As renewed fighting pushes Iran and the United States away from diplomacy and back toward full-scale confrontation, influential hardline voices in Tehran are openly arguing that political assassination and a more aggressive foreign policy are both justified and necessary.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The foreign ministers of Iran and Cyprus talked about the latest regional developments in a phone call, with the Iranian diplomat blaming recent US military actions for escalating insecurity in the Persian Gulf and disrupting navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bill on Hormuz Strait security introduced in Iranian parliament, lawmaker says The head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee indicated that a bill aiming to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz was formally introduced in parliament. "Last night, coinciding with the downing of U. S.
The alleged recruitment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by Mossad reads like a spy thriller and has been denied by his office. But it has renewed interest in Iran's most controversial president—and the ruthless infighting that turned a Leader’s darling into a political outcast.
Trumps says he wants Gulf states to reimburse US for 'protection' US President Donald Trump said he wanted Gulf countries to reimburse Washington for helping "protect the Strait of Hormuz". "I want to be reimbursed because we’re protecting a very rich portion of the world. We’re spending money, so… we are going to be reimbursed for protection," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, mentioning Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait as countries the US has protected.
WASHINGTON -- As tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate following renewed US military action , questions are mounting over the risks of regional escalation and the future of finding a diplomatic solution to bring peace. In an interview with RFE/RL, former US Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis argues that, despite the military confrontation, negotiations remain the only viable way out of the crisis.
Tehran [Iran], July 14 (ANI): Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday (local time) mocked US President Donald Trump over recent remarks charging '20 per cent' over ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, describing Tehran as the one and only 'guardian' of the region. In a post on 'X'. Araghchi took a swipe at Trump, asserting that Iran will always remain the 'guardian' of the Strait of Hormuz.
Business executives making 'contingency plans' for UAE-Saudi Arabia feud Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 21:04 Some law firms are selecting work that avoids antagonising the two rivals, while investors are navigating a new environment This picture, taken on 31 March 2026, shows the King Abdullah Financial District in the Saudi capital, Riyadh (Fayez Nureldine/AFP) Off Business executives are making contingency plans in case a growing feud between Saudi Arabia and the UAE escalates in the oil-rich Gulf region, amid signs that the two neighbours are embroiled in an economic war of attrition. Bloomberg reported on Monday that some global investment banks are worried they will have to decide between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. Some businesses have begun making contingency plans for separate logistics.
Here’s the wild back story behind a failed plan to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s next leader.
President Trump said the United States could collect tolls or fees, despite Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying no country could do so.
Rubio says US will dismantle ICC 'brick by brick' Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 18:59 Secretary of State issues broadside against the court that issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2024 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a trilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (not pictured) on the sidelines of the Nato Summit in Ankara, on 7 July 2026 (Yves Herman/Pool/AFP) Off US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the Trump administration is working to “dismantle the [International Criminal Court] brick by brick”, throwing down a public gauntlet to the court that issued an arrest warrant in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The ICC’s interfering with American military and law enforcement operations isn’t just only a grave overreach of its purported authorities. It would mean the death of the US as a sovereign and independent nation,” Rubio wrote in an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal on Monday.
EU ministers largely back Israeli settlement trade ban, Kallas says EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says foreign ministers largely favoured the idea of banning trade with Israeli settlements during a meeting today. The officials met in Brussels to discuss a response to increasing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. "Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable," Kallas said at the start of the meeting.
Iranian foreign minister says Tehran will remain 'guardian' of Hormuz Iran's foreign minister says the country has "always been the guardian of the Strait and will remain so forever". The comments came after Trump announced that the US would levy a charge on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. "POTUS is absolutely right.
President Trump said the United States could collect tolls or fees, despite Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying no country could do so.
Israel’s Mossad recruited former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chose him to lead Iran after a planned operation to overthrow the Islamic Republic, Haaretz reported Monday, citing more than 30 political, defense, diplomatic and foreign sources.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly wooed by Mossad agents after distancing himself from Khamenei Middle East crisis live – latest updates Israel tried to recruit Iran’s intensely anti-Zionist former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a new post-Islamic regime in Tehran, even going as far as sending its top spy to Budapest to meet him, according to media reports. The remarkable quest to turn a leader who had denied the Holocaust and called for Israel’s erasure began in 2022, according to reporting by the New York Times and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz , and continued even after Israel became engaged in a brutal campaign in Gaza against Hamas, a key Iranian ally. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham has rightly spoken out on Labour's Gaza shame. Now comes the hard part Submitted by David Hearst on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 13:20 The future prime minister should reconstruct a Labour Party with a strong moral core. This begins with Palestine and not repeating Starmer's fatal mistakes Andy Burnham, British prime minister in waiting, delivers a speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester, Britain, on 29 June, 2026 (Reuters) On It is easy, if not to say tempting, to be cynical about Andy Burnham .
New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): Poland on Monday voiced support for India's stance on the West Asia conflict, with the Polish Secretary of State and Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski terming New Delhi's approach as the 'right position' and stressing that the ongoing crisis should be resolved through diplomacy while ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Syrian Druze chief suggests Sweida integration into Israel Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 13:48 Hikmat al-Hijri says his province's 'autonomy' could be preserved as part of its southern neighbour Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri reading a speech to the Druze community in Syria (Wikicommons) Off A spiritual leader of Syria 's Druze community has suggested that the country's Sweida province be integrated into Israel. Speaking at an event to mark the first anniversary of violent sectarian unrest in the southern province, Hikmat al-Hijri said his home's autonomy could be preserved under the protection or even "integration with another state". "We are determined to preserve our autonomy in Sweida so that we can live an independent life and present people with a model for this region," he said.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood says police are ‘pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack’ Ann Widdecombe death: counter-terrorism police take over investigation The government has announced that it is in effect proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It is doing so using new powers under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026. Ministers have been under pressure for years to proscribe the IRGC, which backs terrorist activity outside Iran.
