement by Adalah, an Israeli advocacy group for Palestinians inside Israel. However, their lawyers argued that “the entire legal process is fundamentally flawed and illegal,” the statement added. No charges have been filed against either activists and they remain under interrogation at the pre-indictment stage, the group said. “Both Mr. de Avila and Mr. Abukeshek will be transferred back to the Shikma detention facility in Israel (Ashkelon), where they remain in isolation,” it added.
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  Why the United States should pursue a long-term agreement and security partnership with Iran

  by Marwa A on May 3, 2026

  Look, the Middle East keeps being this expensive, messy headache for American foreign policy. It’s unstable, it drains resources, and it keeps dragging us into stuff that doesn’t really serve...

  Why the United States should pursue a long-term agreement and security partnership with Iran

  

  Look, the Middle East keeps being this expensive, messy headache for American foreign policy. It’s unstable, it drains resources, and it keeps dragging us into stuff that doesn’t really serve our big-picture interests. So Washington has a pretty straightforward choice right now: keep leaning on those small, super-dependent Gulf monarchies, or finally make the shift toward a long-term agreement and a gradual security partnership with Iran. I know it sounds politically crazy to a lot of people, but the Iran option is honestly more realistic, more sustainable, and way better for letting us focus on the one competition that actually matters — China. For years we’ve built our whole regional strategy around these smaller Gulf states. They’ve been handy in
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  Stockholm protesters rally against Israeli strikes on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Activists gathered in the Swedish capital on Saturday to protest Israel’s ongoing military offensives in the Gaza Strip, Iran and Lebanon, Anadolu Agency reports. Responding to calls from several non-governmental...

  Stockholm protesters rally against Israeli strikes on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran

  

  Activists gathered in the Swedish capital on Saturday to protest Israel’s ongoing military offensives in the Gaza Strip, Iran and Lebanon, Anadolu Agency reports. Responding to calls from several non-governmental organizations, demonstrators assembled at Odenplan Square, carrying banners reading ‘Stop the killing of civilians,’ ‘End the food blockade in Gaza,’ and ‘Stop attacks on Lebanon and Iran’. Participants demanded an immediate end to genocide in Gaza and urged the Swedish government to halt arms sales to Israel. Ann Christin Kristiansson, a nun from the Church of Sweden, told Anadolu that the current violence constitutes a crime against humanity that transcends politics and religion. She emphasized that the global community must unite against this oppression, stating that the dignity shown by
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  UAE restores normal air traffic after war-related disruption

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority announced Saturday that air traffic has returned to normal air navigation and temporary precautionary measures imposed during the US-Israeli war on Iran have been...

  UAE restores normal air traffic after war-related disruption

  

  The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority announced Saturday that air traffic has returned to normal air navigation and temporary precautionary measures imposed during the US-Israeli war on Iran have been lifted, Anadolu Agency reports. “Following a comprehensive evaluation of operational and security conditions, we have officially lifted the temporary precautionary measures previously in place,” the authority said in a statement. “Our priority remains the safety of our skies, and we continue to maintain continuous, real-time monitoring to ensure the highest levels of aviation safety for all,” it added. The UAE had announced a “temporary and partial” closure of its airspace on Feb. 28, as a precautionary measure at the outset of the war, which is on a hold after Pakistan
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  Iran strikes damaged 16 US military sites in Middle East, report claims

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Iran and its allies struck no fewer than 16 US military sites in eight countries across the Middle East in the latest military conflict, leaving some of them “virtually unusable,”...

  Iran strikes damaged 16 US military sites in Middle East, report claims

  

  Iran and its allies struck no fewer than 16 US military sites in eight countries across the Middle East in the latest military conflict, leaving some of them “virtually unusable,” CNN reported on Friday citing sources. The report was based on dozens of satellite images and interviews with sources from the US and Gulf Arab countries, and the affected facilities make up the “majority of US military positions” in the region. “There has been a spectrum of assessments,” one source said. “From a pretty dramatic side, of the whole facility is destroyed and needs to be shut down, to leaders who say these things are worth repairing due to the strategic benefit they give the US.” READ: US says it redirected
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  Lebanon death toll in Israel’s latest offensive reaches 2,659

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  The death toll in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 2,659, with 8,183 others injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Saturday. In a statement, the ministry...

  Lebanon death toll in Israel’s latest offensive reaches 2,659

  

  The death toll in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 2,659, with 8,183 others injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Saturday. In a statement, the ministry said 41 people were killed and 11 others injured in Israeli raids over the past 24 hours. Israel launched the offensive in Lebanon following Hezbollah’s retaliation linked to the Iran war. Besides the casualties, the attacks have displaced more than 1 million people. A 10-day ceasefire that began on April 17 was later extended until mid May, but Israel continues to violate it daily through airstrikes and the demolition of homes. Israel also maintains what it describes as a “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon, saying it is meant to prevent
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  Iran says US not complying with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Iran’s Mission to the UN said Saturday that the US is not complying with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, calling it “hypocritical behavior,” Anadolu Agency reports. “For 56 years, the US...

  Iran says US not complying with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

  

  Iran’s Mission to the UN said Saturday that the US is not complying with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, calling it “hypocritical behavior,” Anadolu Agency reports. “For 56 years, the US — possessor of thousands of nuclear warheads and the No. 1 proliferator of such weapons — has been in clear non-compliance with its nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament obligations under Articles I and VI of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty),” Iran’s Permanent Mission to the UN said in a statement. “The US should not be given any cover for its outrageous and hypocritical behavior,” it added in the statement shared on US social media company X. “Legally, there is no restriction on the level of uranium enrichment, so long as it
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  Israel says 2 activists from Gaza flotilla held for questioning

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Israel on Saturday said it released most of the activists held after seizing a flotilla bound for Gaza except two who were brought to the country for questioning, Anadolu Agency...

  Israel says 2 activists from Gaza flotilla held for questioning

  

  Israel on Saturday said it released most of the activists held after seizing a flotilla bound for Gaza except two who were brought to the country for questioning, Anadolu Agency reports. The Foreign Ministry said “naval forces have detained two activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which seeks to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip, have been brought to Israel and will be questioned.” The two activists have been identified as Thiago de Avila, a Brazilian national, and Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national. Israeli media said the two will receive support from their consulates in Tel Aviv. READ: ‘They treated us like animals’: Activist recounts detention after Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted Israel attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters
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  Oil tanker hijacked off Yemen coast, taken toward Somalia: Coast guard

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  An oil tanker was hijacked Saturday off the coast of Yemen in an armed attack by unidentified assailants, with authorities working to track and recover the vessel, the Yemeni coast...

  Oil tanker hijacked off Yemen coast, taken toward Somalia: Coast guard

  

  An oil tanker was hijacked Saturday off the coast of Yemen in an armed attack by unidentified assailants, with authorities working to track and recover the vessel, the Yemeni coast guard said, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement, the coast guard said it is “following up on a report received this morning regarding the hijacking of the oil tanker M/T EUREKA off the coast of Shabwa province,” without specifying the ship’s ownership. The statement added that the tanker “was subjected to an armed robbery by unknown elements, who boarded and took control of it before heading toward the Gulf of Aden in the direction of Somali shores.” It noted that “immediately after receiving the report, the Yemeni coast guard launched
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  US says it redirected 48th vessel from Iranian ports

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  The US said on Saturday that the 48th vessel attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports had been redirected under its blockade. “Over the past 20 days, 48 vessels have...

  US says it redirected 48th vessel from Iranian ports

  

  The US said on Saturday that the 48th vessel attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports had been redirected under its blockade. “Over the past 20 days, 48 vessels have been redirected to ensure compliance with the blockade,” CENTCOM said on US social media company X. The updated figure showed an increase of four compared to the 44 vessels reported earlier as having been redirected. Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Iran’s restrictions on vessel passage through the waterway due to the war that began on Feb. 28 and is currently on hold. READ: Trump calls US naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz ‘a very
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  Israeli occupiers injure at least 7 Palestinians in West Bank

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Seven Palestinians were injured on Saturday in Israeli occupiers’ attacks in the West Bank, while the Israeli army arrested six others. Three of them were injured in the town of...

  Israeli occupiers injure at least 7 Palestinians in West Bank

  

  Seven Palestinians were injured on Saturday in Israeli occupiers’ attacks in the West Bank, while the Israeli army arrested six others. Three of them were injured in the town of Jalud, south of Nablus, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. They were transferred to a medical center in the town of Qabalan for treatment. In Jabal Jalis, east of Hebron, four Palestinians, including a 71-year-old woman, were injured in an assault by the occupiers. In Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, the occupiers released their livestock onto residents’ lands and uprooted around 30 olive trees, according to an activist, Osama Makhamreh, Wafa reported. The occupiers continued their daily attacks on the village of Duma, southeast of Nablus, eyewitnesses said. In
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  Over two-thirds of Germans think government lacks strategy on Iran war: Poll

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  More than two-thirds of Germans think that their government lacks a clear strategy on how it should act in the Iran war, according to a survey published by the Internationale...

  Over two-thirds of Germans think government lacks strategy on Iran war: Poll

  

  More than two-thirds of Germans think that their government lacks a clear strategy on how it should act in the Iran war, according to a survey published by the Internationale Politik news magazine on Saturday. Some 68% of respondents answered “no” to a question on this topic, while 28% held the opposite view. According to the poll, only among supporters of the co-ruling Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union did a narrow majority of 54% believe that the government has a clear vision of how Germany should position itself in the Iran conflict. Meanwhile, the majority of supporters of the governing Social Democratic Party (43%) see it differently – as do, to an even greater extent, supporters of the
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  Iran military official warns renewed conflict with US ‘likely:’ Report

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  A senior Iranian military official warned that renewed conflict with the US is “likely,” according to the semi-official Fars news agency. “A renewed conflict between Iran and the United States...

  Iran military official warns renewed conflict with US ‘likely:’ Report

  

  A senior Iranian military official warned that renewed conflict with the US is “likely,” according to the semi-official Fars news agency. “A renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely, and evidence has also shown that the United States does not adhere to any commitments or agreement,” Mohammad Jafar Asadi, deputy inspector of the military headquarters, said in a statement carried by the news agency on Saturday. “US officials’ actions and statements are largely media-oriented, aimed first at preventing a drop in oil prices and second at escaping the predicament they have created for themselves,” he added. The Iranian armed forces are “in full readiness for any renewed adventurism and miscalculation by the United States,” added Asadi. READ: Trump
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  Russian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Hormuz navigation, nuclear issue

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to resolve issues...

  Russian, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Hormuz navigation, nuclear issue

  

  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to discuss freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to resolve issues surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement, the ministry said the conversation on Friday continued a detailed exchange of views on the prospects for a complete halt to hostilities and the stabilization of the military and political situation in the Middle East. It added that the discussions followed a meeting earlier this week between Araghchi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, noting Moscow’s support for ongoing mediation efforts. “The sides reaffirmed their readiness to make every effort to facilitate a
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  ‘They treated us like animals’: Activist recounts detention after Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  British activist Katy Davidson, a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla that attempted to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, has described the moments of her detention by Israeli forces in...

  ‘They treated us like animals’: Activist recounts detention after Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted

  

  British activist Katy Davidson, a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla that attempted to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, has described the moments of her detention by Israeli forces in international waters, saying detainees were “treated like animals” in a makeshift prison built from shipping containers, Anadolu reports. Speaking to an Anadolu correspondent in Istanbul on Saturday, Davidson recounted the interception of her small vessel, which carried only six people, by Israeli forces. “We had an interception which was pretty scary,” Davidson said. “It took quite a lot of time. It included drones with bright spotlights on us, and then a huge frigate came up alongside our boat.” She explained that after the initial vessel disappeared, the activists believed they
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  If holy sites can be levelled, what’s next for international law?

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  On the first day of May, in the quiet southern Lebanese village of Yaroun, a monastery that had stood for generations disappeared in a cloud of dust. The Sisters of...

  If holy sites can be levelled, what’s next for international law?

  

  On the first day of May, in the quiet southern Lebanese village of Yaroun, a monastery that had stood for generations disappeared in a cloud of dust. The Sisters of the Holy Saviour monastery and its adjoining school — described by Lebanon’s National News Agency as one of the region’s most prominent educational institutions — was not merely another building on a war map. It was a memory. It was continuity. It was the place where thousands of children learned to read, where prayers rose in Arabic and Aramaic tones, where bells marked time long before drones did. Overnight, Israeli forces razed it to rubble. In strategic language, this was framed as part of a ‘buffer zone’ operation. In moral
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  Trump calls US naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz ‘a very profitable business’

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  President Donald Trump described on Friday the US Navy’s seizure of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz as “a very profitable business,” boasting that Washington had taken over Iranian...

  Trump calls US naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz ‘a very profitable business’

  

  President Donald Trump described on Friday the US Navy’s seizure of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz as “a very profitable business,” boasting that Washington had taken over Iranian cargo and oil as part of its blockade, Anadolu Agency reports. “We took over the cargo. Took over the oil, a very profitable business. Who would have thought, we’re sort of like pirates, but we’re not playing games,” Trump said at an event in the US state of Florida. Defending the blockade, Trump argued that Iran had used “the Hormuz Strait as a weapon for many, many years, they said they’ll close it. So, they closed it, then I closed it on them.” On the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran,
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  UN committee says Israel’s death penalty law perpetuates ‘racial discrimination’ against Palestinians

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  Israel’s newly adopted death penalty law perpetuates racial discrimination against Palestinians and amounts to a grave erosion of human rights, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)...

  UN committee says Israel’s death penalty law perpetuates ‘racial discrimination’ against Palestinians

  

  Israel’s newly adopted death penalty law perpetuates racial discrimination against Palestinians and amounts to a grave erosion of human rights, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said Friday, Anadolu reports. CERD expressed alarm about the law mandates, and urged Israel to immediately repeal it. “Those courts have exclusive jurisdiction over Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while Israeli citizens and residents are explicitly excluded from its application,” it said in a statement. Saying that the law is de facto applicable to Palestinians only, it stressed that it prohibits mitigation, commutation or pardon of the death penalty and sets a 90-day deadline for executions once a final judgment is rendered. The state party should “ensure that all
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  US approves possible military sales to Qatar, Kuwait, UAE

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  The US Department of State said Friday that it approved military sales to Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, Anadolu Agency reports. The agency approved the possible sale of...

  US approves possible military sales to Qatar, Kuwait, UAE

  

  The US Department of State said Friday that it approved military sales to Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, Anadolu Agency reports. The agency approved the possible sale of Patriot Air and Missile Defense replenishment services and related equipment to Qatar for $4.01 billion. It also approved the potential sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) to Qatar for $992 million, and to the UAE for $147.6 million. Separately, it green-lighted the possible sale of Integrated Battle Command System to Kuwait for $2.5 billion. The announcement comes as the US and Israel began strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation from Tehran against US allies in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. READ: US
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  US approves possible sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System to Israel

  by MI on May 2, 2026

  The US State Department said Friday that it approved the possible sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) and related equipment to Israel, Anadolu Agency reports. The estimated total...

  US approves possible sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System to Israel

  

  The US State Department said Friday that it approved the possible sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) and related equipment to Israel, Anadolu Agency reports. The estimated total cost is $992.4 million, it said in a statement. “The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats. Israel will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” it added. The principal contractor will be BAE Systems in the US state of New Hampshire. The US has long been criticized for providing support to Israel for its genocideal war in the Gaza Strip, where more than 72,000 people, mostly women