British sanctions could trigger countermeasures
Following the announcement of British sanctions against goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israel could respond with countermeasures. “If Britain takes action against Israel, Israel will take action against Britain,” Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.
Israeli President Izchak Herzog spoke of a “serious misjudgment” by London and a decision that would put Great Britain “on the wrong side of history.” With a view to the Knesset election in October, Herzog spoke of a “gross interference in the democratic elections of a sovereign nation.”
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the sanctions discriminated against “the Jewish people.” If the British government puts the measures into effect, consequences or retaliatory measures from the USA are possible.
Britain bans trade in goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank
Britain announced on Tuesday a trade ban on goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in coordination with France and Canada. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said in the House of Commons that his country could no longer simply denounce injustice and suffering. Action must be taken to counteract the expansion of settlements and the destruction of a two-state solution. The British government considers the occupation of the West Bank to be unlawful.
With the move, London joins other European countries such as the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Norway that have implemented or are planning to implement such import bans. The announcement was met with sharp criticism in Israel. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the expulsion of the British ambassador in Tel Aviv and announced the construction of 1,000 new apartments in two other West Bank settlements. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the closure of the British consulate in East Jerusalem. President Izchak Herzog accused Great Britain of interfering in the Israeli elections scheduled for the end of October.
The economic impact of the ban is expected to be small. The bilateral trade volume is around seven billion euros annually. Goods from the settlements, mainly agricultural products and wine, make up a very small portion of Israel's exports. Furthermore, it is unclear how the British authorities intend to distinguish between products from the settlements and those from Israel.
Lavrov: Russia ready to mediate in the Middle East
According to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia is ready to contribute to resolving the conflict in the Middle East. Lavrov said this at a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud in Moscow. Prince Faisal emphasized the importance of the partnership between the two countries.
Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Russia extends across a wide range of political and economic areas, he said. This has proven to be important for stabilizing the global energy markets. Saudi Arabia is interested in deepening cooperation with Russia. This particularly applies to the OPEC+ alliance, which includes the OPEC states and other oil producers such as Russia.
Iran's president announces strong resistance
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says he will continue the resistance “with strength” until the “aggressors” regret their actions. The Islamic Republic has always been against war, but will continue to defend itself against aggression in order to protect the rights of the people, writes Pezeshkian on the online platform X.
Tehran's metro stations are intended to serve as bunkers
The population in the Iranian capital Tehran will in future use the numerous metro stations as shelters during the war. The city is currently working on a concept and will soon install signs, said city council chairman Mehdi Tschamran after a meeting, according to a report on the web portal Didban.
During the heaviest bombing of the war, politicians had already called on the population in the metropolis to use metro stations as bunkers. In contrast to many areas in Israel, there is no comprehensive concept for shelters in Iran. The Israeli and US airstrikes often caught most people in Iran by surprise, without warning.
However, for many of the approximately 15 million inhabitants, the metro stations are likely to be too far away and cannot be reached in time in an emergency. There are around 160 metro stations in Tehran. According to Iranian media reports, some of them are at a depth of around 40 meters.
Houthi rebels report attack on Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen say they are attacking Saudi Arabian energy facilities belonging to the oil company Aramco in the south of the country. Drones and ballistic missiles were used in the attack, a military spokesman for the group explained. He speaks of a “broad-based operation”.
Goldman Sachs raises oil price forecasts due to Middle East risks
US investment bank Goldman Sachs has raised its oil price forecasts due to ongoing risks to shipping in the Middle East. For December 2026, the institute is now expecting a price of $85 per barrel (159 liters) for the North Sea Brent variety and $80 for the US WTI variety, Goldman Sachs announced late on Monday (local time). This represents an increase of five dollars each over the previous estimate. For 2027, analysts expect prices of $80 and $75, respectively. The adjustment was justified with the expectation that the disruptions to shipping traffic in the region would continue into the coming year. If average oil production in the Gulf region in 2027 is four million barrels per day below pre-war levels, the Brent price could even rise to over $120, it said.
Emirates reject state control of Strait of Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates has warned Iran against attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran must face consequences if it threatens oil tankers and freighters in the strait with sea mines, drones or missiles, President Mohammed bin Sajid Al Nahjan's diplomatic adviser said on Monday.
“Using an international waterway as leverage is unacceptable,” Anwar Gargash added at a forum of heads of state and government in Abu Dhabi. Gargash emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz should not be controlled by a single state. "Our energy exports will not be held hostage. This also applies to our trade and our economy," he said.
12 dead in further Israeli attacks in Lebanon
According to authorities, the number of victims following Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon has risen to twelve. The Ministry of Health said eleven people were killed in an attack on a residential building in Kfar Rumman in the Nabatiya area in the morning. Among them were two children and two women. There were eight injured. In another attack on a vehicle in the same town, a medic from the Hezbollah-affiliated Risala Health Service was killed.
Israel's army said in the afternoon that Hezbollah had used two explosive drones against Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon during the night. In response, Israel's military attacked targets such as weapons depots of the Iranian-backed militia in its northern neighbor. The army also targeted people who were transporting weapons in a town near Nabatija, it said. The military is currently checking information that there were uninvolved victims as a result of the attacks.
IAEA chief: Assad's reactor was configured for nuclear weapons
A secret Syrian facility from the reign of former President Bashar al-Assad was configured for nuclear weapons, according to the UN's top nuclear watchdog. He does not judge Syria's previous intentions, said the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi. But he pointed out that a never-completed reactor was designed to efficiently produce material that would have been “directly suitable for producing nuclear weapons.”
The IAEA is currently working on the previous nuclear program together with the current government in Damascus. Most recently, IAEA experts seized tons of secret stocks of uranium and reactor fuel rods from the Assad era in Syria.
UN court: Germany defends arms exports to Israel
Germany has defended its arms exports to Israel as compatible with international law before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). “All German arms exports to Israel and other countries are subject to strict testing procedures that are stricter than international regulations,” said the German legal representative at the beginning of a hearing in The Hague.
Nicaragua had taken Germany to court with a lawsuit alleging complicity in genocide. The arms exports therefore violate the Genocide Convention because they would be used by Israel in the attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's army kills Palestinian after suspected attack
Israel's army says it has killed a suspected Palestinian attacker in the north of the West Bank after a short chase. The Palestinian first attacked an Israeli settler with a knife that morning and then fled, the Israeli military said. The alleged perpetrator was finally found and also tried to stab soldiers. An Israeli army commander shot him. According to Israeli reports, the injured settler was taken to a hospital.
Palestinian student shot dead by settlers
A 20-year-old Palestinian student was killed in an attack by radical Israeli settlers on a village in the West Bank, according to Palestinian sources. According to the Red Crescent emergency service, two other people were injured by gunfire in the incident in the town of Haja near the Palestinian town of Kalkilia. When asked, an Israeli army spokesman said they were checking the reports.
According to information from the village, radical settlers came to the town on Sunday evening and opened fire on residents. The student was hit in the head and later died from his injuries. Another Palestinian is in critical condition.
Shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz collapses after attacks
After mutual attacks by the US and Iran on tankers, shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plunged to its lowest level since May. In the past ten days, an average of only ten cargo ships per day have passed through the strait, according to data from analysis company Kpler. On Saturday only two ships crossed the important trade route, on Sunday there were six. A tanker from Saudi Arabia had to turn back while trying to leave the strait, LSEG data showed. In addition, according to Kpler, not a single supertanker has left the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday.
Iran increases gasoline prices for heavy consumers
Iran increases the price of gasoline for drivers who use more than 110 liters per month. From Tuesday onwards, each additional liter will cost 100,000 rials, which is equivalent to around 3.4 euro cents, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said. The price for the first 110 liters remains unchanged. The country is one of the countries with the lowest fuel prices in the world. The government in Tehran wants to use the measure to cushion the consequences of war and US economic sanctions. Such a move led to mass protests in 2019.
Iran announces new restricted area off the Strait of Hormuz
Iran has announced the designation of an exclusion zone off the Strait of Hormuz. The new head of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Resai, said the zone would target ships that Tehran believes were attempting to transit the waterway. It should be announced in the coming days and weeks.
According to Resai, the exclusion zone should extend from the line of the US naval blockade towards the Strait of Hormuz and from there extend into the Persian Gulf. “Any ship that enters this area with the intention of transiting the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be added to our sanctions list,” he told Iranian state radio.
Insider: Netanyahu orders evacuation of outposts
According to insiders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the evacuation of unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank. He is responding to pressure from the United States, which has called for tougher action against attacks by settlers on Palestinians, two people familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency on Sunday. There were no immediate statements from Netanyahu's office or the Israeli military.
The order is intended to affect outposts that were established without official permission from the Israeli state. According to insiders, they mostly consist of living containers and accommodate a small number of settlers.
Iran reports attack on US military boat in Strait of Hormuz
Iran says it attacked a US military boat in the Strait of Hormuz. The unoccupied boat attempted to sail to an area in the strait to which Iran has restricted access, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.
The US military's regional command responsible for the Middle East did not initially confirm the report. On Saturday, the United States said it had attacked Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran firing ballistic missiles at naval ships.
Iran threatens US with harsher response to its attacks
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baker Kalibaf calls on the US to understand the changed “rules of the game” in the conflict between the two countries “before it is too late”. From now on, any attack on Iran's interests and security will be met with a “faster, harder and more painful” response
