Al Jazeera

By Tracy J. Jawad, Mohammed R Mhawish and Adam Hancock

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Washington will impose the “toughest sanctions in history” to “collapse” the Iranian government, calling on other nations, including China, to join the effort.

    China has criticised the US president’s “economic D-Day” push against Iran, warning that additional sanctions will fail to resolve ongoing disputes.

    Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the US threat of new economic sanctions, describing the proposed measures as “illegal and inhumane”.

    US Central Command says its forces have redirected 67 merchant ships, disabled three, and boarded two others travelling to or from Iranian ports while enforcing a revived naval blockade.

How China and Russia could hobble Trump’s plans to isolate Iran

By Stephen Quillen

    US President Donald Trump has threatened to financially punish any country providing an economic “lifeline” to Iran, as he declared an “economic D-Day” against Tehran.

    The threat, six months into the US’s costly conflict with Iran, is Trump’s latest attempt to wield US economic power to achieve his foreign policy objectives, after a series of damaging trade wars earlier in his second term in office.

    But Trump’s leverage over China and Russia, two important trade partners with Iran, is limited, analysts say. Russia is already under sweeping US sanctions and operates largely outside the US-led economic framework. China, meanwhile, has repeatedly shown it is willing to ignore US sanctions when doing so serves its own economic interests.

Ship traffic through Strait of Hormuz slides as peace talks remain in limbo

    Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped on Thursday compared with the previous day amid growing safety concerns in the Middle East, as US-Iran peace talks remain stalled, Reuters reports.

    Citing preliminary data from ship-tracking company Kpler, Reuters reported that seven commodity vessels transited the waterway on Thursday, down from 14 ships on Wednesday. Of Thursday’s total, four vessels were entering the Gulf and three were exiting.

    No supertankers or liquefied natural gas carriers were recorded passing through the narrow chokepoint, according to the data.

    However, one very large gas carrier transporting propane and butane did transit out of the waterway along the Iranian route, Kpler data showed, according to Reuters.

Gaza’s shattered water infrastructure leaves children with daily physical strain

By Abdallah Al-Naami

Reporting from Gaza

    More than 82 percent of Gaza’s families are water insecure, according to UNICEF, and nearly 90 percent of the territory’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed. But for children, the crisis has taken a daily physical toll.

    In Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp, 10-year-old Maysara Zaqout wakes at sunrise to wait for water trucks, hauling containers of roughly 20 litres (five gallons) back to her family’s tent.

    “My family doesn’t have any water in the tent, not for drinking, cleaning dishes, or using the toilet,” she told Al Jazeera.

    Twelve-year-old Yamen Saleh said: “Every time I carry water to the tent, I feel tired and in pain, especially in my shoulders and back … It’s really painful and embarrassing.”

    Doctors say the strain is producing injuries rarely seen in children before the war, including hernias and scoliosis. “These memories have become their way of finding some happiness in our harsh reality,” said Fidaa Saleh, a mother of two, about her children’s longing for life before displacement.

Oil prices stay elevated amid ongoing US-Iran conflict

    Oil prices held largely steady on Friday, with Brent crude futures gaining 4 cents, or 0.04 percent, to reach $93.82 a barrel as of 01:42 GMT.

    US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped 6 cents, or 0.06 percent, to trade at $86.78.

    The market remains on track for a second straight weekly gain as the stalemated US-Iran conflict continues to disrupt Middle East oil supplies.

    Over the past five sessions, Brent has gained more than 7 percent and WTI has risen more than 8 percent, hitting their highest levels since July 24 following gains of more than 2 percent for both benchmarks in the previous session.

What’s been happening in the occupied West Bank

    Israeli forces have maintained their operations involving raids and detentions across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reports.

    Here are some of the reported incidents:

    The Israeli military transported mobile homes into the new “Doron” settlement outpost on private land at Jabal Tarusa, west of Hebron, following a land-levelling operation.

    The Israeli army arrested more than 17 Palestinians across the Nablus, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Salfit and Tulkarem governorates during home raids and incursions.

    The Israeli military demolished two inhabited homes in Beiten village, east of Ramallah, while settlers demolished agricultural barracks and plastic greenhouses in Kafr Sur, south of Tulkarem.

    For the 12th consecutive day, the Israeli military and settlers besieged three homes in Qusra, south of Nablus; the military turned one home into a military barracks, forcibly evacuating the family and throwing their belongings out of the windows.

    Armed settlers set fire to a home in Khallet al-Fara, west of Yatta, while a family of five slept inside. Settlers also stormed Khirbet Samra, in the northern Jordan Valley, harassing shepherds and seizing grazing land.

    Settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, while the Israeli military imposed tight restrictions on Palestinian worshippers.

    “Temple groups”, alongside Knesset members and Israeli government ministers, have called for a rally in Jerusalem next Thursday demanding Al-Aqsa be reopened to settler incursions on Saturdays.

    The Israeli military converted the former UNRWA school in the Shu’fat refugee camp into an Israeli Ministry of Education and Jerusalem Municipality school, removing UNRWA signage.

    The Israeli military obstructed Fatah Central Committee member and Ramallah/el-Bireh Governor Laila Ghannam, confiscating her car keys after she attended a child’s funeral.

Israeli military says forces kill Palestinian in West Bank over alleged attack

    The Israeli army says its forces shot and killed a Palestinian near Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank early Friday.

    In a statement, the military claimed the Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli troops during a military operation before the soldiers opened fire and killed him.

    Earlier, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its crews treated a 14-year-old boy who was shot with live ammunition in the chest and back during an Israeli raid near Jenin.

    The boy was transferred to a hospital, it added.

    Sherman says that he will not stop his activism. Israel has not provided an explanation for the decision.

‘When will Trump walk away ’: US Senator condemns ‘disastrous’ Iran war

    US Senator Mark Warner, vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has criticised ongoing US involvement in the conflict with Iran in a post on X.

    “Every day the Iran War stretches on, our servicemembers are at risk, our prices increase, and our national security readiness diminishes,” Warner said.

    “When will Trump walk away from this disastrous and deadly war ” he added.

Hamas says it remains committed to peace roadmap, urges mediator action

    Hamas remains committed to President Donald Trump’s 15-point peace roadmap and is looking forward to the mediators and the Board of Peace, led by President Trump, making it happen, senior Hamas official Basem Naim told CNN.

    “We are still ready to continue this way to give our people on the ground the chance to revive their life, and to reach the minimum of calm, stability and peace,” Naim added.

    In his interview with CNN, Naim said that Board of Peace mediators and US adviser Jared Kushner had asked Hamas to be “sensitive” to Benjamin Netanyahu’s political standing ahead of Israel’s upcoming election regarding the agreed Gaza road map.

    “It is not my duty as a Palestinian to take care of the sensitivity of the timing of the deal for Netanyahu,” Naim said. “We have heard this from Mr Kushner and the other members of the delegation, that you have to keep in mind that Netanyahu is now passing through a very delicate time.”

    Naim pointed out that Israel has fulfilled none of its obligations under the ceasefire, including providing humanitarian aid, and has instead escalated attacks in Gaza since Hamas and the board agreed on a framework covering weapons decommissioning and Israeli withdrawal.

    “As a Palestinian, I am not in a position to pay the price from the bodies and blood and the lives of our people in order to secure the victory of Netanyahu’s election,” he said.

Are ships passing Hormuz more willing to defy Iran or US  What data shows

By Sarah Shamim and Marium Ali

    United States President Donald Trump has insisted that his military remains in control of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and suggested this past week that the US might even seek to take charge of the territory.

    On Tuesday, he also claimed that the strait was open for vessels to pass through, despite Iranian insistence that the waterway was closed for all ships that don’t seek Tehran’s approval before transit, and even though the US itself has a naval blockade in place targeting all Iran-linked ships.

    At the same time, Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally that sits across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran – the waterway lies in the maritime territories of Iran and Oman – in an apparent bid to dissuade Muscat from striking any deal with Tehran to jointly manage the strait.

So who really is in control of the Strait of Hormuz at the moment

    Amid the claims and counterclaims from both sides, actual data on the traffic passing through the waterway offers vital clues. We break it down.

Poland summons Israeli envoy over dropped probe into WCK aid worker deaths

    Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has summoned the Israeli ambassador to Warsaw, expressing disappointment over Israel’s decision to close its investigation into the strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid convoy in Gaza in April 2024, which killed seven foreign aid workers, including Polish national Damian Sobol.

    In a statement, the ministry conveyed its condemnation and rejection of the steps taken to date, demanding full clarification of the causes and circumstances surrounding the attack.

    It noted that the case is also being investigated by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Przemysl, Sobol’s hometown, and stated that Poland expects Israel to provide Polish investigators with all requested explanations and evidence.

    The ministry emphasised that the circumstances of the killings must be “fully clarified” and that it would not accept attempts by those responsible “to evade their legal and moral accountability”.

    Israel killed his toddler daughter in 2006 and three of his colleagues in 2026. Yet he continues risking his life to save others.

US senator condemns Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir over comments on Gaza

    US Senator Elissa Slotkin has condemned Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over violent and dehumanising comments about civilians in Gaza, calling his statements abhorrent and shameful.

    Posting on X, Slotkin wrote: “Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has once again made violent, dehumanizing comments about innocent civilians in Gaza. It is abhorrent and a shameful part of the Netanyahu government.”

    “He should be long gone from any government role and publicly condemned by anyone who claims to care about civilians, Israeli or Palestinian, in the region,” she added.

    Ben-Gvir’s comments calling for Israeli forces to kill 30 or 40 people in Gaza every night had drawn widespread global condemnation, with international officials and human rights groups denouncing the remarks.

China unlikely to cut Iranian oil imports to zero despite sanctions risk

    US President Donald Trump has threatened severe economic consequences for countries that continue doing business with Iran, including China, which was the biggest buyer of Iranian crude oil last year, according to Erica Downs, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

    “If the Trump administration wanted to impose additional sanctions on Chinese entities for handling Iranian oil, it really comes back to a calculation: how the Trump administration weighs the benefits of sanctioning those Chinese entities versus the costs involved,” Downs told Al Jazeera, noting China has the ability to hit back, including by restricting exports of rare earth elements.

    She said China’s Iranian oil imports appear to have fallen somewhat, though this is difficult to confirm because those barrels seem to be recorded in Chinese customs data as imports from other countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

    China continued importing Iranian crude even after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, she said, only slowing after the US imposed a naval blockade on Iran in mid-April. Downs said Iranian barrels remain in the water outside the Strait of Hormuz that could still be supplied to China.

    “I don’t see right now China reducing its imports of Iranian oil down to zero,” she said, “in part because, if we look at all the different entities involved in getting oil from Iran to China, every time there is a new sanction announced, they tend to find a workaround.”

US Treasury secretary warns allies: Join coalition against Iran or face consequences

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Washington, DC, United States

    Details on the Trump administration’s next steps against Iran remain scarce, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promising further information at a news conference on Monday, though it is unclear whether Bessent, President Trump, or both will hold it.

    The details remain very slim. What we do know is that there are a number of tools at the disposal of the White House. There could be the executive order issued in February that would allow for 25 percent tariffs on countries dealing directly or indirectly with Tehran.

    There is also the possibility that Bessent could impose sanctions on entities, airports or anyone conducting business with Iran.

    US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent strongly encouraged US allies to join Washington’s coalition against Iran in a not-so-thinly-veiled threat.

    “You’re either with us, or you are against us,” Bessent said, addressing US allies in the region.

    Bessent also pointed to what he called US success with past economic campaigns, comparisons Trump has likened to economic warfare against countries such as Cuba and Venezuela.

    Asked how long the standoff with Iran could last, Bessent had no answer, implying that it could be open-ended. The only thing he was certain of was that the goal is to ensure “the economic collapse of the Iranian government”.

Six months of the Iran war, told through Trump’s social posts

A recap of recent developments

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Washington will impose the “toughest sanctions in history” to “collapse” the Iranian government, while warning of “tremendous consequences” for any nation that maintains economic ties with Tehran.

    Beijing has rebuked the US president’s “economic D-Day” pressure campaign on Iran, asserting that further sanctions will not settle existing conflicts.

    Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the US threat of new economic sanctions, describing the proposed measures as “illegal and inhumane”.

    US Central Command reports that American forces enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports have redirected 67 commercial ships, disabled three and boarded two others.

    The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that Israeli forces blocked ambulances from reaching Palestinians injured during settler attacks in the occupied West Bank.

    The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reports that six armed individuals have boarded and hijacked a vessel off Yemen, forcing it towards Somalia.

    Oman says long-term security in the Strait of Hormuz depends on enduring regional peace, rejecting further escalation or conflict.

    According to a Norwegian Refugee Council report, roughly 1.98 million Palestinians, representing 94 percent of Gaza’s population, require basic household support and shelter aid.

    A Human Rights Watch report found that escalating attacks by Israeli settlers have fully or partially displaced 107 Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank since January 2023.