Replacing a single ship carrying essential goods to Iran would require about 2,500 trucks, a Chamber of Commerce official warned, saying land routes cannot offset the US maritime blockade and negotiations are the only realistic way to restore trade.
New Delhi [India], August 13 (ANI): Former diplomat Vidya Bhushan Soni weighed in on the recently announced trilateral security arrangement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan--and underlined that it reflects Washington's dimming influence in the region.
Families of Egyptian political prisoners launch UK advocacy group Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 11:13 The Families of Egyptian Detainees Association will liaise with international bodies to fight for the release of prisoners of conscience, press release says A picture taken on 16 January 2022 shows the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre in Badr city, 65 kms east of the Egyptian capital Cairo (AFP/Khaled Desouki) Off A new organisation was launched in London on Thursday to represent the families of political detainees held in Egypt , according to a press relese shared with Middle East Eye. The Families of Egyptian Detainees Association (Feda) said it will liaise with institutions and authorities both inside and outside Egypt, in the hope of helping secure the release of political detainees. It said it would “work with anyone who can contribute to closing this painful chapter and securing the release of political detainees from prison”.
Iran attacks US failures as scepticism grows over Israeli role in Trump 'assassination plot' Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 10:57 Washington’s Iran blockade comes under strain as morale crisis grips the USS Abraham Lincoln A replica of an Iranian air force F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft is displayed in a city square in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on 10 August (AFP/Atta Kenare) Off Iran has accused the US of allowing faulty intelligence to drive it into war, as new reports revealed that CIA analysts doubted an Israeli warning that triggered a secret security operation during President Donald Trump’s visit to Turkey . Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Washington “has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures”, including when it launched its war on Iran. He said US actions in the Strait of Hormuz represented “an even bigger miscalculation”.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Intelligence Ministry forces dismantled two operational cells affiliated with a terrorist-Takfiri group in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, arresting four terrorists and killing two others in separate clashes.
A plan to sell petrol at a much higher “refinery cost” rate in southern Kerman province was halted hours before it was due to begin, the provincial fuel distribution company said on Thursday.
Iranian authorities have sealed at least 42 cafés, restaurants, shops, sports clubs and other businesses across the country in the past three weeks, over compulsory hijab rules and what officials describe as violations of Islamic norms.
Turkey backs Saudi-led maritime defence coalition in Red Sea Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Thu, 08/13/2026 - 10:37 The move would help deepen the trilateral defence pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Turkish Navy helicopters and ships on military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea near Antalya on 9 April (AFP/Adem Altan) Off Turkey confirmed on Thursday for the first time that it had joined efforts to establish a multinational maritime defence coalition aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. The announcement signals increased cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Ankara after the signing of a trilateral pact between the states and Pakistan in Mecca last week. “At the invitation of Saudi Arabia, a technical meeting was held in Riyadh on 28 July to ensure freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, followed by a meeting of the chiefs of general staff on 30 July 2026,” the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.
Israel deploys troops to remove Israeli settlers trapping Palestinian families The Israeli army says it has dismantled "two illegal outposts" on the outskirts of the Qusra and Jalud areas in the occupied West Bank, which Israeli settlers were using to trap two Palestinian families inside their homes. It added that one Israeli was arrested, and that equipment had been confiscated.
Pentagon tells Congress US killed 153 civilians in Yemen air strikes The US killed and wounded hundreds of Yemeni civilians during its attacks on the country last year, according to an internal US Department of War assessment shared with Congress. The US killed 153 civilians and wounded 243, the Pentagon said in a 12-page report that was sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday and reported by several news sites in the US. US President Donald Trump ordered the American military to begin bombing the Houthis in March 2025.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ayatollah Ahmad Marvi, the chief custodian of the holy shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam in Iran’s Mashhad, called on the Iranian nation to preserve national unity and cohesion, saying the country should continue its path toward “dignity, greatness, glory and independence”.
Gaza death toll reaches 73,389 Israel has killed at least one person and injured seven in the Gaza Strip in the past day, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Since October 2023, when Israel's genocide in Gaza began, at least 73,389 Palestinians have been killed and 174,266 have been injured.
Mecca Defence Agreement will include political and military coordination, Turkey says Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will form political and military mechanisms under a defence pact signed between the regional powers last week, Turkey's defence ministry said, adding the alliance would also deepen defence industry cooperation. At a weekly briefing in Ankara, the ministry said the mechanisms would include the three countries' defence ministers, foreign ministers, and military chiefs. It added that joint military exercises were also being planned under the pact, while cooperation could include joint production and technology sharing in the defence industry.
Washington DC [US], August 13 (ANI): US intelligence officials had low confidence in an Iranian threat against US President Donald Trump before he was secretly moved to an alternate aircraft while departing Turkey after the NATO Summit last month, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Salvage operation for stricken tanker off Omani coast begins British maritime security company Ambrey said it has been engaged in the salvage of the stricken tanker Caroline Bezengi off the Omani coast and that salvage vessels are en route to support the operation, Reuters reports. Ambrey said it was "working diligently with all relevant stakeholders", and had contracted the support of a leading international oil spill response company. It added specialist personnel have already boarded the vessel to assess conditions on board, and commence cargo stabilisation operations.
Iran International's Negar Mojtahedi has won Canada's 2026 Bill Good Award, part of the Jack Webster honors regarded as western Canada's preeminent journalism awards, cited for reporting that bridged the gulf between the West and Iran, often at risk to her own safety.
Maersk CEO says conditions right to increase transit through Suez Maersk, a Danish shipping company which accounts for 15 percent of maritime transport worldwide, reported a second-quarter operating profit above expectations and raised its full-year earnings guidance. CEO Vincent Clerc said he thought the "conditions for a full return to Suez during 2026 are in place", as long as "nothing happens in Yemen". Yemen's Houthis have been attacking ships transiting through Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea since 2023, and announced a full blockade of vessels transporting Saudi oil last month.
Why the position of Palestinian health workers in Israel has grown increasingly precarious Submitted by Ghada Majadli on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 15:41 Controversy over the treatment of soldiers at Rambam Hospital has cast a spotlight on the increasing stigmatisation of Arab staff Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, is pictured on 18 April 2024 (Jack Guez/AFP) On A recent controversy involving Palestinian medical staff at Haifa’s Rambam Hospital reveals several important things about the position of Palestinian citizens of Israel , particularly within the healthcare system. The staff members were publicly lambasted following allegations that they mistreated and neglected Israeli soldiers in their care, including by speaking only Arabic at the hospital. The subsequent public debate has gone beyond the specific details of this case, raising broader questions about linguistic rights.
Polls open in crunch Clacton contest between Reform's Nigel Farage and Count Binface Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 08/12/2026 - 14:39 The Reform leader was elected MP for Clacton in 2024 but resigned last month to trigger the by-election, but a satirical candidate offers his biggest challenge The two main candidates in Thursday's by-election are Nigel Farage and Count Binface (AFP) Off Voters are heading to the polls on Thursday in the seaside town of Claton, on England's east coast, to vote in one of the most unusual by-elections in recent British history. The two main candidates are Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, which was until recently dominating in the national polls, and Count Binface , a man dressed as a bin. Farage was elected MP for Clacton in 2024 but resigned last month in order to trigger the by-election.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned the US against making an even bigger intelligence miscalculation over the Strait of Hormuz.
