Global Pulse

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  • Renovated Istanbul Greek Orthodox school to be inaugurated, but not reopened: patriarchate

    Renovated Istanbul Greek Orthodox school to be inaugurated, but not reopened: patriarchate

    Decades after forcing the closure of one of Eastern Orthodox Christianity’s most important theological institutions, Turkey has overseen a complete renovation of the Halki seminary — but the path to reopening the school remains blocked by regulatory red tape, officials from the Ecumenical Patriarchate confirmed Sunday.

    Nestled on Heybeliada, one of Istanbul’s scenic Princes’ Islands, the Halki seminary has occupied a central place in Orthodox religious life since its founding in 1844. For more than a century, it served as the primary training ground for Orthodox clergy across the globe, counting current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians, among its most prominent graduates. It sits on grounds that house a Byzantine-era monastery, adding centuries more religious and historical weight to the site.

    That legacy was interrupted in 1971, when the Turkish government shuttered the seminary under a new state law restricting private higher education institutions. For 53 years, Bartholomew has led a sustained international campaign to pressure Ankara to reverse the decision, drawing support from major global powers including the United States and the European Union. During a high-profile 2019 meeting at the White House with then-U.S. President Donald Trump, the patriarch raised the long-stalled issue, and Trump publicly pledged to support efforts to break the diplomatic deadlock. The EU has repeatedly criticized Turkey over its failure to guarantee full religious freedom for non-Muslim minority communities, with the Halki seminary case a frequent point of contention in bilateral talks.

    In remarks to Orthodox donors in Athens earlier this week, Bartholomew, 86, sparked widespread optimism when he announced that extensive multi-year renovation works on the seminary’s entire building complex would wrap up in September, and that the renovated structure would be inaugurated that same month. “We are also optimistic regarding the reopening of the Holy Theological School of Halki,” he told the gathering, leading many global observers to interpret the comments as a signal that the school would welcome students again after half a century.

    However, Nikos Papachristou, a spokesman for the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate, clarified the situation to AFP on Sunday, distinguishing between the inauguration of the renovated building and the long-sought goal of resuming educational operations. “What he said in Athens is that we are expecting that the renovation will be finished by September, so at the end of September, he will be able to inaugurate the renovated building,” Papachristou explained. The patriarch’s ongoing optimism, the spokesman added, centers on the hope that Turkish authorities will grant the operating license required for reopening in time for the inauguration, turning the celebratory event into a dual milestone for the global Orthodox community. As of yet, no such license has been approved, meaning there are no concrete plans to welcome students back to the hilltop campus.

    For the global Orthodox community, the seminary carries outsized symbolic meaning: the faith’s historical center was Constantinople — the precursor to modern-day Istanbul — before the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453, making any progress on reopening the school a matter of deep cultural and religious significance for Orthodox Christians worldwide.

  • No summer border delays for Brits, Greek tourism minister says

    No summer border delays for Brits, Greek tourism minister says

    As the peak summer travel season approaches, Greece’s tourism minister has moved to reassure British visitors that they will face no extended border waits even during the busiest travel periods, easing widespread concerns over disruptions tied to the European Union’s new entry-exit border system.

    In an interview with the BBC, Olga Kefalogianni emphasized that the Greek government is committed to preventing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles from ruining travelers’ entry or exit experiences. She explicitly confirmed that British tourists will not be subject to mandatory biometric screenings at any point throughout the 2025 summer travel season, and that the nation is working to cut all border processing times to under two minutes per passenger.

    The EU rolled out its much-debated new digital Entry-Exit System (EES) across member states back in April, a regulation that requires short-term travelers from non-EU and non-European Economic Area nations to submit biometric data including fingerprints and facial scans on their first entry to the Schengen Area, with repeat verification at every subsequent border crossing. While the system has functioned smoothly in some regions, it has sparked major disruptions elsewhere: multiple airports in Italy saw massive queues stretching up to three hours last month, leading more than 100 EasyJet passengers bound for Manchester from Milan Linate Airport to miss their flights, with additional Ryanair passengers from Milan Bergamo also facing missed trips due to backlogs. The airline called the extended wait times “unacceptable.”

    Though Greece officially announced it had launched full operations of the EES successfully, the country already paused biometric checks for British travelers in early April after crippling queues formed at Corfu Airport. While unconfirmed reports had circulated that Italy and Portugal would follow Greece’s lead in waiving checks for UK nationals, the European Commission confirmed last week that both countries have no plans to issue such exemptions.

    Kefalogianni has pushed back against claims that Greece is violating EU regulations, noting that current rules allow temporary suspensions of EES biometric checks during periods of extreme airport congestion, even as blanket exemptions for specific nationalities are prohibited. “What we’re doing is not actually an exemption,” she explained. “It’s just that we have made sure that we facilitate the procedure in a way that means visitors are not burdened.” Despite this, the EU stated last week that it is in contact with Greek authorities to clarify the country’s policy and remind officials of existing regulatory requirements.

    Beyond border processing concerns, Kefalogianni acknowledged that swirling rumors of regional jet fuel shortages, which have been linked to potential price hikes and flight cancellations, have made some potential tourists more hesitant to book trips to the country. The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran that erupted more than two months ago has drastically reduced jet fuel shipments from the Gulf region, a key import source for most European nations, creating widespread supply uncertainty across the continent.

    “I think that this is a trend that you would see everywhere,” she said. “People are being much more reluctant. But at the same time, they realise that Greece is always a country which has upgraded its tourism offering and that it provides a very good balance when it comes to price and the offering.” She added that Greece is already welcoming strong visitor numbers early in the season, and expects even more travelers as the summer progresses.

    Last week, the UK government also moved to reassure British travelers, advising that there is no need to cancel or amend planned travel to Greece or other European destinations amid the jet fuel concerns. Officials noted that the UK currently faces no domestic jet fuel shortages, and contingency plans have been put in place to address any potential supply disruptions in the coming months.

  • Iran Nobel winner released on bail for medical treatment: supporters

    Iran Nobel winner released on bail for medical treatment: supporters

    In a move that comes amid mounting international and domestic concern over the declining health of imprisoned Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, Iranian authorities have granted her release on heavy bail to receive specialized medical care in Tehran, her supporters confirmed Sunday.

    The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who has spent the better part of 20 years in and out of Iranian prisons for her human rights advocacy, was transferred by ambulance from a Zanjan hospital to a Tehran medical facility Sunday, where she will be treated by a personal medical team selected by her camp, according to a statement from the Narges Mohammadi Foundation. The organization did not disclose the exact value of the bail set by authorities, but confirmed that her sentence has been temporarily suspended to allow for treatment.

    The decision to grant medical release comes just one week after Mohammadi’s supporters raised urgent alarms that her life was at immediate risk following two suspected heart attacks behind bars at Zanjan Prison, where she was serving out a lengthy sentence. In a stark warning issued last week, Mohammadi’s Paris-based husband Taghi Rahmani emphasized that temporary medical transfer would not resolve the core threat to his wife’s health. “While she is currently hospitalised following a catastrophic health failure, a temporary transfer is not enough. Narges must never be returned to the conditions that broke her health,” Rahmani said in his statement.

    The foundation echoed this call, noting that Mohammadi requires advanced specialized care that was unavailable to her in Zanjan, and stressing that authorities must allow her to remain free rather than forcing her to complete the 18 additional years remaining on her original sentence. Her Iranian lawyer Mostafa Nili later confirmed the details of the transfer on the social platform X, stating that the move followed an official court order halting her sentence for medical purposes.

    At 54 years old, Mohammadi has a long well-documented history of activism focused on advancing women’s rights, abolishing capital punishment, and challenging Iran’s clerical ruling system established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She was most recently arrested last December, after delivering a public rebuke of the Islamic Republic at a funeral for a slain Iranian lawyer.
    Even before her recent health crisis, Mohammadi lived with a pre-existing chronic heart condition. Her first suspected heart attack came on March 24, with a second following just over a month later on May 1 inside Zanjan Prison. After the second event, she was moved to a local Zanjan hospital for urgent care, but remained under heavy constant guard the entire time she was there.
    Last week, her Paris-based lawyer Chirinne Ardakani shared harrowing details of the activist’s decline in custody. She told reporters that Mohammadi had lost 20 kilograms (44 pounds) since her latest arrest, struggles to speak clearly, and is now “unrecognizable” compared to her physical state before she was detained. Ardakani also added that her health has been further exacerbated by rising regional tensions: at least three Israeli or U.S. air strikes have occurred in close proximity to her Zanjan prison in recent months, compounding the stress and health risks of her incarceration.

    Mohammadi rose to international prominence as a leading voice of the 2022-2023 Iranian protest movement, which erupted after 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory hijab laws. Mohammadi was arrested earlier this year, before the largest wave of January demonstrations, but she has remained an iconic symbol of resistance to the Iranian government’s policies. She was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long campaign to expand human rights and gender equality in Iran, but she was unable to travel to Oslo to accept the award due to her imprisonment. Her 13-year-old twin children, Ali and Kiana Rahmani, who have lived and studied in Paris for years and have not seen their mother in more than a decade, accepted the prize on her behalf.

  • Body of US soldier who went missing in Morocco has been found and identified

    Body of US soldier who went missing in Morocco has been found and identified

    In an official announcement made Sunday, U.S. Army Europe and Africa confirmed that the body of one of two U.S. soldiers who went missing during a scheduled joint military training exercise in Morocco has been recovered and identified. The fallen service member is 27-year-old First Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a platoon leader and air defense artillery officer originally from Richmond, Virginia.

    Key’s remains were located by a Moroccan military search team in coastal waters roughly one mile from the cliffside where both soldiers disappeared on May 2, according to military officials. Combined U.S. and Moroccan search operations, leveraging ground, air, and maritime assets, are still ongoing to locate the second missing soldier.

    Preliminary reports obtained by CBS News, the U.S. partner of the BBC, outline the chain of events that led to the disappearance. The group of soldiers had been on a recreational hike to a cliffside sunset viewpoint when one soldier, who could not swim, slipped and fell into the Atlantic Ocean. Remaining group members first wove their belts together to form an improvised human chain in a desperate attempt to pull the fallen soldier to safety. When that rescue attempt failed, a second soldier entered the rough surf to try to save their comrade. A large wave immediately pulled the second service member under water, prompting a third soldier to jump in to assist. The third soldier ultimately managed to swim back to shore alone, after being unable to reach the two missing men. Military officials have not yet confirmed whether Key was the soldier who first fell into the water or the second who attempted a rescue.

    Both soldiers were deployed to take part in African Lion 2026, the largest annual joint military exercise held on the African continent. Hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, the annual exercise is designed to strengthen operational coordination between U.S. forces, NATO allies, and African partner nations.

    Military leaders have publicly honored Key’s service and character. A 2023 entrant into U.S. military service, Key earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business from Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before his commission. During his service, he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

    “Our hearts are with his family, friends, teammates, and all who knew and served alongside him,” stated Brigadier General Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. “The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command family is grieving, and we will continue to support one another and 1st Lt. Key’s family as we honor his life and service.”

    Lieutenant Colonel Chris Couch, commander of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment — Key’s assigned unit — remembered Key as a leader of exceptional character. “Key was known for the care he showed for his Soldiers, his commitment to others, and the relationships he built across the formation,” Couch said. “Kendrick embodied the highest standards of service as a selfless, inspirational leader whose unwavering dedication to his Soldiers and their development leaves an enduring legacy within our ranks.”

    Key’s remains have been moved to a nearby morgue, and military officials confirmed plans to repatriate his body to the United States in coming days.

  • Dozens of Nigerian fishermen feared dead after Chad army strikes jihadists: local sources

    Dozens of Nigerian fishermen feared dead after Chad army strikes jihadists: local sources

    A wave of airstrikes carried out by the Chadian military against jihadist insurgent positions on Lake Chad has left dozens of Nigerian fishermen missing and presumed dead, according to local sources speaking to Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

    The cross-border Lake Chad basin, which touches the territories of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, has been a hotbed of insurgent activity for more than a decade, with factions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) controlling large swathes of remote waterways and islands. The latest military operation, which remains ongoing across the region’s scattered marshland and outcroppings, was launched in response to recent deadly attacks on Chadian military personnel by Boko Haram, a local civilian militia member confirmed.

    While the final death toll has not been confirmed as search and clearance operations continue, a senior official with the Lake Chad Fishermen’s Union told AFP that initial accounts from survivors indicate at least 40 local fishermen are still unaccounted for after Chadian fighter jets bombed two lake islands controlled by the insurgent group.

    “Chadian fighter jets have been bombing Boko Haram-held islands on the Nigerian side of the lake since Friday,” the militia member explained. “There have been huge casualties among the fishing communities that operate in these waters.” The bombing campaign was primarily focused on Shuwa Island, a key jihadist stronghold located at the tri-border intersection of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad, the source added.

    Adamu Haladu, a fisherman based in the northeastern Nigerian town of Baga, confirmed the high civilian death toll, noting that most of those killed or missing hail from Doron Baga, a lakeside Nigerian community, and Nigeria’s Taraba State. For years, local fishermen have operated in the rich fishing grounds of the remote lake islands under a de facto arrangement that requires them to pay regular tax to Boko Haram, which in turn provides transport for the fishermen to reach the areas and return with their catch, Haladu confirmed.

    As of Sunday, the Chadian military had not released any public statement confirming the operation or addressing the allegations of civilian casualties. The airstrikes come in the wake of two devastating Boko Haram attacks on Chadian troops in the region that killed more than two dozen soldiers, including two senior generals. Chad declared a three-day national period of mourning last week after the fatal ambush of an army patrol on the lake’s islands.

    This is not the first time Chadian military operations against Boko Haram have been linked to mass civilian deaths among Nigerian fishing communities. In October 2024, Chadian airstrikes on Tilma Island were accused of killing dozens of Nigerian fishermen, in what was framed as a reprisal attack for a jihadist assault that left 40 Chadian soldiers dead. At the time, Chadian military authorities denied intentionally targeting civilians, despite witness accounts confirming the deaths of civilian fishermen.

    Regional efforts to combat insurgent groups in the Lake Chad basin date back to the 1990s, with a multinational joint force reactivated by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger in 2015 to coordinate counter-insurgency operations. However, the coalition was weakened last year when Niger withdrew following strained diplomatic relations between Niamey’s new military junta and its neighboring governments.

  • Venezuela warns of ‘serious’ environmental impact from alleged oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago

    Venezuela warns of ‘serious’ environmental impact from alleged oil spill in Trinidad and Tobago

    CARACAS – In an official statement addressed to the global community released late Saturday, Venezuela has formally alleged that an oil spill originating in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago has left significant irreversible environmental harm across coastal regions of at least two of its states and a shared gulf in the Caribbean.

    Initial environmental assessments carried out by Venezuelan authorities confirm that the spill has created severe ecological risks for natural habitats in Sucre, Delta Amacuro, and the Gulf of Paria, the country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed. The contamination is already endangering critical mangrove forests, protected wetland ecosystems, and the broader environmental equilibrium that supports biodiversity and local livelihoods across the region, according to the statement.

    Venezuela has not yet released key details about the timeline of the first detection of the spill, nor has it provided an official estimate of the total volume of oil that leaked into the water. As of Monday, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has not issued any public comment, confirmation, or denial regarding Venezuela’s claims of the spill originating from its territory.

    In addition to requesting full transparency about the incident, including details of any containment and mitigation measures already in place, Venezuela is demanding formal reparations for the environmental damage in line with established international environmental law, the official statement added.

    The Gulf of Paria, a semi-enclosed inland sea positioned south of Trinidad and along Venezuela’s eastern coastline, is shared jointly between the two nations. The two countries signed a formal border delimitation treaty in the 1990s that laid out clear terms for the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbon reserves along the shared maritime boundary.

    According to data from Trinidad and Tobago’s own Ministry of Energy, the island nation is one of the largest energy producers in the Caribbean, with extensive oil and gas exploration operations across both onshore territory and shallow offshore waters, including in areas adjacent to the Gulf of Paria.

  • Pakistan car bomb attack kills 15 police officers

    Pakistan car bomb attack kills 15 police officers

    A devastating coordinated attack targeting a police checkpoint in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has left 15 law enforcement officers dead, regional authorities confirmed Sunday. The assault, carried out late Saturday in Bannu district, unfolded in multiple phases that caught responding officers off guard.

    According to local police accounts, a suicide bomber first drove an explosives-laden vehicle directly into the perimeter of the guard post, triggering a massive detonation that leveled the checkpoint structure. Photos released from the attack site show extensive destruction: the checkpoint is reduced to crumbled concrete, with twisted metal fragments and charred debris scattered across the surrounding ground.

    After the initial blast, the remaining assailants moved into an adjacent building and opened gunfire on surviving officers. When additional security units rushed to the area to reinforce the outpost, they too came under sustained enemy fire. Rescue teams later pulled three wounded officers alive from the rubble; all three were immediately transported to a nearby medical facility and are currently reported to be in stable condition. Authorities have launched a full search and clearance operation to secure the area and track down any remaining attackers.

    The assault has been claimed by Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, a fast-growing Islamist militant coalition that official records confirm has ties to the Pakistani Taliban. The alliance formed only last year in April 2025, when three separate violent factions — the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group (HBG), Lashkar-e-Islam, and Harkat Inqilab-e-Islami Pakistan (HIIP) — merged to expand their operational reach, according to data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. The institute notes that HBG has a long track record of carrying out lethal attacks in Bannu district, while U.S.-based Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has previously documented Lashkar-e-Islam’s formal alliance with the Pakistani Taliban.

    Local senior police official Sajjad Khan praised his personnel’s conduct during the unprecedented attack. “Our force has shown courage and bravery in this difficult situation,” Khan said in an official statement, adding, “This cowardly act of extremists is intolerable and the blood of those killed will be accounted for.”

    Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari offered formal condolences to the families of the fallen officers, reaffirming the nation’s unwavering support for its security forces. “The nation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its security forces,” Zardari’s statement read. “The nefarious intentions of terrorists will be defeated.”

    This latest attack comes as Pakistan continues to grapple with persistent insurgent violence across multiple regions. Earlier this year in February, a suicide bombing targeting a mosque in the capital city of Islamabad killed dozens of people and wounded more than 160, an act that the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for. That attack followed just days after a wave of coordinated gun and bomb assaults in southwestern Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where a violent separatist insurgency has persisted for decades.

    Longstanding geopolitical tensions around militant activity have strained relations between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. The Pakistani government has repeatedly accused Afghan authorities of harboring militant groups that use Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, a claim the ruling Afghan Taliban has consistently denied.

  • Iran sends response to US proposals to end war

    Iran sends response to US proposals to end war

    Nearly three months after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran that sparked an open regional conflict, diplomatic efforts have reached a critical juncture: Iranian officials have formally submitted their reply to U.S. peace proposals mediated through Pakistan, according to multiple Iranian state media outlets. As of Sunday evening, neither Tehran nor Washington has released any public details of the response or the original American draft, but reporting from U.S. news outlet Axios has shed light on the framework of the proposal, which is structured as a 14-point memorandum of understanding that paves the way for full negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

    A temporary ceasefire designed to create space for diplomatic talks has been largely upheld since it was implemented in February, though sporadic exchanges of fire have continued across front lines. However, two major punitive measures have kept tensions high and roiled global energy markets: Iran has maintained a total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical chokepoint for global oil and natural gas trade, while the U.S. Navy has enforced its own blockade of Iranian commercial ports to pressure Tehran to accept Washington’s terms. The American naval embargo has sparked fierce outrage across Iranian leadership.

    Speaking publicly on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a defiant tone, emphasizing that Tehran would not concede to foreign pressure. “We will never bow our heads before the enemy,” Pezeshkian said in a post to X, clarifying that any willingness to engage in talks does not equate to surrender. “If talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat. Rather, the goal is to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with resolute strength.”

    Axios, citing four anonymous sources briefed on the proposal that included two senior U.S. officials, reported the 14-point draft includes core provisions: a permanent suspension of Iranian uranium enrichment, the phased lifting of international sanctions on Tehran’s economy, and the full restoration of unimpeded commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz. All key terms are contingent on reaching a final binding agreement, the sources added. A senior Iranian lawmaker previously dismissed the American proposal as nothing more than a “wish list” that ignores Tehran’s core red lines.

    Iran has doubled down on its blockade of the strait, which normally carries roughly 20% of the world’s daily traded oil and natural gas supplies. The closure has already driven a sharp spike in global crude prices, and Tehran has issued repeated warnings to neighboring countries and commercial shipping firms that any vessel attempting to cross the strait without prior approval from Iran will face severe consequences. In comments carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia dismissed U.S. claims of an effective blockade of Iranian ports, saying “Americans will never be able to turn this vast expanse in the northern Indian Ocean into a real blockade by covering it with their fleet.”

    Tensions have spilled over to neighboring U.S. allies in the Gulf in recent days. On Sunday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) confirmed that a bulk carrier was struck by an unidentified projectile approximately 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha, Qatar. The attack sparked a small fire on board but caused no reported casualties. Iran’s Fars News Agency later cited an anonymous Iranian source claiming the vessel was flagged to and owned by the United States. Separately on Sunday, Kuwaiti military officials confirmed that unidentified drones entered Kuwaiti airspace, and that forces had “dealt with” the incursion. Hours later, the United Arab Emirates announced its air defense systems had intercepted two drones launched from Iranian territory.

    The U.S. has maintained a large and visible military footprint across the Gulf, with permanent military bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly predicted a swift end to the conflict, reiterating this week that most global stakeholders understand his core goal of eliminating Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions. In a May 6 post to Truth Social, Trump issued a stark threat to Tehran: if Iran rejects the U.S. proposal, “the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”

    On Monday, defense ministers from more than 40 countries will gather for a UK-led summit focused on building an international coalition to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end. UK Defense Secretary John Healey will co-chair the meeting alongside his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, where coalition members are expected to finalize plans for maritime security patrols in the waterway following a potential ceasefire agreement.

  • War in the Middle East: latest developments

    War in the Middle East: latest developments

    Almost an hour ago, Agence France-Presse published a roundup of the most recent developments in the ongoing Middle East war, bringing new updates on diplomatic efforts, escalating attacks, and rising regional tensions.

    According to Iran’s official state news outlet IRNA, the Islamic Republic has officially transmitted its response to the latest U.S. proposal aimed at brokering a ceasefire and launching formal peace talks. The response was delivered through diplomatic mediators based in Pakistan, though the content of Iran’s reply has not been released to the public.

    Parallel to diplomatic moves, a wave of drone strikes has targeted maritime and military sites across the Persian Gulf. One drone struck a commercial freighter traveling from Abu Dhabi to Qatar, sparking a small blaze on board the vessel. Qatar’s defense ministry confirmed that no crew members were injured in the attack, and the fire was brought under control quickly. Separately, Kuwait’s military announced it successfully intercepted and repelled a dawn drone attack targeting its territory.

    Qatar’s leadership has publicly pushed back against Iran’s potential use of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage in the conflict. In a phone call with Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, Qatar’s prime minister emphasized that weaponizing the critical waterway – through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass daily – would only exacerbate the ongoing regional crisis, the Qatari foreign ministry confirmed.

    Violence has also continued along the Israel-Lebanon border, even amid declared ceasefire efforts. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that two paramedics with the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee were killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, with five additional people injured in the strikes.

    New details have also emerged about a previously reported attack on a South Korean cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4. South Korean officials now confirm the vessel was damaged by strikes from “two unidentified aircraft.” Authorities are currently analyzing engine debris and fragments recovered from the ship to identify the party responsible for the attack. Iran has repeatedly denied any role in the strike, though former U.S. President Donald Trump asserted at the time that Iran was behind the attack.

    Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have further escalated following recent U.S. strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman. A day after those attacks, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a direct threat to American and allied interests in the region. “Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships,” the IRGC stated, per Iranian state media.

    On the diplomatic front, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a formal meeting with Qatar’s leadership this week. The U.S. State Department said the pair focused discussions on bolstering security across the Middle East, amid the rapidly shifting situation in the region.

  • Drones target Gulf vessels as Tehran warns US

    Drones target Gulf vessels as Tehran warns US

    Fresh drone attacks targeting commercial vessels and Gulf Cooperation Council nations have sent tensions soaring across the Persian Gulf this week, as Iran formally announced an end to its policy of military restraint against United States interests in the region.

    The string of incidents began unfolding last week, when South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed that an unidentified aerial attack damaged a South Korean-flagged cargo vessel, the HMM Namu, in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4. Two projectiles struck the ship’s stern ballast tank at roughly one-minute intervals, sparking a fire that was extinguished before the vessel proceeded safely to the Port of Dubai with no reported casualties.

    On Sunday, a new wave of attacks hit closer to major Gulf infrastructure. Qatar’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that a cargo freighter traveling from Abu Dhabi to Qatari waters was struck by a drone northeast of the port of Mesaieed. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which monitors commercial shipping in the region, confirmed the bulk carrier suffered a small fire that was quickly put out, with no injuries or environmental damage reported. Iranian state-affiliated Fars News Agency later claimed the vessel was owned by and sailing under the flag of the United States, though this has not been independently verified.

    Hours after the Qatari attack, the United Arab Emirates formally accused Iran of launching two armed drones toward its territory. UAE air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed both unmanned vehicles before they could reach their targets, the country’s defense ministry announced in a social media post. Neighboring Kuwait also reported detecting and neutralizing multiple hostile drones that entered its airspace at dawn Sunday.

    The coordinated attacks come amid a sharp breakdown in the fragile month-long ceasefire that has largely de-escalated cross-border hostilities between Iran and the US-led coalition in the Gulf. In public warnings issued over social media and state media, Iranian officials have made clear that their previous policy of restraint in response to US and allied actions is over. Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, wrote Sunday that “Any attack on our vessels will trigger a strong and decisive Iranian response against American ships and bases.”

    The warning followed a recent confrontation in the Gulf of Oman Friday, where a US fighter jet intercepted and disabled two Iran-flagged commercial tankers. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reiterated the new threat in a statement following the incident, noting that any future attack on Iranian commercial shipping would result in retaliatory strikes against US military outposts and naval assets in the Middle East.

    Over the weekend, Iran’s military leadership met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to receive updated operational guidance for confronting perceived enemy aggression in the region, according to Iranian state television.

    Tensions have been building for months over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s global oil exports pass, alongside massive volumes of liquefied natural gas and agricultural fertilizer. Iran has sought to leverage control over the strait to gain economic and diplomatic leverage against the US and its regional allies, recently establishing a formal system to collect tolls from commercial shipping passing through the waterway. US officials have repeatedly rejected Iran’s claims of authority over the international waterway, calling any attempt to regulate or tax transit unacceptable. The US Navy has also maintained a regional blockade of Iranian ports, regularly intercepting, disabling, or diverting commercial vessels traveling to and from Iranian territory.

    The latest escalation comes as diplomatic efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire and peace talks between Washington and Tehran remain at a stalemate. The US has awaited Iran’s formal response to a new proposal to extend the existing truce and open formal negotiations, with former President Donald Trump noting last week that he expected a response via Pakistani mediators by Friday. No official response has been made public to date.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed US military aggression for undermining diplomatic progress, telling state news agency ISNA that “The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy.”

    US diplomatic leaders have been intensifying consultations with regional intermediaries in recent days. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Saturday with Qatari leadership in Doha; Qatar has long hosted a major US Air Force base in the region, and has served as a key go-between for Washington and Tehran. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held a separate meeting a day earlier with US Vice President JD Vance to discuss peace brokering efforts.

    Iran has previously targeted sites in Qatar during past rounds of hostilities, citing the emirate’s hosting of US military infrastructure as justification.