Middle East

MarineTraffic recorded higher vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz even as fresh attacks, tighter sanctions and rising security concerns continue to threaten commercial shipping.

The IMO says renewed attacks on commercial vessels have intensified the danger facing crews, with nearly 6,000 seafarers still stranded in the Persian Gulf amid escalating regional tensions.

The US struck Iranian targets overnight after Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran condemned the strikes before launching retaliatory attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain.

The attacks come amid a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in June that was intended to end months of hostilities.

Citing unnamed sources, the report said the upcoming round will focus on US sanctions on Iran, Iranian frozen assets, and the Iranian nuclear file.

The incidents occurred in 76 separate cases, according to the report, which said spitting accounted for 47 of the total incidents.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said the mission stands ready for deployment to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Huge crowds have gathered in Tehran to pay their final respects to Iran's supreme leader, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran.

Ali Khamenei was killed in a US and Israeli strike in Tehran on February 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader in March.

According to the statement, Israeli forces have used lethal force to enforce access restrictions in areas they control since the start of the stuttering ceasefire agreement.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres raised sharp concerns on Tuesday about the agency’s cash shortfall, which he said “has grave implications for the entire region”.

Many developing countries entered the latest crisis already burdened by rising debt. Nearly half of the world's poorest countries are either in debt distress or at high risk of it, while interest payments continue to consume a growing share of government budgets.

The figures offered the first concrete measure of an evacuation launched this week to rescue some 11,000 mariners stranded aboard 600 vessels since the war pitting Israel and the United States against Iran erupted in late February.

The two sides will stand down "for now" and "vessels can move freely" as technical talks are set to continue, a US official was quoted as saying.

Bahrain said Iran launched a drone attack against it after the US struck southern Iran in what Washington said was in response to an earlier Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary ‌of ⁠State ⁠Marco ​Rubio has announced ​a trilateral ​framework ‌agreement. Lebanese officials began direct talks with Israel in Washington in April.

A total of 14 seafarers have been killed in attacks on shipping in the Strait since the emergency in the Middle East began, while the waterway has seen massive disruption after Israeli-US bombing of Iran began on 28 February. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) urged operators to closely track developments in regional airspace and follow updates from official aviation bodies.

According to the Commission, children account for roughly 30 per cent of those killed in Gaza, describing what it calls a sustained pattern of harm to minors throughout the conflict.

June marks the start of the enforcement period of midday work bans in several Gulf states, their sole heat exposure protection measure, according to HRW, which prohibits outdoor work during certain hours in summer months.

Oman, working with the IMO, has issued guidance for a temporary maritime corridor to manage vessel movements during the evacuation.

While both sides claim "encouraging progress," experts say there's a long way to go to turn the shaky diplomatic framework into a durable agreement.

The uncertainty of these moving boundaries and “an utter lack of accountability” are the reasons for such a high number of killings, with the Israeli forces responsible for “the vast, vast majority – 90 per cent plus”, the UNICEF spokesperson said.

It called the move the "first step" in a response to what it described as a breach of Tehran's agreement with the United States.

The agency reported widespread damage across multiple regions, while footage circulating on social media showed large plumes of smoke rising above residential and rural areas in the aftermath of the strikes.

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the full resumption of air traffic in May, lifting the remaining restrictions on the country’s airspace.

US and regional officials say Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a new ceasefire. This comes hours after four IDF soldiers were killed and Israel's government vowed retribution. DW has more.

Nearly 50,000 people have returned to their homes in Nabatieh and South Governorates since the announcement of the regional ceasefire, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said the agreement between the United States and Iran "hopefully ends the unlawful use of force and violations of the UN Charter in this war."

The negotiations, which were expected to take place in Switzerland, had been billed by US officials as "technical discussions" aimed at charting the next phase of implementing the landmark accord reached earlier this week.

Kpler data shows shipping activity through the strategic corridor remains subdued despite no new attacks, as US-Iran talks and a proposed maritime security deal continue.

The new rules set 15 as the minimum age for social media access, with stricter verification and safety controls introduced for teens aged 15 and 16.

US officials have released an interim agreement that ends fighting on all fronts for 60 days and sets out provisions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the agreement marks an important moment for the region and demonstrates the value of negotiations in resolving disputes that have strained international relations for years.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said the memorandum was signed by the presidents of the United States and Iran and endorsed by him in his role as mediator.

More than 770,000 children are experiencing heightened distress from repeated exposure to violence, loss and displacement, with many unable to return home because of ongoing fighting and the threat of unexploded ordnance, Corsi’s statement declared.

A proposed US–Iran ceasefire draft that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing sanctions could reshape global energy flows, stabilise oil prices, and redefine geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

World leaders have welcomed a tentative Iran–US peace deal that includes an immediate ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while urging swift implementation and sustained restraint to secure lasting regional stability.

The agreement, reached on Sunday, sets out a framework aimed at ending more than 100 days of active conflict between the two countries.

The Iran squad arrived after a short flight from Tijuana, Mexico, where they left their base camp earlier, to a rousing sendoff ahead of their opening game against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on Monday.

Gharibabadi said Iran and the United States will sign the finalised draft of a peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Switzerland on June 19.

Trump described the proposed agreement as a firm guarantee against nuclear escalation, saying it would establish “a wall to no nuclear weapon.”

The 55-member continental organisation warned that these developments "risk further destabilising an already fragile situation."

A petition challenging the law had been filed by AIDA, an umbrella group representing 19 international nongovernmental relief organisations working in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

Iranian football supporters have been left in uncertainty after their World Cup ticket allocation was reportedly withdrawn shortly before kickoff, with the FFIRI protesting the move as it also raises wider concerns over visa delays and team logistics ahead of the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israeli authorities had provided military and financial backing that helped sustain settler violence, while failing to hold perpetrators accountable.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said earlier strikes were a "warning" after Israel struck the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The embassy issued the remarks on Saturday in response to comments by US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack on Friday, who praised the consulate in Türkiye for processing visas for Iranian players a day earlier.

According to the agency, the impact is expected to intensify in the coming months, even if the conflict in the Middle East eases, as planting seasons are disrupted by input shortages and high production costs, threatening future harvests and food prices.

The wounded peacekeeper was evacuated to Beirut but later died of his injuries. Two other peacekeepers were also injured and are receiving treatment at a UNIFIL base.

Since January 2026, OHCHR has recorded at least 12 attacks against police, killing more than 53 civilians including 35 police personnel, five boys, and one woman. Four attacks were recorded in May alone, killing 12 police workers.