Iran discusses Hormuz Strait with Oman and Turkey Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with his Omani and Turkish counterparts on Thursday and discussed latest developments in the region, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian foreign ministry said. The parties stressed the need to use diplomatic channels to prevent escalation, a ministry statement said.
Khamenei's body arrives in Mashhad for burial after week of processions Submitted by Ayse Betul on Thu, 07/09/2026 - 13:39 While US air strikes hit railways to Mashhad, Iran claims the eight-hour delay to the burial was due to unexpected crowds Mourners gather by Imam Reza shrine for the burial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 9 July 2026 (Mohammed Salem/Reuters) Off After a week-long mass funeral, the body of Iran ’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where a burial ceremony will take place as the final step. The plane carrying Khamenei's body, along with those of his four family members killed alongside him, was escorted by Iranian military jets and arrived at Mashhad's Shahid Hasheminejad Airport early on Thursday. But Iranian media announced that the burial ceremony will now take place at 2pm local time, eight hours later than originally planned.
Democratic hopeful Rahm Emanuel calls for end to unconditional US aid to Israel Submitted by Ayse Betul on Thu, 07/09/2026 - 11:46 The Jewish-American former diplomat also said that Israel had become a 'pariah' during visit to country Rahm Emanuel speaks at an event at Tel Aviv University, 8 July 2026 (Amir Cohen/Reuters) Off Washington’s long-standing policy of blindly supporting the Israeli government without any conditions or demands has been a mistake, said Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic presidential candidate for the 2028 US elections. The Israeli government has increasingly isolated the country, turning it into a “territorial pariah,” Emanuel said during a speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday. “You cannot fight indefinitely against a world that has stopped believing you have the right to fight,” he added.
Netanyahu’s son Yair adopts new name in latest family name change Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 07/09/2026 - 10:52 Reported change comes as the Netanyahu name becomes toxic for a son seeking business ties in the US Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his son Yair in 2015 (AFP) Off Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has changed his name to Yonatan Hon, Haaretz reported on Wednesday. The Israeli newspaper said tax-withholding approvals issued in December 2024 carried his previous name, Yair Netanyahu. This year, the same identifying details appeared under the new name, including a fictional address listed as "Balfour 0".
Iran summons UK ambassador over stabbing allegation Iran has summoned the British ambassador to Tehran to protest what it called "baseless accusations", state media said on Thursday, after a London court jailed two people for a knife attack it said was carried out at Iran's behest. "Following the repetition of false and baseless accusations by British officials against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country's ambassador in Tehran was summoned to the ministry, and the Islamic Republic of Iran's protest against the British government's inappropriate approach towards the Iranian nation was conveyed to him," the official IRNA news agency reported. Two Romanians, convicted of a 2024 knife attack on an Iranian journalist outside his London home "on behalf of" Iran, were sentenced last week to 12 and eight years in prison respectively.
Italian prime minister says Rome will not join attacks on Iran Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says Italy will not take part in military operations against Iran, reiterating Rome's position amid escalating tensions in the region. "We have had a very clear line from the beginning of the conflict in Iran... we will not participate in attacks against Iran," Meloni told reporters at the Nato summit in Ankara.
Trump administration moves to rescind Syria terrorism designation The Trump administration has notified the US Congress of its decision to rescind Syria's designation as a "state sponsor of terrorism", an unnamed administration official told Reuters. American lawmakers will now conduct a 45-day review and make a final decision on the administration's advice, according to Reuters.
'Earth shifting': Trump begins process to remove Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 19:30 The announcement follows Trump's meeting with his Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Nato summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on 8 July 2026 (Saul Lobe/AFP) Off In what is arguably the most impactful deliverable from President Donald Trump's trip to Ankara, Turkey, this week, the US on Wednesday formally began the process of removing Syria from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST). There are only four countries on that list: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria, which was added in 1979. "This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Arab League chief says Israel blocked first foreign trip to Ramallah The Arab League's new secretary-general, Nabil Fahmy, says Israel blocked him from visiting Ramallah, in what would have been his first foreign trip since taking office this month. The regional bloc's secretariat was informed by Palestinian authorities "of the Israeli occupation authorities' rejection of a visit... to the occupied Palestinian territories" to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Fahmy's office said in a statement.
Iranian foreign ministry says US violated terms of MoU Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has accused the US of violating the terms of its memorandum of understanding with Iran. In a post on X, Baqaei said the US had "violated the agreement's structure through its unilateral actions and aggressive attacks against Iran" by going against the MoU's fifth clause, which he said "emphasises the Islamic Republic of Iran's responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz". Baqaei said Iran will defend its national interests and exercise sovereignty.
Iranian deputy foreign minister says Trump remarks show failure of US policy Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Trump's latest remarks on Iran reflected the failure of Washington's policy towards Tehran. In a post on X, Gharibabadi said Trump's comments, including threats of further attacks, were "not a sign of strength, but rather an admission of the failure of a policy built on brute force, sanctions, and threats for years". He added that Iran must respond to Trump in "his own language", saying that "apparently, he understands the language of force better".
Trump praises Netanyahu as 'a great wartime prime minister' Trump has praised Netanyahu as "a great wartime prime minister" and said no US president has done more for Israel than he has. "Nobody has ever done anything for Israel like me," Trump said, citing US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. He said he and Netanyahu "worked with each other very closely".
Trump lavishes praise on 'fantastic' and 'highly respected' Sharaa Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 16:01 The win for the Syrian president is simply having the meeting at all US President Donald Trump holds a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Nato summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on 8 July 2026 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump lavished rare praise on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday, calling him "fantastic" and "highly respected", as the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey . The meeting itself is a win for Sharaa, who was first introduced to Trump a little over a year ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia , before finding himself in the Oval Office exchanging gifts with the US president by November. No Syrian leader - and certainly not one with Sharaa's past as a US-designated terrorist - had been in the White House in decades.
Thousands attend Khamenei funeral processions in Najaf and Karbala Tens of thousands of mourners attended funeral processions for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei's remains have now returned to Iran, where he will be laid to rest in Mashhad on 9 July. The 86-year-old leader was killed in a US-Israeli attack on his compound in Tehran in late February.
Trump says he may remove Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list "I think I will," the US president said when asked whether he would remove Syria from the United States' list of designated state sponsors of terrorism. Trump also says he has lifted sanctions placed on Syria and commended Damascus for becoming stable, Al Jazeera reported. The US president also again suggested Syria “could help with Hezbollah” in Lebanon.
Huge crowds mourn Khamenei during funeral procession in Najaf Thousands of people thronged the streets of Najaf and packed the courtyards of its majestic shrine as they mourned the late supreme leader during his funeral procession in Iraq. Iran began six days of public funeral ceremonies for Khamenei on Saturday, including a dedicated day in neighbouring Iraq, home to the most sacred Shia shrines. After a massive procession in Iran's holy city of Qom, Khamenei's body was brought Tuesday night to Iraq, where authorities declared Wednesday a public holiday.
‘The era of bullying is over’: Iran speaker says US violated MoU Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf cited not only the latest US military strikes, but also renewed oil sanctions, violations of Iranian "adjustments" in the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli attacks against Lebanon. “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere.
Whether Khamenei was a hero or a villain is for the Iranian people to decide Submitted by Hamid Dabashi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 23:12 Israel and its allies in the western media have no business trying to stoke divisions at this time of national mourning A mourner holds a flower and a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on 4 July 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As a real-time Persian passion play unfolds across Iraq and Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , one question remains paramount: what gives a European settler colony the audacity, the vulgarity, the vicious gall to fly over a sovereign nation’s territory and murder its supreme leader? The Israeli plot to assassinate Khamenei - which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tricked US President Donald Trump into joining, despite overwhelming American opposition to waging war on Iran - was just the latest move in a long and blood-soaked tradition, as chronicled in journalist Ronen Bergman’s boastful treatise Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations (2018). Khamenei was a head of a state, and the spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims.
Murdering Ali Khamenei was an act of terrorism. Where is the outrage? Submitted by Hamid Dabashi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 23:12 Israel and its allies in the western media have no business trying to stoke divisions at this time of national mourning A mourner holds a flower and a portrait of Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the start of his funeral ceremonies in Tehran on 4 July 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off As a real-time Persian passion play unfolds across Iraq and Iran for the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , one question remains paramount: what gives a European settler colony the audacity, the vulgarity, the vicious gall to fly over a sovereign nation’s territory and murder its supreme leader?
Danish prime minister, EU reject Trump's Greenland takeover remarks The US president said taking control of the world’s largest island was “very important” for the US, but “it’s not important for Denmark". “Hitler beat them out in one day, took over, they asked us to take care of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland, and then stupidly, we gave it back,” Trump said, according to Al Jazeera.
