Al Jazeera

By Ali Mustafa, Alex Milan Durie and Mohammed R Mhawish

    US Vice President JD Vance outlines Washington’s key objectives in the Iran conflict as keeping energy prices stable for Americans, preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and securing a stronger US position.

    US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says that the US can sustain its blockade against Iran “indefinitely”.

    Iran’s military disputes US assertions that maritime traffic flows normally through the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining that no vessel passes without its authorisation.

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the United States will apply measures against Iran that have “never been seen” before.

What’s been happening in the occupied West Bank

    Israeli occupation forces and settlers have continued a campaign of raids, arrests, demolitions and land grabs across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

    Here are some of the reported incidents:

    Israeli forces detained seven relatives of Palestinians killed in past raids during a predawn military raid on homes in Qalqilya.

    Seven young men were detained in the village of Farkha, southwest of Salfit, after Israeli forces stormed the village and raided several homes.

    Israeli troops forced residents to evacuate two homes in the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra, south of Nablus, and converted 16 homes in the town into military barracks after storming it in large numbers.

    Settlers attacked the home and farm of the Jabarin family in the Jabal al-Qarn area east of Bethlehem, stealing more than 100 sheep and a vehicle, uprooting over 100 olive trees and cutting the water line; two family members were beaten, with one detained by Israeli forces despite his injuries.

    Three Palestinians, including a child, were injured southwest of Jenin after settlers attacked their vehicle with pepper spray between the towns of Arraba and Ya’bad.

    Israeli authorities demolished around 20 seasonal dwellings used by Palestinian farmers, including three that were inhabited, in al-Jiftlik in the Jordan Valley, and issued demolition notices for roughly 40 more homes belonging to sheep herders in the area.

    A Palestinian family in Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah, evacuated their home ahead of its demolition after being given a week’s notice by the Israeli military, while four more families were notified to vacate their homes.

    Israeli authorities issued demolition notices for a 10-storey residential building and three homes, one still under construction, in Kafr Sur, south of Tulkarem, giving owners a week to object.

    Settlers re-established a settlement east of Jenin, 21 years after it was evacuated under Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan, as Israeli forces sealed off roads to secure the event.

    Settlers began establishing a new outpost in al-Nazla al-Sharqiya, north of Tulkarem, bulldozing land and installing roughly 20 caravan homes.

    Settlers entered Khirbet Samra in the northern Jordan Valley and roamed among residents’ tents, which locals said frightened women and children; daily incursions in the area have already forced two families to leave.

Oman says massive oil spill reaches coastline: What damage could it do

    A vast oil spill from a leaking tanker reached Oman’s coastline on Wednesday, its environment agency said.

    This oil spill threatens to become one of the world’s worst in years after spreading largely unchecked for several weeks, experts say.

    On Monday, Oman said it was working to contain the spill, which had by then affected roughly 390 square kilometres (150sq miles), according to analysis by the country’s environment agency.

Russia demands lifting of maritime, land blockade of Yemen

    The Russian representative at the UN Security Council blames the US and Israel for the escalating violence in Yemen, while calling for the complete lifting of the blockade on the country.

    “We explicitly demand the complete lifting of the maritime and land blockade of Yemen, and the removal of all restrictions on the delivery of food, medicine and essential goods to the country,” said delegate Yulia Zhdanova.

    She told the UN Security Council that the prolonged stagnation in the Yemeni peace process forced the Houthis to be “dragged into a regional confrontation initiated by the US and Israel”.

    The diplomat called for an immediate resumption of negotiations, adding that a political resolution will only be possible through dialogue that considers “the fair interests of all of the leading political forces in the country”, including the Houthis.

    Israeli settlers have moved into Ganim, an illegal West Bank settlement dismantled by Israel in 2005.

Iraq rejects sovereignty violations during high-level security talks in Saudi Arabia

    Director of the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, affirms Iraq’s rejection of any violation of its sovereignty during high-level security talks with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh.

    In a statement carried by the state-run Iraqi News Agency, al-Shammari also reiterates Baghdad’s firm commitment not to pose a threat to neighbouring countries or allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks.

Oil edges up following US naval blockade threats against Iran

    Oil prices inch higher on Friday as the US threatens to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, reviving crude supply concerns after prices fell in the previous session on a weaker global demand outlook.

    The two benchmarks dropped more than 2 percent yesterday, snapping a multi-day rally for both Brent and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI), though both remain set for a weekly gain of roughly 4 percent.

    Brent futures rose 9 cents, or 0.1 percent, to trade at $87.16 a barrel as of 01:30 GMT, while WTI crude futures went up 4 cents to reach $81.29 a barrel.

What to know about the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier

By Ali Mustafa

    USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the United States Navy.

    The ship was launched on February 13, 1988, and commissioned on November 11, 1989.

    It is part of the US Pacific Fleet and based at NAS North Island in San Diego, California.

    The vessel has been deployed to dozens of missions across the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Gulf.

    The US military says it has maintained a crew reenlistment rate of 84.4 percent, among the highest of all aircraft carriers in the US Navy.

    The aircraft carrier left San Diego on its current mission on November 21, 2025, and has spent more than 260 consecutive days at sea.

    More than 10,000 aircraft flights and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance have been expended during its current nine-month deployment.

    The US Navy has 11 active nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

    The fleet includes 10 Nimitz-class ships and one Gerald R Ford-class ship.

    Federal law requires the US Navy to maintain at least 11 operational carriers at all times.

US lawmakers press Hegseth for answers on USS Abraham Lincoln situation

    California lawmakers led by Representative Mike Levin demand answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao about the situation on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on deployment for nine months.

    The vessel left San Diego in the US state of California on November 21, 2025.

    In a post on X, Democratic Congressman Levin shared a letter signed by four US lawmakers, stating that “the plans in the works to relieve the USS Lincoln are not enough”.

    “We need clear and honest information from the Department of Defense about the operational failures that led to the problems aboard the USS Lincoln to ensure this never happens again,” the letter added.

    “Why weren’t unsanitary conditions immediately addressed  Why didn’t service members receive adequate mental health support  Why did the Navy not communicate these problems early and often to families and the appropriate government officials ” it asked.

    Hegseth rejected reports of worsening conditions on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, calling the reports “completely misrepresented”.

Turkish FM accuses Israel of seeking to expel all Palestinians from Gaza

    Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Israel aims to expel all Palestinians from Gaza and that pressure must be increased immediately on Netanyahu to comply with international demands.

    Speaking at a joint press briefing in the Egyptian city of El Alamein alongside his counterpart Badr Abdelatty, Fidan said that Netanyahu “develops policies that trample human dignity”.

    He also pointed out that Turkiye and Egypt had joined the Trump-backed Gaza Board of Peace to “stop the genocide in Gaza”.

    “Thankfully, together we succeeded in this. We have stopped the genocide to a certain extent,” he added.

UK minister condemns Israeli settler violence in West Bank

    British MP Stephen Doughty expresses outrage over reports of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in Qusra in the occupied West Bank.

    In a post on X, the UK minister of state for MENA, Afghanistan and Pakistan said he was “appalled” by the reports, adding that “civilians must be protected” and “perpetrators held to account”.

    He called for international law to be upheld, adding that Israeli “settlements are illegal under international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution”.

    Israeli settlers had besieged three Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra south of Nablus for multiple days, cutting off water and electricity, blocking access roads and restricting essential supplies.