Trump’s renewed hardline stance toward Tehran—issued just as U.S.-Iran nuclear talks stalled—jolted oil traders and triggered a nearly 2% rise in crude prices. The move could further destabilize global energy markets already facing uncertainty from OPEC+ supply decisions and weakening economic signals from the U.S (Read more at Mehrnews).
Iran yesterday accused the United States of “contradictory behaviour and provocative statements” after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for backing Yemen’s Houthis and imposed new oil-related sanctions on it in the midst of nuclear talks. Yesterday, Washington imposed sanctions on entities it accused of involvement in the illicit trade of Iranian oil and petrochemicals (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
A Jordanian national in Orlando, Florida, was sentenced to six years in U.S. federal prison for threats against and attacks on businesses over their perceived support for Israel, the U.S. Justice Department said. Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 44, described by prosecutors as "a Jordanian national residing illegally in Orlando," broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, in June 2024, according to prosecutors. He caused more than $450,000 in damage (Read more at MSN).
“They have to walk away from sponsoring terrorists, they have to walk away from helping the Houthis (in Yemen), they have to walk away from building long-range missiles that have no purpose to exist other than having nuclear weapons, and they have to walk away from enrichment,” Rubio said in a Fox News interview (Read more at Dawn).
Rhodes, who served as deputy national security advisor, says: “Israel doesn’t want to end the war … if they were willing to end the war, they would get the hostages out. The idea that they need to continue to fight the war against Hamas in Gaza - I’m sorry, there’s no security need to do it. You’re just talking about an already traumatised people, including a lot of injured people, who are being bombed in tents with no food and medicine.” (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Saudi Arabia has set a ground rule for US President Donald Trump and his entourage ahead of their visit to the kingdom in May: keep talk of normalisation with Israel off the agenda. That was the message delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud during his visit to Washington DC last month to plan Trump’s visit to the kingdom and in follow-up discussions among senior officials (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released from US immigration custody on April 30, after a judge ruled he should be free on bail to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to deport him over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Mr Mahdawi, born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, was arrested earlier in April upon arriving for an interview for his US citizenship petition. A judge swiftly ordered President Donald Trump’s administration not to deport him from the United States or take him out of the state of Vermont (Read more at Straits Times).
In the latest round of its air campaign since March 15, “USCENTCOM strikes have hit over 1,000 targets, killing Houthi fighters and leaders… and degrading their capabilities,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to the military command responsible for the Middle East (Read more at Defense Post).
“Message to Iran: We see your deadly support for the Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know what the US military is capable of, and you have been warned. You will face the consequences at a time and place of our choosing,” Hegseth wrote on social network X (Read more at UATV).
"U.S. sanctions on Iran during the nuclear talks are not helping the sides to resolve the nuclear dispute through diplomacy," an official said. Oman, which mediated earlier sessions of the U.S.-Iran talks, said on Thursday the next round of nuclear discussions provisionally planned for May 3 would be rescheduled for "logistical reasons" (Read more at Reuters).
Trump has made no secret of his belief that US vessels should transit the strategic waterway for free. On Saturday, he publicly demanded as much, saying the canal "would not exist without the United States of America”. One Egyptian MP was reported as characterising the Trump administration's moves as blackmail and rubbished Trump's claim about the canal's existence, saying it was "purely Egyptian" (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Emirates, the largest airline in the United Arab Emirates and a key contributor to its economy, is the world's biggest operator of Boeing 777 jets and one of the largest cargo carriers globally. "Things are looking quite positive. But it's something, again, you cannot ignore. There are so many uncertainties out there that we need to watch and monitor", the airline's Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market show in Dubai (Read more at Reuters).
Millions of dollars in US grants for Jordan's largest water desalination project abruptly dried up when President Donald Trump announced sweeping cuts to foreign aid in January. Within two months, support was flowing again, a result of diplomacy that has arguably put the pivotal Middle Eastern state on a more solid financial footing than before the US President’s shock move to reshape global foreign aid in January (Read more at Straits Times).
The United States told the International Court of Justice Wednesday that Israel must provide aid to Gaza, but the country does not have to work with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (Read more at NPR).
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the infrastructure of a major non-NATO ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," the US State Department said in a statement (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The Trump International Golf Course and Trump Villas will be part of the Simaisma beachside development 40 minutes north of the Qatari capital Doha. The $5.5 billion Simaisma development, led by Qatari Diar, is designed as a 7 km-long mega entertainment resort district, anchored by an 18-hole golf course and a Land of Legends theme park (Read more at AOL).
The United States has imposed sanctions on a network based in Iran and China that it accused of procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients on behalf of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to increase pressure on Tehran. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it was targeting six entities and six individuals as part of the action, which comes as the Trump administration has relaunched negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program (Read more at Iran Front Page).
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani has been in the United States for meetings at the United Nations, where he raised the three-star flag of Syria’s uprising. Damascus is keen to hear a realistic path forward from the United States for permanent sanctions relief while conveying a realistic timeline to deliver on Washington’s demands for the lifting of the sanctions (Read more at Arabnews).
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed private equity executive Thomas Barrack, a longtime friend and backer of President Donald Trump, to be U.S. ambassador to Turkey, a NATO member that in recent years has had strained ties with the United States. The Senate confirmed Barrack by 60 votes to 36, with almost all his support coming from Trump's fellow Republicans, who hold 53 seats in the 100-member chamber (Read more at MSN).
Britain said it joined US forces in air strikes on a Houthi military target in Yemen overnight, hitting a rebel drone production facility about 25 km (15 miles) south of Sanaa. Britain and the US have also previously conducted joint operations and strikes in Yemen (Read more at France 24).
On the third day of hearings by the World Court in The Hague examining Israel’s legal humanitarian obligations in occupied Palestine, the US rejected the opinion held by the majority of states that Israel has breached international law in its attacks on UN and international organisations during its war on Gaza since October 2023 (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir concluded his visit to the United States on Monday with a meeting on Capitol Hill with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) (Read more at JNS).
US officials have entered talks with Jordan about extraditing a high-profile Jordanian citizen who was convicted by an Israeli court for assisting in a deadly attack in Jerusalem. The discussions come at a critical time for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which has banned the Muslim Brotherhood and is wary of its citizens' anger at Israel over the war in Gaza. Jordan and Israel have had a peace treaty since 1994. The extradition of Ahlam Tamimi is being discussed as part of a broader package of deals that Jordan hopes will allow it to obtain more US economic assistance, which has been curtailed with the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). (Read more at Middle East Eye)
MQ-9s can be used for both reconnaissance — a key aspect of US efforts to identify and target weaponry the rebels are using to attack shipping in the region — as well as strikes (Read more at Defense Post).
An unexploded precision glide bomb fired by US forces against Houthi militants was found in Yemen’s southern Shabwah governorate, sparking fears of it falling into enemy hands (Read more at Defense Post).
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) returned from an official visit to Syria this month with more cautious optimism about the country’s new government than Washington and Jerusalem have mustered. Al-Sharaa has engaged the West, indicating openness to joining the Abraham Accords, and Stuztman and the Syrian leader discussed commerce and Syria’s potential to become a central trade and tourism hub (Read more at JNS).
An alleged ISIS terrorist has been arrested in connection with the Jan. 1 Bourbon Street car attack that killed 14 people in Louisiana, according to Iraqi officials. The suspect is accused of inciting Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, to carry out the attack, which also left dozens injured on the famed New Orleans street at the height of New Year’s Eve celebrations (Read more at New York Post).
The initiative was championed by Representative Mindy McAlindon and supported by American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS). Founders Yigal Dilmoni and Rafi Lizerovitz praised the decision, calling it a powerful step in “spreading the historical truth about Judea and Samaria to the world.” Arkansas’ decision may set a precedent for other pro-Israel states across the country. Governor Sanders, daughter of newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, has made clear her strong support for Israel and its historical claims. Similar legislation is reportedly under consideration in Washington State (Read more at 5 Towns Central).
Held by a three-star general, the role involves coordinating between political and military officials in Israel and the Palestinian Authority to try to avoid and contain security crises. It has become especially important as the security situation in the occupied West Bank has continued to deteriorate. Sources who spoke to Axios expressed concern that eliminating it could lead to further destabilization in the West Bank at a time when the war in Gaza is still ongoing (Read more at Axios).
Asked about the impact that the tariffs imposed or planned by President Donald Trump’s administration have had on the global economy and the Gulf region in particular, the president’s son said that the UAE was less exposed to tariffs because of its service-oriented, capital-intensive economy. “They can largely avoid that and I think that’s good for so much of the Gulf.” (Read more at Middle East Monitor)
Last week, conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson featured a senior Department of Defence official who he claimed was ousted because he was seen as an obstacle to the US bombing Iran. Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, was removed from the Pentagon earlier this month on charges that he allegedly leaked classified information about Hegseth’s use of a Signal chat (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Another 47 people were injured in the strike in the city of Saada, in the northwest of the country. The center housed around 100 African migrants. There was no immediate U.S. comment on the strike (Read more at ABCNews).
Etihad had recorded strong seat occupancy levels in recent weeks despite the trade tensions, and that the volatility could even create opportunities in some instances. He expects more Europeans, for example, to take advantage of the euro’s recent gains against the dollar and the Gulf region’s dollar-pegged currencies to travel (Read more at Arabnews).
The Houthis profit significantly from the shipment of goods through ports they control, profiting, in particular, from the discharge of refined petroleum products. Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to target those who seek to enable the Houthis’ ability to exploit the people of Yemen and continue their campaign of violence (Read more at US Department of the Treasury).
Woodside Energy (WDS.AX), opens new tab is in talks with an overseas unit of Kuwait Petroleum to sell a stake in its Louisiana liquefied natural gas plant in the U.S. The overseas unit, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration, is also considering securing LNG supply from the project. Earlier this month, Woodside, Australia's top gas producer, had agreed to sell a 40% stake in its Louisiana LNG plant to U.S. infrastructure investor Stonepeak for $5.7 billion (Read more at Reuters).
An upgraded trade pact would ease restrictions on data sharing that would enable significant collaboration. Most U.S. goods are already exempt from Israeli tariffs under a 1985 trade deal (Read more at AOL).
Israel told the US, its largest trading partner and closest ally, that it will ease import standards for US goods, the minister said, in line with a similar concession made to the European Union last year. That reform became known as ‘What’s Good for Europe is Good for Israel’ (Read more at Bloomberg).
Iran's reach out to Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, suggests Tehran is keeping its options open, but also wants to assess where the Europeans stand on the possible re-imposition of U.N. sanctions before October, when a resolution ratifying the 2015 accord expires (Read more at AOL).
Asked whether Israel would be willing to strike Iran's "military facilities" by itself, Dermer said he would not "talk about operational issues" but that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be believed when he said he would do whatever it takes to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon (Read more at MSN).
The military was using the $60 million jet as part of its weekslong campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen. One sailor was injured in the mishap, which included the loss of a vehicle used to tow the aircraft across the deck. The plane and truck sank. The aircraft’s loss adds to the growing price tag in the effort against the Houthis, which has included seven MQ-9 drones shot down by the Iran-backed group over the past several weeks (Read more at Politico).
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday that police were investigating a series of incidents that have erupted from clashing pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests, including the reported assault on Thursday of two women by a pro-Israeli crowd. Demonstrations have taken place in recent days during a visit to New York by far-right Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler who has pressed for an intensification of U.S. ally Israel's war in the Gaza Strip (Read more at AOL).
The Trump administration has reversed the US government’s longstanding position that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was protected from civil liability. The new position was unveiled in a letter the Justice Department filed in federal court in New York on Thursday as part of a lawsuit that aims to hold the agency accountable for the Hamas-led attacks of October 7 (Read more at Aljazeera).
The offered package comes after the administration of former President Joe Biden unsuccessfully tried to finalise a defence pact with Riyadh as part of a broad deal that envisioned Saudi Arabia normalising ties with Israel (Read more at Daily Star).
The senior U.S. official said the third round of talks lasted over four hours and included direct and indirect engagement between the U.S. and Iranian teams. Araghchi said in a briefing with his traveling press that he is satisfied with the progress and pace of the negotiations and stressed both sides are serious. "Some differences are serious, some less so. I'm hopeful about reaching a deal, but yet cautious," Araghchi added (Read more at Axios).
In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing US journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog. But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the US permission for counterterrorism strikes (Read more at Business Standard).
“The continued imposition of sanctions against various economic sectors of Iran is in clear contradiction with the US claim for dialogue and negotiation and indicates the lack of goodwill and seriousness of the US in this regard,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei said (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, who was granted refugee status in the US in 2014, denied Iraqi charges that he murdered a police officer as a Daesh operative. Ameen was sent to Rwanda earlier this month according to the US official (Read more at Arabnews).
These restrictions were imposed during the Biden administration to limit the export of American AI chips to the Middle East. They were enacted due to concerns that these semiconductors could be diverted to China and enhance its military capabilities (Readm more at Tech in Asia).
Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek on Thursday said Türkiye was committed to advancing its strategic partnership with the United States in all fields. Şimşek's remarks came following what he said were "productive discussions" with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington. It was not immediately clear whether the officials discussed tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump announced last month and that went into effect earlier this month (Read more at Daily Sabah).
No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether concerns about humanitarian aid access came up in his phone call with Netanyahu earlier this week. "Gaza came up and I said, 'We've got to be good to Gaza ... Those people are suffering,'" Trump said (Read more at APA Group).
An official reiterated Iran's longstanding position that it would not make any further concessions on its missile programme beyond those agreed in a previous deal in 2015, saying Iran's defensive capabilities "are not up for negotiation". The U.S. State Department declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment (Read more at Yahoo News).
The U.S. wants Syria's authorities to fully renounce and suppress terrorism, adopt a policy of non-aggression to neighboring states, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles, prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory, destroy weapons of mass destruction, assist in the recovery of U.S. citizens disappeared in Syria, and ensure the security and freedoms of all Syrians (Read more at MSN).
Asked whether he was open to meeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trump replied: "Sure." When asked if the U.S. would join a war against Iran should Israel take action, he responded: "I may go in very willingly if we can't get a deal. If we don't make a deal, I'll be leading the pack." (Read more at Straits Times)
Houthi officials had claimed that a U.S. strike killed a dozen people in the residential area of Sanaa’s Old City on Sunday. The U.S. Central Command, however, said its nearest strike that night was over 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, and that the explosion was likely caused by a Houthi air defense missile. This conclusion was based on local reports and videos showing Arabic inscriptions on missile fragments at the scene, according to a CENTCOM spokesperson (Read more at anewz).
Trump made the remarks ahead of technical talks between the US and Iranian delegations in Oman on Saturday. "I think we're doing very well on an agreement with Iran. ... That one is well on its way - we could have a very, very good decision," Trump said (Read more at Mehrnews).
“In total, six individuals were taken into custody,” the NYPD said. “Five of the individuals were issued criminal court summonses, and one was arrested.” (Read more at JNS).
The evacuation of US citizens trapped in the besieged Gaza Strip is planned to take place in the coming week and is likely to occur on or before 7 May. Approximately 20 Palestinian Americans will be evacuated from Gaza and bussed to Jordan (Read more at Middle East Eye).
“China has always been committed to a political and diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and is opposed to resorting to force and illegal unilateral sanctions at every turn,” China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Wang said China appreciated Iran’s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, respected the country’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and supported its dialogue with all parties, including the US (Read more at South China Morining Post).
If Washington sticks to the position taken by Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, in the third round of talks in Oman on Saturday, the two sides will have hit their first major negotiating hurdle. They are trying to reach an agreement that blocks off Iran’s access to a nuclear bomb in return for relief from economic sanctions. The Rubio plan is an attempt at compromise between those inside the US administration who say the only certain way to close off Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb is to dismantle its entire nuclear programme and those that say Iran should be allowed to enrich low purity uranium subject to a full external inspection. That proposal is similar to the system set up in the 2015 nuclear deal from which Donald Trump withdrew the US in his first term (Read more at Guardian).
“If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one just like many other countries can have one, and that is they import enriched material,” Rubio said. Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian energy use and says it does not seek to make weapons-grade uranium to build atomic bombs (Read more at AP).
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told White House envoy Steve Witkoff during nuclear talks on Saturday that it might not be possible to reach a final nuclear accord on President Trump's proposed timetable and asked whether the sides should first negotiate an interim deal. If a deal isn't reached, Trump could order a U.S. military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities or support an Israeli strike (Read more at Axios).
Anton is a low-profile and increasingly powerful administration official who worked on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration and later served as a fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute. He has not yet staked out a public stance on the Iran file. “He is the perfect man for the job given his experience and intellect. Most importantly, he will ensure that President Trump’s agenda on this file is followed through,” an administration official said (Read more at Politico).
“Israel is opposed to the US withdrawing from northeast Syria,” one former U.S. official told MEE. “They want to see the US extract concessions from Türkiye on demilitarisation before any American boots leave Syrian soil.” The Trump administration’s decision is aimed at shifting from a military presence to a political role in the region (Read more at Turkiye Today).
In a makeshift camp located in Yemen's mountainous Taiz province, Ahmed Ghalib, in his 60s, lives with his wife and four children. He fled his home in 2018, leaving everything behind, and has since depended on humanitarian aid for basic services. He added that those who felt ashamed went to beg in far away markets to avoid being recognised by neighbours and relatives. According to the United Nations, 19.5 million Yemenis – more than half the population – including 4.5 million displaced people, are in need of humanitarian aid (Read more at Middle East Eye).
FBI and local law enforcement raided homes of students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Michigan. Amir Makled, an attorney representing some of the students who were targeted, called the raids a "witch hunt" designed to deter students from pro-Palestinian demonstrations (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Iran is ringing two deeply buried tunnel complexes with a massive security perimeter linked to its main nuclear complex. David Albright, the institute president, said the new perimeter suggested that the tunnel complexes, under construction beneath Mount Kolang Gaz La for several years, could become operational relatively soon (Read more at Yahoo).
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Iranian national and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) “magnate” Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh and his corporate network, for his role in shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian LPG and crude oil to foreign markets. Emamjomeh’s expansive network includes a vessel, the 2024-built Tinos I, which intended but failed to load cargo last year on its maiden voyage off the coast of Houston (Read more at Splash 247).
"There are a number of things under discussion... but I can tell you that both sides are optimistic that we can reach an agreement," Barkat said in an interview during a visit to Abu Dhabi. The United States is Israel's largest trading partner and closest ally, with bilateral trade worth $34 billion in 2024 (Read more at MSN).
According to the mission, the cancellation came as a result of the organizer’s decision to shift the format from a solo speech to a debate. The Iranian delegation expressed regret over the change and confirmed that the full text of Araghchi’s prepared remarks would be published at an appropriate time (Read more at Profile News).
The phone call took place amid a stalemate in the Gaza negotiations after another failed attempt last week by the U.S. and Egypt to put forward a bridging proposal both sides could accept. The Trump administration wants to make another attempt this week to bring about a breakthrough, but Netanyahu has been reluctant to agree to anything beyond an interim deal that does not end the war. I've just spoken to Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, relative to numerous subjects including Trade, Iran, etc. The call went very well—We are on the same side of every issue," Trump said (Read more at Axios).
Tehran has confirmed that the discussions have led so far to an understanding on the broad framework of the negotiations. Iran has praised the continuing talks with the US as the two sides prepare for further meetings, saying it hopes they could lead to investment and help revive its ailing economy (Read more at The National).
He did so after an aide had warned him not to do so. Sean Parnell, the chief Defense Department spokesman, denied that Hegseth had shared classified information. “There was no classified information in any Signal chat,” he said on X (Read more on CNBC).
He said discussions would include firms exploring supply chain shifts to Turkey in light of recent geopolitical and economic developments, including US President Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs. Şimşek said he would attend as many as 15 meetings a day with international investors and financial institutions while in the US (Read more at Turkish Minute).
Many online say the US ambassador to Israel has unmasked US support for Israel's humanitarian blockade of Gaza. The new ambassador to Israel – who served as governor of Arkansas and later as a Fox News commentator – published a video response to the WHO official on Monday, saying: "How about we put the pressure where it really belongs – on Hamas." "When that happens, and hostages are released – which is an urgent matter for all of us – then we hope that humanitarian aid will flow, and flow freely, knowing that it will be done without Hamas being able to confiscate and abuse their own people by not allowing those resources to get to the people who desperately need it." (Read more at Middle East Eye)
Guterres “is gravely concerned about the air strikes conducted by the United States over the course of 17 and 18 April in and around Yemen’s port of Ras Issa, which reportedly resulted in scores of civilian casualties, including five humanitarian workers injured,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement (Read more at Defense Post).
Oman’s Foreign Ministry said the talks resulted in an agreement to move towards the next phase of negotiations aimed at sealing “a fair, enduring and binding deal”. The next step would ensure “Iran is completely free of nuclear weapons and sanctions, and maintains its ability to develop peaceful nuclear energy”, it added. “This time we managed to reach a better understanding on a series of principles and goals,” Mr Al Busaidi told Iranian state TV (Read more at The National).
A Christian businessman said he raised the issue of US sanctions and the need for them to be removed. “Like all Syrians, Christians also want the prosperity of Syria,” he said. He added that the Christians of Sednaya have been stigmatised because they did not join the anti-Al Assad revolt, unlike the surrounding Sunni cities and towns (Read more at The National).
The armed wing of Hamas said on Saturday it did not know the fate of Alexander, after noting that the guard holding him was killed. Adi Alexander, whose son Edan was serving in the Israeli army when he was captured on October 7, 2023, called on the United States to engage in direct talks to free the remaining hostages – dead and alive – abducted during the deadly attack launched by Hamas two years ago in southern Israel (Read more at Arabnews).
"Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company... is directly supporting Iran-backed Huthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told journalists (Read more at The Hindu).
"Given the contradictory positions we have heard from various U.S. officials over the past few days, we expect the U.S. side to first provide an explanation in this regard and to remove the serious ambiguities that have arisen regarding its intentions and seriousness," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said (Read more at Japan Times).
Former US President Joe Biden, whose administration unsuccessfully tried to reinstate the 2015 pact, was not able to meet Tehran's demand for guarantees that no future US administration would renege on it. While both Tehran and Washington have said they are set on pursuing diplomacy, they remain far apart on a dispute that has rumbled on for more than two decades (Read more at Business Standard).
It was agreed that negotiations will continue and move into the next phase, in which expert-level meetings will begin on Wednesday in Oman. The experts will have the opportunity to start designing a framework for an agreement. The top negotiators would meet again in Oman next Saturday to "review the experts' work and assess how closely it aligns with the principles of a potential agreement (Read more at MSN)
When asked to comment on the possibility of a military action against Iran, Trump said: "I wouldn't say [I] waved off [this option]. I'm not in a rush to do it, because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death. And I'd like to see that. That's my first option. If there's a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran. And I think Iran is wanting to talk. I hope they're wanting to talk. It's going to be very good for them if they do." (Read more at Tass)
In a statement released on Friday, US Central Command defended the attack, saying American forces had struck to "eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years." (Read more at Euronews)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the State Department to review the social media accounts of foreign applicants for United States visas who have visited the Gaza Strip in the past 18 years. The cable covers all immigrant and non-immigrant US visas – including students and tourists – of people who have spent “any length of time in an official or diplomatic capacity” in Gaza on or after January 1, 2007 (Read more at Aljazeera).
The two are U.S. Representatives Cory Mills of Florida, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana. Both are members of President Donald Trump's Republican Party. Mills met new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday night. They discussed U.S. sanctions and Iran during a 90-minute meeting. Asked about meeting a leader still sanctioned by Washington, Stutzman cited examples of Trump’s administration engaging with Iranian and North Korean leaders (Read more at Yahoo News).
Both sides will try to establish what the baseline for the talks is and, hopefully, set up a framework from which they can probably reach an initial deal. They can then set out the guidelines for negotiating a longer-term agreement which would, on the one hand, restrict Iran's nuclear programme and, on the other, provide a large measure of sanctions relief (Read more at The National).
Ron Dermer and David Barnea, Israel's strategic affairs minister and the director of the Mossad intelligence agency, slipped into Paris for the low-profile meeting with Witkoff to try to influence the U.S. position ahead of the second round of talks with Iran in Rome (Read more at Axios).
Nejwa Ali, who was in charge of vetting asylum seekers, was placed on administrative leave pending an “investigation” by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Oct. 19, 2023. She was not officially fired until the Trump administration did so on Feb. 10 (Read more at JNS)
Rasheedul Mowla, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to trying to support the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which he sought to join in 2017. The U.S. citizen faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Read more at JNS).
In recent weeks, Turkiye has increasingly made moves to persuade the US and its administration under President Donald Trump to allow it access back into the F-35 fighter jet programme, after Ankara was kicked out of the joint production venture back in 2019 due to its acquisition of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system. The revived efforts to get back into the programme and to purchase numerous F-35 jets for its own military have led to the Turkish government last week offering to buy $20 billion in ammunition electronics, and parts from the US – as well as to shift away from its direct use of the S-400 system – in exchange for the readmission process (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
A U.S. official stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of de-escalation and coordination during his April 3 meeting in Washington with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Turkish officials have downplayed Washington’s involvement, noting that Türkiye already maintains deconfliction channels with Russia, Iran, and the U.S. in Syria. A Turkish official stated, “It’s not a big deal,” suggesting that adding Israel to these existing frameworks is routine (Read more at Turkiye Today).
Trump administration officials revealed to the New York Times that Israel had sought Washington’s assistance to carry out an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in May. According to the Times, the plan and its possible maneuvers were under consideration for months. But during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House last week, Trump told the Israelis he would not support an attack. The president instead publicly announced the direct talks with Tehran (Read more at Defense Post).
The $180-million deal covers the 8V199TE21-D power pack engines developed by Rolls-Royce and associated equipment for the fleet. It also incorporates technical assistance, engineering services, and logistics tasks to support the program (Read more at Defense post).
Many have lashed out at the veteran senator for looking on as the banner was removed and protesters were ejected from the venue. During the rally, Sanders is reported to have said: "Israel, like any other country, has the right to defend itself from terrorism, but it does not have the right to wage all out war against the Palestinian people" and "not one more nickel to Netanyahu" (Read more at Middle East Eye)
The U.S. on Wednesday issued new sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports, including against a China-based "teapot refinery", as President Donald Trump seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran and drive Iranian oil exports down to zero (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Europe this week for talks about ending Russia's war in Ukraine and laying the groundwork for a nuclear deal with Iran (Read more at AOL).
The U.S. military has about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria across a number of bases, mostly in the northeast. One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that consolidation could reduce the number of troops in Syria to about 1,000. Another U.S. official confirmed the plan for a reduction, but said there was no certainty on numbers and was skeptical of a decrease of that scale at a time when President Donald Trump's administration has been negotiating with Iran and building up forces in the region (Read more at AOL).
Boehler will coordinate across agencies on hostage issues and report to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Boehler faced a political firestorm in March after Axios revealed he had met directly with Hamas officials — making him the first U.S. official ever to do so. Although those talks were approved by Trump, they sparked anger among some Senate Republicans, some of whom took the issue up privately with the White House. The new appointment is temporary and does not require Senate approval (Read more at Axios).
The Iranian spokesperson said that Araqchi will visit Moscow before the next round of talks is scheduled to be held on April 19 in Oman. Russia has previously expressed interest in mediating the relationship between the U.S. and Iran. "Russia is ready to make every effort, to do everything possible to contribute to this problem's resolution by political and diplomatic means," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 7 (Read more at Kyiv Independent).
Asked if US options for a response include a military strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities, Trump said: "Of course it does." Trump said the Iranians need to move fast to avoid a harsh response because "they're fairly close" to developing a nuclear weapon. He believes Iran is intentionally delaying a nuclear deal with the United States (Read more at Business Standard).
US immigration authorities on Monday arrested another Columbia University student who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests, detaining him as he attended an interview to become an American citizen. Mohsen Mahdawi's lawyers, in a court filing seeking his release and a halt to any imminent deportation, also claimed President Donald Trump's mounting crackdown on immigrant student protesters violates the US Constitution -- the latest judicial challenge to the Republican administration (Read more at France 24).
They discussed ways to support these negotiations to achieve the desired outcomes (Read more at MSN).
CENTCOM published a post in Hebrew on its X account, referencing a previous joint drill with Israel. The image attached to it showed Israeli and American fighter jets, with the phrase “All units ready”—a clear reference to the popular song titled “Harbu Darbu“—Arabic slang for “War and Pain”—by Israeli hip hop musicians Ness and Stilla (Read more at JNS).
The renewed nuclear negotiations with Iran will concentrate on capping uranium enrichment and enforcing stringent verification measures to block Tehran’s path to nuclear weapons, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said. However, Witkoff later wrote in a statement on X that Iran “must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on X that he “completely agree[s]” with Witkoff’s tweet about eliminating Iranian uranium enrichment “because that is how you make a nuclear weapon.” (Read more at JNS)
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe and other top officials participated in the situation room meeting on Tuesday (Read more at Axios).
When asked at a daily briefing if Russia would accept Iran's uranium reserves and if Tehran had discussed this with Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "I will leave that question without comment."(Read more at Mehr News)
The US defense secretary reiterated Sunday that the United States hopes for a diplomatic solution to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, but if that failed the military was ready “to go deep and to go big.” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that while President Donald Trump hoped to never have to resort to a military option, “We’ve shown a capability to go far, to go deep and to go big.” “Again, we don’t want to do that, but if we have to, we will to prevent the nuclear bomb in Iran’s hands.” (Read more at Defense Post)
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that France, the UK and Germany will be vigilant regarding nuclear talks between the United States and Iran to ensure they conform to European interests (Read more at Brussels Morning).
KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that it is expanding its presence in the Middle East including the appointment of General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.) as Chairman of KKR Middle East and the establishment of a dedicated investment team in the region led by Julian Barratt-Due, a Managing Director at KKR. These appointments build on KKR’s ongoing strategic commitment to the region, including having local offices since 2009 and deploying capital directly since 2019 (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
A so-called 123 agreement with Riyadh refers to Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and is required to permit the U.S. government and American companies to work with entities in the kingdom to develop a civil nuclear industry. Saudi authorities have not agreed to the requirements under the act, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. It specifies nine non-proliferation criteria a state must meet to keep it from using the technology to develop nuclear arms or transfer sensitive materials to others (Read more at AOL).
Saturday's exchanges were indirect and mediated by Oman, as Iran had wanted, rather than face-to-face, as Trump had demanded. "I think we are very close to a basis for negotiations and if we can conclude this basis next week, we'll have gone a long way and will be able to start real discussions based on that," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state television. Trump said, "Nothing matters until you get it done, so I don't like talking about it, but it's going OK. The Iran situation is going pretty good, I think" (Read more at Business Standard).
President Donald Trump wants Iran to know that there will be “all hell to pay” if it does not abandon its nuclear program, his press secretary told reporters on Friday ahead of talks on Saturday between U.S. and Iranian delegations (Read more at Ariana News).
Alexander, who turned 21 in captivity, was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in the US state of New Jersey, returning to Israel after high school to join the army. In the video, he says he wants to return home to celebrate the holidays (Read more at Arabnews).
Chinese officials have been canvassing other trading partners about how to deal with the US tariffs, most recently talking to counterparts in Spain, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao spoke to Saudi Arabia’s Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi about enhancing cooperation with countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council (Read more at Arab Weekly).
A Louisiana immigration judge ruled Friday that activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported. During a hearing at the remote Louisiana detention center where Khalil is being held, Judge Jamee Comans said Friday that she had no authority to question Rubio's determination. Khalil will not immediately be deported. His attorneys have said that if he were ordered deported, they would appeal the judge's ruling. Comans gave Khalil until April 23 to request a stay of his deportation if his attorneys believe he qualifies for one. And the judge said if they don't meet that deadline, she will order him deported either to Syria, where he was born, or to Algeria, where he is a citizen (Read more at NPR).
Although there is little optimism in Tehran that the talks will go far, the political establishment appears confident in Araqchi's ability to play Iran's hand with deftness and guile. Western diplomats involved in the talks between Iran and six world powers described him as "serious, technically knowledgeable and a straightforward diplomat" (Read more at MSN)
The USS Carl Vinson — which is armed with F-35C stealth warplanes — is now working alongside the USS Harry S. Truman in the region (Read more at Defense Post).
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced it has charged 12 people, ranging in age from 19-32, with felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass. The office said the demonstrators did hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage after they broke windows and furniture, splashed fake blood and disabled security cameras during their takeover of the facility (Read more at The Hill).
Trump's aid freeze means Yemen has lost its biggest donor, as the US ramps up military strikes on the country. Some 19.5 million people in the country rely on humanitarian assistance and protection services. That's half of the population. The Trump administration imposed a 90-day ban on all US foreign aid in January. The State Department said on Wednesday that it had reversed food aid cuts in Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador, but that the ban would remain in place for now on Afghanistan and Yemen (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Iranian oil exports recovered under Joe Biden, who became president after Trump's first term, and so far in 2025 have yet to show a decline, according to industry data. China, which opposes unilateral sanctions, buys the bulk of Iran's shipments. "That's actually very doable. President Trump actually did it in the first term," U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said when asked how the United States can enforce its maximum pressure policy on Tehran. "We can follow the ships leaving Iran. We know where they go. We can stop Iran's export of oil." (Read more at AOL)
Abu Dhabi state oil company ADNOC is in the early stages of considering a bid for investment firm Aethon Energy Management's U.S. natural gas assets, according to a person familiar with the matter. The upstream assets of Aethon, which primarily focus on the Haynesville shale formation in Louisiana and East Texas, constitute one of the largest privately held U.S. gas producers (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
The U.S. military shifted a Patriot battalion from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, requiring at least 73 flights. The number of C-17 flights conducted underscores just how stressful materiel moves can be. The Boeing-made aircraft can transport hefty equipment, like tanks (Read more at Axios).
The sources said the Iranians think reaching a complex and highly technical nuclear deal in two months is unrealistic and they want to get more time on the clock to avoid an escalation. The Iranians seem to believe that a sustainable deal is unlikely to be achieved in the timeframe that President Trump has in mind. It might therefore be necessary to consider an interim agreement as a way station toward a final deal (Read more at Axios).
“If necessary, absolutely ... If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Trump said. "Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. They’ll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us, but we do what we want to do." (Read more at France 24)
As many as six B-2 bombers relocated in March to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. There are only 20 B-2 bombers in the Air Force's inventory so they are usually used sparingly. Experts say that puts the B-2s, which have stealth technology and are equipped to carry the heaviest US bombs and nuclear weapons, in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East (Read more at Business Standard).
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said progress was being made regarding the return of the hostages being held in Gaza and that he was dealing with both Israel and Hamas, but he gave no other details about the talks (Source: Reuters).
Dubai-based Mashreq opens new tab has entered a partnership with Goldman Sachs Asset Management to offer discretionary investment services and tap growing demand for professionally managed portfolios in the Gulf. As the number of high-net-worth individuals, keen for sophisticated investment strategies, increases in the region, a joint statement said services resulting from the collaboration would be available from this month (Read more at Rueters).
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Guangsha Zhoushan Energy Group Co, LTD that it said operates a crude oil and petroleum products terminal on Huangzeshan Island in Zhoushan, China. The terminal knowingly engaged with oil from Iran and is directly connected through the Huangzeshan–Yushan Under Sea Oil Pipeline to an independent refinery known as a "teapot" plant, the U.S. State Department said (Read more at Marine Link).
“We hope that’ll lead to peace. We’ve been very clear what Iran is never going to have a nuclear weapon, and I think that’s what led to this meeting,” Rubio said during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Donald Trump (Read more at Daily Maverick).
Israel has been a major advocate of preventing the sale of F-35 planes to Turkey. The statement highlights Turkey’s push to restore defence trade with Washington, which has been strained since it was barred from the F-35 programme in 2019 over the deal with Moscow (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Saudi Arabia has huge plans for EVs that Tesla has not been able to tap, partly because of an earlier feud between its billionaire CEO, Elon Musk and the kingdom's powerful Public Investment Fund (PIF) sovereign wealth fund that dates back to 2018. Relations between Riyadh and Musk have improved since he took a high-profile role in U.S. President Donald Trump's election campaign and then a top position in his administration (Read more at Daily Sabah).
The Department of Homeland Security shared a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that accuses the Columbia University graduate student of participating in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities." The memo does not accuse Khalil of any crime. But Rubio writes that Khalil's continued presence in the U.S. would have "potentially serious adverse foreign consequences, and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest." (Read more at NPR)
Wright will also discuss previously announced investment plans by the Gulf country into the United States, the agency quoted him as saying. Wright would carry out a nearly two-week tour of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to lay the ground for a later visit by U.S. President Donald Trump (Read more at Reuters).
The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on five Iran-based entities and one person based in Iran for their support of Iran's nuclear program with the aim of denying Tehran a nuclear weapon. The action comes after Trump made a surprise announcement on Monday that the United States and Iran were poised to begin direct talks on Tehran's nuclear program, but Iran's foreign minister said the discussions in Oman would be indirect (Read more at AOL).
The former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate was tapped by President Donald Trump for the post just after the November election. He has never previously worked in a diplomatic or national security role for any U.S. administration (Read more at Politico).
Democrats are still more likely than Republicans to express a negative opinion of Israel by 69 percent to 37 percent, respectively. But the number of Republicans who hold negative opinions on Israel has increased 10 percentage points since 2022 (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was aware of the “quite harsh rhetoric” and that Tehran was taking preventative measures. He suggested that the focus should be on contacts rather than confrontation. “Indeed, the world is growing tired of the endless threats against Iran,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said (Read more at Middle East Monitor)
“We are certainly aware of that dynamic,” the State Department spokesperson said. “There is an investigation that is going on. We are aware of the reports from the IDF that this was a counterterrorism act, we need to learn more about the nature of what happened on the ground.” (Read more at Arabnews)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will also discuss Gaza and the status of Yemen's Houthis during meetings with U.S. government officials, the source said. The trip was scheduled before last week's U.S. tariffs announcement (Read more at Ammonnews).
The diplomats "agreed that the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces must return to peace talks, protect civilians, open humanitarian corridors, and return to civilian governance." The call came after the Sudanese army said last week it had retaken full control of the capital Khartoum after weeks of attacks by the paramilitaries (Read more at France 24).
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday said US strikes on the western province of Hodeida killed four people and wounded 13 others, a day after the group said it targeted Israel and US warships. It added that civil defense teams had rushed to the site and were working on putting out the fires and rescuing any survivors (Read more at Defense Post).
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright launched a nearly two-week tour of three Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, marking his first visit as a U.S. official to the de facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. "So absolutely, I would expect very tight sanctions on Iran, and hopefully drive them to abandon their nuclear program," Wright said in an interview with CNBC (Read more at AOL).
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia backs both direct and indirect talks between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear programme, as they could lead to a de-escalation of tensions between the two sides. The Kremlin has previously offered to help facilitate talks between Tehran and Washington (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
“The continuation of external threats and Iran being in a state of military attack may lead to deterrent measures, including expulsion of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and cessation of cooperation,” Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said on the social media platform X. “Transfer of enriched materials to secure locations may also be considered,” he added, referring to the country’s uranium enrichment (Read more at Aljazeera).
While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi demonstrated Tehran’s willingness to engage on Tuesday, insisting amid the threats that the talks would nevertheless be “indirect”, he issued a note of warning, saying “Iran prefers diplomacy, but it knows how to defend itself”. “Trump wants a new deal: end Iran’s regional influence, dismantle its nuclear programme, and halt its missile work. These are unacceptable to Tehran. Our nuclear programme cannot be dismantled,” a senior Iranian official said (Read more at Aljazeera).
“Whether it's underground facilities, weapons manufacturing, bunkers, troops in the open, air defence assets, we are not going to relent and it's only to get more unrelenting until the Houthis declare they will stop shooting at our ships,” Mr Hegseth told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Read more at The National).
President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the U.S. delegation for nuclear talks with Iran on Saturday in Oman, two sources familiar with the plan tell Axios (Read more at Axios).
A combination of newly imposed tariffs by the US and plummeting oil prices has caused a major decline in stock markets in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul stock exchange fell by nearly 7 percent on Sunday, while Qatar’s QE exchange dropped 4.2 percent, and Kuwait’s primary index fell 5.7 percent. There were also drops in stock markets in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Egypt (Read more at Middle East Eye).
1. Trump said the U.S. would hold direct talks starting Saturday with Iran over its nuclear weapons programs. 2. Trump said the U.S. is working to get hostages released by Hamas and put in place a new ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 3. Trump appeared to raise U.S. military assistance to Israel as potential leverage amid trade negotiations. 4. Trump said to Netanyahu, “Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think I can solve. I mean, as long as you’re reasonable, you have to be reasonable. We have to be reasonable.” (Read more at The Hill)
According to the lawsuit, Bashar Masri, a wealthy developer, operated hotels and an industrial site in Gaza to “construct and conceal” a labyrinthine network of tunnels that allowed Hamas to “store and launch its rockets at Israel.” (Read more at New York Times)
the three leaders called on the international community "to push for a cessation of Israel's war on Gaza, to reinstate the cease-fire and implement all its phases, and to resume the flow of sufficient humanitarian aid to stop the deepening crisis faced by Gazans." (Read more at Daily Sabah)
The mayor of Turmus Ayya, Adeeb Lafi, told Reuters earlier in the day that Omar Mohammad Rabea, 14, was shot along with two other teenagers by an Israeli settler at the entrance to Turmus Ayya and that the Israeli army pronounced him dead after detaining him. The incident is the latest in a surge of violence and near-daily confrontations in the volatile West Bank, where settler violence and clashes between Israeli forces and armed Palestinians have kept it on edge (Read more at Reuters).
The move to defuse tensions follows repeated warnings issued privately by US officials to the Iraqi government since Trump took power in January, according to the sources who include six local commanders of four major militias (Read more at Business Standard).
Ortagus spoke to Lebanese broadcaster LBCI at the end of a three-day visit to Beirut, where she met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and other officials and political representatives (Read more at AOL).
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said direct talks made no sense with a country “that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials.” On Thursday, the US president said he favored “direct talks,” arguing they were “faster” and offered a better understanding than going through intermediaries (Read more at Defense Post).
A pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees has interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration, the latest backlash over the tech industry’s work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military (Read more at Aljazeera).
Kenize Mourad was born in 1939 to Ottoman and Indian royalty: a recent flurry of articles in the Turkish press claimied that she worked as a CIA agent in the 1970s. Now 85, says she wants to set the record straight. She briefly went along with a CIA attempt to recruit her as a spy, planning to expose the agency in a news story. But she quickly got cold feet (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Two U.S. House committee chairs want to know if American taxpayers helped fund the massive protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2023 judicial reform. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Foreign Relations Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.) asked six organizations for all relevant documents and communications regarding any funding from the U.S. State Department or through the U.S. Agency for International Development (Read more at JNS)
Israel is in “serious talks with several countries” to relocate large numbers of people out of the Gaza Strip, a senior diplomatic source told JNS and other media outlets during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary (Read more at JNS).
This agreement involves enhancing Kuwait’s stockpile of Patriot PAC-2 Guidance Enhanced Missiles [GEM] and Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles-Tactical [GEM-T], signalling a significant step in maintaining the Gulf nation’s air defence capabilities. Beyond the surface-level transaction, this development hints at deeper shifts in Kuwait’s military strategy and its ongoing partnership with the United States, set against a complex regional backdrop (Read more at Arab Weekly).
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he wanted “direct talks” with Tehran on a nuclear deal, after he threatened to bomb Iran if it develops nuclear weapons. Trump has given Iran’s leaders a two-month deadline to reach an agreement on the country’s nuclear program, which has strained relations with Western nations for decades (Read more at Defense Post).
Trump said he spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Thursday and that after the call, he believes the Israeli leader is "going to be coming to our country sometime in the not so distant future -- maybe next week.” Netanyahu currently faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out by his forces in Gaza (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The State Department sent a notification to Congress on March 6 of the $24-million US sale of the Colt Carbine 5.56 mm calibre fully automatic rifles, saying the end user would be the Israeli National Police, according to the document (Read more at CBC).
As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the United States face a 17% tariff. The U.S. is Israel's closest ally and largest single trading partner. Netanyahu raised the issue in his phone call with Trump on Thursday, the Israeli officials said, while on a visit to Hungary. "Most of it can be solved," one of the senior officials said (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
It may even help Ankara strengthen its economic partnerships with Europe. Many observers believe that Washington refrained from imposing a higher tariff on Ankara due to the good personal rapport between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, trade relations between the two countries are already quite balanced (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Citi economist, Michel Nies, estimated a potential hit to Israel’s economy of as much as $3 billion, or 0.6 per cent of GDP. Ron Tomer, president of Israel’s Manufacturers’ Association, said the tariffs could harm Israel’s economic stability, deter foreign investments, weaken the competitiveness of Israeli companies in the US market and set back trade and investment relations between the countries (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Sanders forced votes on two resolutions on Thursday, the first to block the sale of 35,000 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, worth $2 billion, and the second on the sale of tens of thousands of other bombs and JDAMs, worth $6.75 billion. Both resolutions failed with overwhelming bipartisan opposition, by a vote of 15 in favor and 82 against the first vote and 83 against for the second. Similar votes on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval brought by Sanders in November, to block $1 billion of tank rounds, mortar rounds, and JDAMs, failed but with smaller margins; several Democrats flipped their votes, despite the sales being pushed by the Trump administration this time around (Read more at Truthout).
the US military has so far declined to confirm the death, and the identity of the Houthi commander in question is unclear (Read more at Arab Weekly).
“Cancelling the tariffs on American goods is another step in the policy led by my governments for over a decade to open the market to competition, introduce diversity into the economy, and reduce the cost of living," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (Read more at bne intellinews).
US Treasury Secretary imposed the sanctions on those entities and individuals, accusing them of responsibility for procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components on behalf of a leading manufacturer for Iran's drone program (Read more at Global Times).
As many as six B-2 bombers have relocated in the past week or so to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Experts say that puts the B-2s, which have stealth technology and are equipped to carry the heaviest US bombs and nuclear weapons, in an ideal position to operate in the Middle East (Read more at Business Standard).
The letter was addressed to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, who described Trump’s threats as a “violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations" and urged the Council to condemn them (Read more at New Region).
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that the administration maintained confidence in National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who has faced criticism for apparently adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread describing an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen. She said steps have been taken to prevent a repeat of the incident, but did not elaborate (Read more at Straits Times).
“Threats are indeed heard; ultimatums are also heard. We consider such methods inappropriate; we condemn them, we consider this a way to impose our own will on the Iranian side,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said. “Russia is ready to offer its good services to Washington, Tehran, and everyone who is interested in this,” he added (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said his phone call with El-Sisi “went very well,” noting that they discussed numerous topics, including the developments in Gaza and Yemen. On his Truth Social account, Trump said he discussed with El-Sisi the progress made against the Houthis, as the US continues its airstrikes against the Yemeni group (Read more at Al Ahram).
"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform (Read more at New Arab).
The plaintiffs are U.S. citizens injured in terrorist attacks in Israel, as well as the families of U.S. citizens killed in such attacks. At issue is whether a law enacted by Congress six years ago to allow U.S. victims of terrorist attacks to sue the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization in federal courts in the United States violates the Constitution’s guarantee of due process. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday in the latest chapter of the justices’ efforts to lay out rules for personal jurisdiction – whether courts have the power to hear a case against certain defendants. Tuesday’s case is a particularly high-profile dispute, and one that the federal government says has national security and foreign policy implications (Read more at scotusblog).
"We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” Rubio said at a press conference. “At some point, I hope we run out because we’ve gotten rid of all of them, but we’re looking every day for these lunatics that are tearing things up.” (Read more at Arab Weekly)
Trump says he will wait "a couple of weeks" before deciding on tariffs. In Trump's first remarks since Iran rejected direct negotiations with Washington last week, he told NBC News that U.S. and Iranian officials were talking, but did not elaborate (Read more at Reuters).
Trump's decision to go to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip signals how close the relationship between the Trump administration and Gulf countries has become, especially when it comes to economic cooperation and investment (Read more at Axios).
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stressed that if enemies commit evil against Iran, they will definitely receive a strong and reciprocal blow. "And If they seek to create sedition within the country, the (Iranian) nation itself will (give a proper) answer to them." (Read more at Mehrnews)
He said the tactic would pave the way for Israel to take control of Gaza and implement “the Trump plan" to evict Palestinians from the enclave. Mr Netanyahu's remarks, along with the move to appoint an official to lead a newly created body aimed at advancing the “voluntary” displacement of Gazans, suggest his government is pursuing Mr Trump's proposals for the enclave (Read more at The National).
Oil prices held steady on Monday as investors adopted a cautious, wait-and-see stance after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil and warned Iran of possible military action if it did not agree to a deal over its nuclear program. Some analysts believe that Trump may not act on his threats, a view that is putting a cap on oil prices (Read more at USNews).
Media outlets affiliated with the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) reported that the United States carried out 72 airstrikes on Sana'a, Saada, Amran, Marib, Al-Jawf, and Hodeidah within 24 hours (Read more at Jordan News).
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Houthi government announced that U.S. airstrikes on the northern governorates of Amran and Saada had caused the "complete destruction" of communication stations (Read more at Jordan News).
A Massachusetts federal judge blocked the deportation from the U.S. of a Turkish-born Tufts University doctoral student until further notice, pending a ruling on her habeas corpus petition. Öztürk’s deportation, therefore, has been postponed until the court proposed a deadline of 5 p.m. local time (2200GMT) on April 1 to resolve the dispute (Read more at hurriyetdailynews).
Trump's comments came after Iran responded to the letter the president sent the country's supreme leader three weeks ago, which threatened military action if no deal is reached in two months. "Iran is very high on my list of things to watch. ... We will have to talk it out or very bad things are gonna happen to Iran, and I don't want that to happen," Trump said. "My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don't work it out, bad, bad things are gonna happen to Iran." (Read more at Axios)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday the United States hopes to do more diplomatically to end the war in Sudan. Rubio said he was “engaged” on Sudan and had discussed the devastating war in recent days with international players including Kenyan President William Ruto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Read more at Arab Weeekly).
“We are watching. We have expressed concern. We don’t like to see instability like that in the governance of any country that is such a close ally,” Rubio said. President Donald Trump had “a very good working relationship with Erdogan in the first administration. They would like to restart that,” Rubio added. “They are a NATO ally. We would like to cooperate with them in Syria and other places,” he said (Read more at Trukish Minute).
Israel and Beirut agreed the terms of ceasefire in November, but rockets have been fired from Lebanon twice this week, prompting Israeli air raids in return. A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, Tammy Bruce, indicated that Washington supports the Israeli position (Read more at Nahar Net).
Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, launched the investment firm in 2021 after leaving the White House at the end of President Donald Trump's first term, when he was a top adviser on the Middle East. Affinity secured $1.5 billion of extra capital in 2024 from two of its existing investors - Abu Dhabi-based Lunate and Qatar's sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
"The Americans are well aware of how vulnerable they are. If they invade Iran, it would be like adding a spark to a powder keg, and it would ignite the entire region. In such a case, their bases and those of their allies won’t be safe anymore," the senior Iranian lawmaker said in an address on International Quds Day (Read more at Tass).
Most eyes were on former governor Mike Huckabee, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. envoy to Israel, during a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on Tuesday. But Reed Rubinstein, nominee for legal adviser to oversee some 300 U.S. State Department attorneys and staff, also addressed areas of interest and concern to American Jews and those who care about Israel (Read more at JNS).
The seized funds, which were registered to Palestinians living in Turkey and other countries, were used to launder more than $1.5 million for Hamas since October 2024, the U.S. government said. A group chat allegedly associated with Hamas solicited donations via a group chat to a changing set of some dozen and a half cryptocurrency addresses. “These seizures show that this office will search high and low for every cent of money going to fund Hamas, wherever it is found, and in whatever form of currency,” stated Edward Martin, interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia (Read more at JNS).
“Today’s action underscores Treasury’s determination to expose and disrupt the schemes that fund Hezbollah’s terrorist violence against the Lebanese people and their neighbors,” Bradley T. Smith, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said. “These evasion networks strengthen Iran and its proxy Hezbollah and undermine the courageous efforts of the Lebanese people to build a Lebanon for all its citizens.” (Read more at Kataeb)
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a pair of anti-Israel amendments to a bill to scrutinize foreign funding at American universities. The Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, which the House passed on Thursday without the two amendments, lowers the threshold at which colleges and universities have to report foreign contracts and gifts from $250,000 to $50,000. It also bars schools from contracts with China, Iran, North Korea and Russia (Read more at JNS).
The US is amassing B-2 bombers capable of carrying 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs. Their basing at Diego Garcia puts the bombers within 4,000 kilometres from Houthi territory and 5,300 kilometres of Iran, well within their refuelling range of approximately 11,000 kilometres. In the late 1990s, the US was conducting sporadic bombing runs against Saddam Hussein’s military, but Saudi Arabia dragged its feet about allowing the US to launch warplanes from their airfields (Read more at Middle East Eye).
They were sued on Monday 24 March in Manhattan federal court for allegedly functioning as Hamas’s “propaganda arm” and “in-house public relations firm” in New York City and on campus. The lawsuit was filed by nine US and Israeli citizens who were victims of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, including relatives of people murdered or taken hostage, and two affiliated with Columbia who reported mistreatment there (Read more at University World News)
