Senate Democrats seek seventh vote to curb Trump's war powers US Senator Chuck Schumer urged Republicans to support a War Powers Resolution aimed at ending President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran, arguing that the conflict was driving up fuel prices across the United States. In a post on X, Schumer said Americans were paying more than $4. 50 a gallon for petrol because Trump “refuses to end this war”.
Yemen says Iran using cross-border militias for blackmail, exporting chaos Yemen has condemned Iran for what it said were “hostile acts” on Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island carried out by an armed group affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The Republic of Yemen affirms that this aggressive behaviour is a direct extension of the Iranian regime’s approach based on exporting chaos, undermining the security and stability of the region, and using militias and cross-border armed groups as tools for blackmail and threatening regional security,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. Kuwait has blamed Iran after arresting four men, whom it said were attempting to infiltrate Bubiyan Island by sea and accused them of being linked to the IRGC.
Norway and Iran discuss latest round of negotiations in Tehran The deputy foreign minister of Norway, who is on a visit to Iran, said that the two nations discussed the latest round of negotiations of the US-Israeli war. Andreas Mutzfelt Kravik met with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who said that “excessive approach and threatening and provocative rhetoric of the American side, and the lack of goodwill and dishonesty of the US”. Iran is in the process of developing regulations related to the strategic waterway, which is in accordance with international law, Araghchi said.
Saudi Arabia and UAE coordinate on regional security efforts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a telephone conversation to discuss regional developments and efforts to strengthen security and stability, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The agency said the two leaders also reviewed cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE during the call, as Gulf states continue diplomatic coordination amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing conflict in Iran.
Hezbollah says it repelled Israeli advance near Wadi al-Ain Hezbollah said it carried out 25 strikes against Israeli forces and military equipment across southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The group said it targeted a “Drone Dome” jamming system, two communications vehicles and a Merkava tank at the al-Abad site. Hezbollah also claimed its fighters repelled an advancing Israeli column near Wadi al-Ain and al-Bayyadah using guided missiles and heavy artillery in three successive waves.
Israeli drone strike kills Palestinian in central Gaza An Israeli drone attack has killed one Palestinian and wounded several others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Wafa reported. The wounded were taken to al-Awda Hospital for treatment. The latest strike comes as Israel continues to launch deadly attacks across Gaza despite a declared “ceasefire” in the besieged enclave, raising further questions about its implementation on the ground.
US heading for ‘checkmate’ and ‘total defeat’ in Iran war, says neocon Robert Kagan Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Tue, 05/12/2026 - 23:11 Influential US hawk warns Washington’s war risks a major shift in global power and a 'disastrous' for Israel A mural in Tehran of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off Robert Kagan, one of the United States’ most prominent neoconservative voices and a long-time pro- Israel hawk, has warned that Washington is heading towards “total defeat” in its war on Iran - a setback he says “can neither be repaired nor ignored”. Writing in The Atlantic , Kagan said the damage inflicted by the conflict cannot be reversed.
Gulf investments and economic interests motivate Beijing to help Trump end war Submitted by Sean Mathews on Tue, 05/12/2026 - 21:55 China has benefited from the US's failures in Iran, but it has its own motivations to end the war US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping greet each other as they arrive for talks at Gimhae Air Base, near Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on 30 October 2025 (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump is set to meet his counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Thursday in Beijing for a two-day visit. Business and trade deals are at the top of the agenda for the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, but Iran will loom large in the background. Providing military support to Iran in its war with the US and Israel has benefited China, but the conflict in the Middle East also challenges its ties with Gulf states and its broader economic model, experts say.
'Make a choice': Huckabee warns Gulf to choose between Iran and Israel Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 05/12/2026 - 20:18 The US ambassador to Israel made the remarks as he touted the Abraham Accords at an event in Tel Aviv Left to right: US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stands alongside Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, US Vice President JD Vance, US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanese ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa in the White House's Oval Office in Washington, DC, on 23 April 2026 (Kylie Cooper/Reuters) Off US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned Arab Gulf states that they must "make a choice" between Israel and Iran amid the current standoff, after 40 days of a US-Israeli war on Iran that saw it target and destroy US-aligned assets in the region in retaliation. "The Gulf states now understood they will have to make a choice. Is it more likely they will be attacked by Iran or Israel?
Iran says ceasefire terms meet minimum standards for lasting peace Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi has defended Tehran’s proposal to end the war, describing it as a baseline for any credible and durable agreement. Writing on X, Gharibabadi said the plan reflects “the minimum requirements of any serious, sustainable arrangement aligned with the UN Charter”. He condemend Washington’s rejection of the proposal, arguing it exposes a broader agenda.
US expects Iran oil output to fall amid blockade The US Energy Information Administration says Iran’s oil production is likely to decline as a result of the US blockade on its ports, signalling prolonged disruption to global supply. In a statement, the agency said it does not expect output levels or trade flows to return to prewar conditions until late this year or early next year, even if shipping resumes through the Strait of Hormuz. It warned that any extended closure of the waterway could drive prices significantly higher.
New York Times article details brutal rape of Palestinians. Israel calls it 'blood libel' Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 05/12/2026 - 16:31 Columnist Nicholas Kristof recounted harrowing torture described to him on a trip to the occupied West Bank Soldiers stand guard during the weekly settlers’ tour in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where settlers move through Palestinian areas under military protection, on 9 May 2026 (Mussa Qawasma/Reuters) Off Mounted by dogs, penetrated by carrots, and rectums torn by batons. These are just some of the harrowing testimonies of the rape of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, detailed by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in a landmark piece published on Monday.
US confirms Israel sent Iron Dome batteries to UAE Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries along with soldiers to operate them to the UAE amid the war on Iran , US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed on Tuesday. "Israel just sent them - [the UAE] - Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help them operate them. How come?
Israeli strikes in south Lebanon kill civilians and rescue workers Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that Israeli attacks in the Nabatieh area have killed several civilians, including a Lebanese army member and civil defence responders. According to the agency, a strike on the town of Jebchit killed three people: First Sergeant Muhammad Ali Obeid, Hassan Muhammad Jawad Obeid and Mahdi Abbas Obeid. In a separate incident, Mahdi Atwi, from Nabatieh al-Fouqa, was killed after an Israeli drone strike hit his rickshaw near the Civil Defence Centre in Nabatieh.
Trump dismisses China role on Iran and claims US victory United States President Donald Trump has downplayed any role for China in resolving the conflict with Iran, insisting Washington will prevail regardless of outside involvement. Speaking to reporters at the White House ahead of a planned visit to China, where he is expected to meet Xi Jinping, Trump rejected the idea that Beijing could assist in negotiations. “No, I don’t think we need any help with Iran.
US confirms Israel sent Iron Dome batteries to UAE Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 05/12/2026 - 18:58 US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee trumpets Israeli-Emirati coordination in war against Iran This picture taken from Israel's southern frontier with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli soldiers standing near a battery of the Iron Dome air defence system, on 17 April 2024 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries along with soldiers to operate them to the UAE amid the war on Iran , US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed on Tuesday. "Israel just sent them - [the UAE] - Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help them operate them. How come?
Trump promises oil price drop after war amid inflation pressure United States President Donald Trump has vowed that fuel prices will fall sharply once the war ends, as he faces growing domestic pressure over inflation driven by the conflict. Speaking to reporters, Trump linked rising costs to disruptions in global energy supply and insisted relief would follow quickly after hostilities cease. “As soon as this war is over, which will not be long, you’re going to see oil prices drop and you’re going to see a stock market … go through the roof,” he said.
Starmer is toast. To stop Farage now, Britain's left-wing forces must unite Submitted by David Hearst on Tue, 05/12/2026 - 17:48 After a disastrous electoral performance, Labour's most urgent task is to select a new leader who can rally a coalition of progressives British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is pictured in Paris on 17 April 2026 (Tom Nicholson/AFP) Off The architects of New Labour have eviscerated the Labour Party twice, once when former Prime Minister Tony Blair took Britain into the Iraq War in 2003, and now under the leadership of Keir Starmer. Unlike other Labour crises - such as the short-lived rebellion of the Gang of Four who defected in 1981 to create the Social Democratic Party, or the Brexit vote in 2016 - New Labour remained uniquely toxic to Labour’s brand.
Islamophobia, racist threats, Holocaust denial: Comments by newly-elected Reform councillors Submitted by Hannah. Smith on Mon, 05/11/2026 - 16:23 Reform UK faces online backlash over alleged racist comments made by newly-elected councillors, as some step down Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks outside the Havering Town Hall the day after the local elections, on 8 May 2026 (Toby Shepheard/AFP). Off The local elections held across England, Scotland and Wales on 7 May symbolised a dramatic shift in the traditional two-party system of British politics, with Keir Starmer’s Labour suffering large losses and Nigel Farage's Reform UK winning over 1,300 council seats and 13 councils.
'Cultural genocide': Palestinian musicians urge Eurovision boycott over Israel's inclusion Palestinian musicians have called for a boycott of Eurovision over its platforming of Israel while the genocide continues in Gaza. Speaking on the same day the contest’s semi-finals began, Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank said their culture was being destroyed in real time as millions tuned in to watch the country responsible. Under the campaign headline #VoteJustice4Palestine, they urged those boycotting Eurovision to share online The Drone Song, a song recorded by Ahmed Abu Amsha in Gaza City that went viral last year.
