Henning Ott
Wadephul calls for negotiations on the Iran conflict ahead of the foreign ministers' meeting
Before the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Paris, Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for concrete negotiations in the Iran conflict and warned against a new military escalation. “Diplomacy is in full swing,” said Wadephul before his departure from Berlin on Monday morning. “This now means concrete negotiations for the Iran conflict and no new military escalation.” Europe must also be part of a solution to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading Western industrial nations (G7) are meeting in the French capital today to discuss the conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. Wadephul said Germany would bring the European position together with France and Great Britain. He rejected a new security architecture based on Russian ideas. Instead, the existing European security order must be restored on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris and the Budapest Memorandum.
Sarah Sendner
Trump will host Qatar's head of government for Iran talks
US President Donald Trump will receive Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday. This is evident from the president's official calendar. The focus of the meeting is likely to be Qatar's mediation in the conflict between the USA and Iran. As the AP news agency reported, Tehran is currently examining proposals from Qatar to resolve differences with Washington over Iran's nuclear program.
However, Iran is making negotiations with the US government subject to several conditions. These include an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for war damage. Tehran is also calling for an end to hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Angelika Ahrens
Iraq: Agreement with USA on oil exports through Strait of Hormuz
Iraq says it has reached an agreement with the US to allow oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz. The deliveries will take place via a shipping route near Oman, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Al Jazeera broadcaster. Exports would therefore continue. Hussein estimated the country's losses from the Iran war and the interruptions in oil exports at $60 billion.
Angelika Ahrens
Iran: US election outcome disrupts mediation efforts
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the results of the US congressional elections have led to a disruption in mediation efforts between the government in Tehran and the US. Iran now has to wait a while until the mediators can resume diplomatic channels, Araghchi said on state television. In the elections, the Democrats won the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Iranian government officials reacted with glee to the election results, which are seen as a setback for US President Donald Trump.
Angelika Ahrens
Israel's military: Hezbollah weapons depot discovered in Lebanon
The Israeli military says it has discovered several weapons depots belonging to the Shiite Islamist Hezbollah militia during operations in southern Lebanon. In the Mais al-Jabal area, Israeli troops found weapons in a civilian home and a storage room, the military said. Among other things, rifles, rockets, fragmentation grenades, explosive devices, ammunition and communications and surveillance equipment were found.
Equipment and food supplies were also found in an apartment in the al-Tiri area. The locations were therefore not far from UN posts in the region.
Anna Kipnis
Trump: New Iran attacks “very unlikely” if talks are good
US President Donald Trump has described new attacks on Iran as very unlikely as long as talks to end the conflict continue. “It depends on whether they sign a very strong agreement or not,” CNN quoted Trump as saying in a telephone interview. “The answer is: it is highly unlikely that this will be necessary,” it continued.
CNN did not specify what the network had asked Trump. Trump also said the US had identified potential targets on Iran's infrastructure. This included 38 bridges “that we can literally destroy in an hour.”
Helena Smolak
Gulf states are pushing forward a shared rail network
The Gulf states continue to work on a common rail network along the coast of the Persian Gulf. Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad received representatives of the states that signed an agreement on the project in Manama, state agency BNO reported.
The network is scheduled to be completed by 2030. The rail connection will run from Kuwait in the north via Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to Oman. The costs were estimated in recent years at around 250 billion US dollars. To date, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have invested the most in their own rail networks.
Julius Stockheim
Katz: Israel's mission against Iran is not over yet
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz does not yet see the conflict with Iran as over. The mission is not complete, he said at a memorial service in Jerusalem. Iran is again trying to acquire nuclear weapons and is pursuing further goals “that put the State of Israel in concrete danger.” Katz called on the Israelis to unite in view of the “great tasks” that still lie ahead.
Today, more than ever, Israel is determined to take its destiny into its own hands, anticipate possible attacks and pursue a proactive and offensive policy towards its enemies. “We cannot tolerate these threats,” Katz said. “It is our duty to be prepared for any scenario and to do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel.”
Julius Stockheim
Aramco building damaged in attack
According to the authorities, minor material damage was caused in an attempted attack on an administrative building of Saudi Arabia's state oil company Saudi Aramco. A representative of the Saudi Energy Ministry said that falling debris damaged the building in the capital Riyadh. No one was harmed in the incident.
Julius Stockheim
Iran executes three men after protests
Iran has executed three men convicted of taking part in armed riots during protests in January 2026 and of spying for Israel and the United States, according to state media.
Julius Stockheim
Saudi Arabia: Houthi rebel missile intercepted
The Saudi-led military coalition says it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile. The coalition said the missile was fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen towards the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Loud explosions were heard in the capital of Saudi Arabia, a witness reported to the Reuters news agency. The civil defense had therefore issued a warning shortly beforehand. According to reports, a region in the south of Saudi Arabia was also the target of attacks.
Sarah Sendner
US military fires on merchant ship in Gulf of Oman
The US military says it fired on a merchant ship in the Gulf of Oman and put it out of action. The ship tried to leave the region after a stop in an Iranian port and ignored several warnings, the responsible US military command said on Saturday evening. The ship therefore sailed under the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The US armed forces have been enforcing a naval blockade against Iran for months. On Friday, they targeted an anti-aircraft system in limited attacks on Iran.
Anna Lena Stahl
At least 27 dead in attack on village in Yemen
According to the Houthi rebels, at least 27 people were killed in air strikes on a village in Yemen. Another 36 suffered injuries, the Houthi-controlled health ministry said on Saturday. Most of them are women and children.
Ministry spokesman Anis al-Asbahi told the Houthi broadcaster Al-Masiah that civilians were still buried under the rubble. The attacks then continued even as rescue workers tried to rescue survivors. Al-Asbahi blamed the attacks on Saudi Arabia, which is fighting alongside the internationally recognized government against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Vivian Melchert
USA establishes special unit against Iranian arms transports
The US military is setting up a new special unit to contain Iranian arms shipments and other sanctioned goods over land. The “Iron Gate Task Force” is intended to strengthen US efforts to curb the transport of modern weapons systems and sanctioned goods across Iranian borders and the Caspian Sea. The responsible US regional command Centcom will officially announce the plans on Saturday, according to a statement that was previously available to the Reuters news agency. The unit, based in Tampa, Florida, will focus not only on weapons but also on civilian and military goods as well as illegal sources of income.
Close coordination with other US authorities is planned. This will further limit Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories and re-equip its armed forces, said Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
Anna Lena Stahl
UN: Help for emergency shelters in the Gaza Strip is far from enough
Aid organizations in the Gaza Strip lack funds for emergency accommodation during the rainy season. The United Nations Emergency Relief Office said almost 295,000 families need help with their accommodation. However, the available relief supplies were only enough to partially supply 18 percent of those in need. Due to a lack of funds, slow procurement processes and delayed approvals by the Israeli authorities, further aid may not reach the Palestinians until winter is largely over.
One of those affected is Majed al-Omari, whose wooden frame and plastic sheets were torn down in the rain. He lost a leg in the war and struggled between the tents on crutches. “We will have to sleep on the streets tonight or find somewhere else to stay,” he said.
Anna Lena Stahl
Iran lifts range restrictions for missiles
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard says it no longer limits the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers. “This restriction has been lifted for us,” said the paramilitary force’s spokesman, General Hossein Mohebbi, in Tehran. He did not say whether Iran has missiles that can fly further. Instead of making statements, Iran will “demonstrate these capabilities in practice,” he announced.
A few days ago, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Modshtaba Khamenei warned that “any type and level of threat” from the US or Israel would result in a response without geographical boundaries.
Anna Lena Stahl
Iran: Tanker catches fire on “forbidden route”.
According to Iranian sources, another tanker was damaged by a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for oil exports. The ship turned off its navigation signal and was traveling in a “forbidden area,” the Iranian military said. The mine set the tanker on fire. The military did not provide any information about the nationality or destination of the ship.
Vivian Melchert
Houthi: Dead in air strikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa
According to the Houthis, at least 22 people were killed in air strikes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV station reported that most of the victims were women and children. At least 30 other people were injured. The broadcaster, citing a representative from a local hospital, attributed the attacks to Saudi Arabia.
The militia-controlled Saba news agency also reported renewed attacks on homes and rescue workers in the area, but did not provide any casualty figures. There was initially no statement from the military coalition or Saudi Arabia.
Vivian Melchert
Pistorius: Must decide soon on plans for Hormuz deployment
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to decide shortly on the future of a planned Bundeswehr deployment in the Strait of Hormuz. “We are ready to help with mine clearance, the mine-hunting boat Fulda and the tender Rhine are in the eastern Mediterranean,” the SPD politician told the Funke media according to the preliminary report. How long will have to be decided shortly. "An operation would require a safe environment. We don't have that." The situation has become even more dangerous due to the attacks by the Houthis. At the same time, Pistorius warned of a new escalation in the Iran war after the midterm elections in the USA. This is possible, said the minister. But he doesn't hope that it happens that way, because every escalation makes the way back even more difficult. “We have no direct influence on this.”
“We are ready to help with mine clearance, the mine-hunting boat Fulda and the tender Rhine are in the eastern Mediterranean.” Boris Pistorius
Vivian Melchert
Qatar sees progress in mediation between USA and Iran
Qatar is continuing mediation efforts between the US and Iran, according to its Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. "We can't wait for a perfect agreement; we hope for a good agreement," Al-Thani said, according to a report by Al-Jazeera television on Saturday (local time). The mediation is intended to prevent the situation in the region from getting out of control.
The US government is still willing to work on a solution after the congressional midterm elections, said the Prime Minister. This shows that Washington's interest in an agreement remains unchanged. Al-Thani spoke of significant progress and expressed confidence that an agreement was possible.
