USA imposes sanctions on arms purchasers for Iran

Eva Glaser

USA imposes sanctions on arms purchasers for Iran

The US is increasing its economic pressure on Iran and imposing further sanctions on Tehran's supporters. The measures will freeze all assets of 10 individuals and entities in the United States and prohibit them from doing business with the sanctioned companies, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The affected people and companies are based in China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

They are accused of having procured weapons parts for the Iranian Defense Ministry. The measure weakens the ability of Tehran's leadership to restart its weapons programs and increases costs for those who help Iran procure military components, it said in a statement.

Eva Glaser

Israel reports killing of Hamas commander in Gaza Strip

According to the hospital, two people were killed and five others injured in an Israeli air strike near the city of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hamas commander Iss al-Din Bik was among the dead.

The nighttime attack was aimed at the commander of the Hamas brigade in the north of the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli military, the man killed was involved in planning attacks and recruiting new members. Hamas confirmed the death of its member. She described the man killed as one of the main people responsible for the attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. More than 1,200 people were killed at that time. The attacks sparked the Gaza war.

Jeanne Vesper

Revolutionary Guard calls on Americans to protest against Iran war

A spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has called on Americans to protest against the Iran war. At a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday, spokesman Hossein Mohebbi read out a letter calling on them to put pressure on their government. It was said that the war could only be ended if the USA admitted defeat and left the Middle East.

The request comes a few weeks before the US congressional elections on November 3rd, in which President Donald Trump's Republican Party is seeking further control of both chambers of Congress. Polls show that the war has affected the mood of the electorate in the face of increased gasoline prices.

The Trump administration has publicly expressed confidence that the Iranian economy cannot hold out much longer and that Iran will be forced to surrender. Shortly after the start of the war he and Israel started at the end of February, Trump predicted that the conflict would only last a few weeks. He recently stated that the Iran war would likely end after the November congressional elections.

Jeanne Vesper

Ship apparently under attack in the Strait of Hormuz

A ship has reportedly come under fire in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the British Maritime Safety Authority (UKMTO), it was hit by an unknown projectile. A fire broke out but has since been extinguished. The crew is safe and the ship is still on its way. The incident therefore occurred on Monday evening.

Anna Kipnis

Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are increasing

Oil shipments through the contested Strait of Hormuz are increasing. At the moment, around 65 to 70 percent of the amount of oil flows through the strait compared to pre-war levels, wrote the energy data provider Vortexa in response to a request from the German Press Agency.

The information summarizes all oil products such as liquid gas or refined products such as gasoline. Compared to the period before the war, around 80 percent of unprocessed crude oil and condensates are now flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, it said. According to Vortexa, a weekly average of 11.2 million barrels of crude oil currently passes through the strait every day. The Wall Street Journal had previously reported.

Jeanne Vesper

Iran's government warns population of energy shortages

The Iranian government has warned its own population of energy supply shortages in winter. “We warn witnesses of attacks carried out by our truly hard-hearted enemy against our energy sector,” said government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, referring to the Israeli-American attacks in the Iran war.

Significant production capacity has been lost, Mohajerani told journalists. She spoke of almost 230 million cubic meters of natural gas every day, which corresponds to almost a quarter of national production. Efforts are being made to restore 100 million cubic meters of production capacity.

Even before the military conflict, Iran was already struggling with energy shortages at times. Iran's government has been criticizing for years that tough international sanctions are preventing the modernization of its energy infrastructure. “Therefore, as in previous years and as the population knows from their own experience, there are likely to be problems in the northern provinces,” warned Mohajerani.

Jeanne Vesper

New attack by more than 100 settlers in the West Bank

There has been renewed massive violence by radical Israeli settlers in the West Bank. According to media reports, more than 100 extremists were involved in riots in the area of ​​the town of Jalud, south of Nablus. The Israeli armed forces said soldiers and police were involved in an operation against the rioters. They therefore tried to prevent a Palestinian family from returning to their house. According to the military's statement, the family's return had been coordinated in advance.

According to the military, the radical settlers blocked roads, set buildings and vehicles on fire and threw stones at the security forces. Three police officers were injured. Two of the rioters were arrested.

According to Palestinian media reports, the attackers also set fire to the house of the Palestinian family who wanted to return. A court had previously upheld the family's lawsuit and ordered settlers to leave the house they had occupied. According to reports, the Jewish extremists had previously harassed the family for a long time. The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the new attack prevented the family's return.

Jeanne Vesper

Iran threatens to end all oil exports from the region

Iran has threatened to cut off all oil exports from the Middle East if it is further prevented from selling its own oil. In this case, no country in the region will be able to export oil, says Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, according to state media. In addition, no regional infrastructure is safe if Iran is not safe.

Luke Bay

Iran rejects reports of alleged nuclear weapons plans

Iran has once again rejected allegations against the country's controversial nuclear program. “The claim that Iran is just weeks away from acquiring a nuclear weapon is the same lie that was made 25 years ago,” Iranian Revolutionary Guards spokesman General Hussein Mohebi said, according to Tasnim news agency.

Mohebi accused the USA of deceiving its own people. If Iran had actually been only a few weeks away from a nuclear bomb at the turn of the millennium, it would have been built long ago, Mohebi continued. “Today we see that this claim is a big lie.”

Luke Bay

Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza

A Hamas commander has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that it was the head of the armed wing of the radical Islamic Palestinian organization in the north of the coastal area, Iss al-Din al-Beik.

The military targeted Al-Beik. He was involved in planning attacks and recruiting Hamas fighters. Hamas confirmed his death. Medics said the early morning attack hit a residential building in Gaza City's Nasr district. A second person later died from his injuries.

Jeanne Vesper

Iran: Negotiations with USA continue

According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, negotiations with the USA over the Strait of Hormuz continue. The Gulf state of Qatar is currently trying to find a solution to the deadlocked conflict, said Abbas Araghchi, according to his ministry in New York.

It is envisaged that they (Qatar) will raise this issue again with the American side and then the final response from the American side will be sent to us through the Qatari mediator. Abbas Araghchi

An official response is expected this Tuesday. A few days ago, US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for oil deliveries. Iran had previously set conditions. According to the Wall Street Journal, this should include the USA lifting its naval blockade.

Angelika Ahrens

Emirates confirm secret meeting with Netanyahu

The United Arab Emirates has confirmed a previously secret meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed bin Sajid Al Nahjan. The two spoke on Sunday about the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and expand them, the United Arab Emirates announced late on Monday evening. The Israeli television station Channel 12 had previously reported on Netanyahu's secret visit to the United Arab Emirates. According to two people familiar with the trip, the conversation lasted about an hour.

Angelika Ahrens

Trump: Didn't offer Iran any sanctions relief

US President Donald Trump has denied offering Iran sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds in return for nuclear concessions from Tehran. "That's not true. I offered them NOTHING," Trump wrote on Truth Social after Axios previously reported that the Republican president was willing to grant the easing in return for nuclear concessions.

Jeanne Vesper

Israel reprimands Spain over controversial Palestine statement

The charge d'affaires of the Spanish Embassy in Israel, Francisca Pedrós, has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. There she was reprimanded. The reason for the summons was statements by Spanish Youth Minister Sira Rego, according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Rego said that the Spanish population supports a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” – a slogan that, according to Israeli interpretation, means the extinction of the State of Israel. Both the Youth Ministry and the Foreign Ministry in Madrid initially left inquiries about Rego's controversial statement unanswered.

Lydia Wolter

Mediators are apparently planning new talks with the USA and Iran

According to an insider, there will soon be new negotiations in the conflict between the USA and Iran. Mediators wanted to hold separate talks with representatives of the USA and Iran on Monday or Tuesday. The person familiar with the plans pointed out that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and envoys from mediator Qatar were in the United States for the UN General Assembly.

The focus of the talks should be a revised version of a proposal to end the war that Iran presented on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week and sent to the USA via Qatar. Accordingly, the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for global oil and gas deliveries, should be reopened and fighting in the region should end within seven days.

Luke Bay

Netanyahu secretly travels to Abu Dhabi for meetings

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the United Arab Emirates over the weekend. At a meeting on Sunday, he asked Sheikh Mohammed bin Sajid Al Nahjan to deny a report about a warning about the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, a person familiar with the content of the conversation said on Monday.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the President of the Emirates had warned Netanyahu of an impending attack by the Islamist Hamas shortly before the attack. The Israeli Prime Minister's office had already rejected the claim.

Two people briefed on the trip confirmed the meeting. The Emirati Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the meeting, but said the country maintains open and direct communication channels with Israel and shares all relevant intelligence information. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.

Julie Leduc

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister for talks in Washington

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington. Talks are planned with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about bilateral relations as well as important regional and international developments, Saudi Arabian state media report. According to insiders, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently asked the USA for military help against the Iran-backed Houthi militia. The US government promised to pass on intelligence information and assist in targeting, but declined to attack the Houthis directly. The rebels control the most populous parts of Yemen as well as much of the northern part of the country, which borders Saudi Arabia. Recently they have repeatedly attacked Saudi Arabian targets.

Miriam Braun

Iraq: US troops have completely withdrawn

According to information from Baghdad, the US military has completely withdrawn from Iraq. All US combat troops and logistical support forces have left the country, an Iraqi government official told the German Press Agency. There was initially no official confirmation of this from the USA.

Iraq and the USA had agreed on the withdrawal in 2024. According to the Pentagon, around 2,500 US soldiers were stationed in Iraq in recent years. Finally they stayed in Erbil in the Kurdish region