War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty have discussed the situation in the Middle East, including developments surrounding Iran, during talks on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, Al Jazeera reports.

According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, both sides have stressed the need for a “peaceful solution” to the crisis and called for greater international efforts towards a “sustainable long-term settlement”.

Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi vows to ensure that the state will have a monopoly over weapons, AFP reports citing the INA state news agency.

Zaidi’s government programme, which he has presented to parliament, includes “reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces”, INA quotes the parliament media office as saying.

The US, a key powerbroker in Iraqi politics, has recently piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm groups allegedly supported by Iran, which it designates as terrorist organisations.

US Admiral Brad Cooper has told a congressional hearing that Central Command (Centcom) was created as a “direct response” to threats from Iran.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has terrorised the region and made hostility to the United States a core tenant of its rule,” he says.

Hezbollah claims it launched two attacks on Israeli military targets as a response to what it calls Israeli violations of the ceasefire and attacks on southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

In separate statements, the group claims fighters carried out attacks targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers at the Ras an-Naqoura site, as well as an Israeli army Humvee vehicle at Tayr Harfa.

The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms a “terrorist attack” targeting an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

The ministry affirms that this attack “constitutes a grave threat to the security of international navigation and represents a dangerous escalation aimed at undermining the stability of critical waterways”.

“The UAE expressed its solidarity with the Republic of India and its full support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the security and safety of its vessels and interests,” the statement reads.

A ship was reported seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and was heading for Iranian waters, Reuters reports citing a British maritime agency.

British maritime security agency UKMTO reported that “unauthorised personnel” had boarded a ship anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, and were steering it towards Iran.

“The company security officer reported that the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor,” Vanguard says.

The Iran war is increasingly turning into a prolonged war of attrition, analysts say, with all sides relying as much on economic pressure, endurance and political calculation as on military confrontation, according to Anadolu.

Despite intermittent exchanges of fire and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, experts say neither side appears capable of securing a decisive victory, raising the prospect of a drawn-out confrontation centred on exhausting the opponent economically, militarily and psychologically.

“This has turned into a war of attrition — a test of patience,” says Ahron Bregman, a senior teaching fellow at King’s College London. “The question is: who will break first?”

Read more here.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has made a flurry of statements on renewed US and Israeli threats against his country and the war in general, according to Al Jazeera.

“We are used to these threats,” he tells the IRNA news agency. “They have been repeating their threats in various forms and ways for a long time, but they themselves know that they have not and will not get any results from these threats and even from the war they launched.”

He says there is no military solution to the issues related to Iran, adding that Iran will “not bow down”.

Araghchi adds that the other side should know that it must seek solutions to the issues with Iran in a place other than the military arena.

Iran’s football federation chief says no visas have yet been issued for the national team to play World Cup games in the United States, Al Jazeera reports.

“Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees because the visa issue has still not been resolved,” state news agency IRNA quotes federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying.

“We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet.”

Players are expected to travel to the Turkish capital, Ankara, for fingerprinting as part of the visa process.

Saudi Arabia is discussing a “non-aggression” security agreement between Iran and other nations in the Middle East as soon as the US-Israel war on Iran definitively ends, Al Jazeera reports citing a news report.

Quoting an unnamed Arab diplomat, The Financial Times reports that the pact would be modelled after the 1975 Helsinki accords, which the United States and European nations signed with the Soviet Union and its allies.

The diplomat told The FT that whether an agreement comes together “all depends [on] who is in it”.

“Without Israel, it could be counterproductive because after Iran, they are seen as the biggest source of conflict. But Iran is not going anywhere, and this is why the Saudis are pushing it,” the envoy is quoted as saying.

Two unidentified diplomats have also expressed scepticism that the United Arab Emirates would join such a pact, the news report added. The UAE has close ties with Israel after signing the Abraham Accords to normalise relations in 2020.

Hezbollah has claimed a series of attacks on Israeli military positions and equipment in southern Lebanon, including a strike on a Merkava tank and multiple drone attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

In separate statements, the group said it targeted an Israeli position in Adaysah with a drone, as well as “technical equipment” at the newly established Balat site.

Hezbollah also claimed it carried out attacks targeting an Israeli military position near the Deir Siryan river and a Merkava tank in the town square of Taybeh.

US President Donald Trump says President Xi Jinping had offered China’s help to open the Strait of Hormuz and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in its war against the US and Israel, AFP reports.

“He said he’s not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly,” Trump tells the ‘Hannity’ show on Fox News, after the two leaders met in Beijing.

“He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said ‘if I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help,’” Trump adds.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists the US does not need China’s help on Iran, while reiterating that President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have found “common ground” on the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

“We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,” Rubio tells NBC.

He has also warned Tehran against trying to use divisions in US politics to influence negotiations with Washington.

“What the president’s making clear is, if the Iranians think they are going to use our domestic politics to pressure him into a bad deal, that’s not going to happen.”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is paying close attention to the energy shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East and its implications for fertiliser shipments, Reuters reports.

History shows it took about six months for increases in fertiliser prices to translate into higher food prices, and in some cases reduced yields and food security issues, IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack tells a briefing.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed the country’s citizens for their national solidarity and unity, noting that it is key to overcoming a crisis.

“The people of Iran have shown that the way to overcome challenges is through national solidarity, and just as they stood together during the forty-day war, they will also pass through the era of reconstruction with empathy and unity,” he has said on X.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (Centcom), has claimed that “Iranian-supported terror groups” attacked US troops and diplomats 350 times prior to the launch of Operation Epic Fury — the name of Washington’s military campaign in Iran.

“Today, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis are all cut off from Iran’s weapons supply and support,” he tells a congressional hearing.

“This result was not foreordained, nor was it brought by chance. It’s the culmination of months of careful planning, built upon decades of experience. These results also do not come without cost.”

Iran’s ability to threaten its neighbours and US interests in the region has been dramatically reduced, Reuters reports quoting the head of US Central Command.

“Iran has a significantly degraded threat, and they no longer threaten regional partners, or the United States, in ways that they were able to do before, across every domain,” Admiral Brad Cooper tells a Senate committee. “They’ve been significantly degraded.”

At least 200 children have been killed in Lebanon from ongoing Israeli attacks since March 2, Unicef says according to Al Jazeera.

Unicef said at least 59 children were killed or wounded in the war-battered country during the past week alone despite the “ceasefire” in effect since April 17.

“Children in Lebanon continue to be at the sharp end of ongoing violence, displacement, and exposure to traumatic events,” it said in a statement.

The overall casualty toll among children since March 2 has reached 200 killed and 806 injured — equivalent to nearly 14 children killed or wounded every day, it said.

Rising gas prices drove up US consumer spending in April even as overall consumption slowed, AFP reports citing official data.

Retail sales totaled $757.1 billion in the United States in April, up 0.5 per cent from the previous month and 4.9pc year-on-year.

That represents a sharp slowdown from March, when spending rose 1.6pc compared to February numbers. The data is nevertheless in line with market expectations.

The broad index of retail and food sales includes in-store purchases, dining out, gas purchases and more. It is not adjusted for inflation, which accelerated sharply over the period. This implies that, while Americans spent more, they did not necessarily purchase more goods and services by volume.

US consumers are facing soaring prices at the pump due to the repercussions of the war in the Middle East. Their spending at gas stations increased by nearly 21pc compared to last year, the data shows.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has had a telephone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, in which the two top diplomats discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

“The two leaders reviewed the prevailing regional situation and exchanged views on ongoing efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability,” the FO says in a post on X.

“Foreign Secretary Cooper appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in encouraging peaceful engagement among the concerned parties.”

According to the FO, the discussion also covered the broader implications of the conflict on regional security and international trade.

“DPM/FM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred path for addressing regional challenges,” it adds.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have instructed “the initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times”, according to Al Jazeera.

The move comes after the newspaper recently published an op-ed alleging widespread sexual violence by Israeli prison guards and soldiers against Palestinian detainees.

In a statement, Israel’s foreign ministry called the piece “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press”.

The NYT investigation, published on Monday, is based on testimonies gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from 14 men and women who said they’d been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or soldiers.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi has said the ceasefire between the US and Iran is “holding”.

Responding to a query, according to a transcript posted by FO, Andrabi said, “Yes, the peace process is intact, it’s holding on. We remain engaged. We remain hopeful.

“Injecting momentum into the peace process is primarily the prerogative of the two principal interlocutors. Pakistan, on its parts [sic], remain engaged,” he was quoted as saying.