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US President Donald Trump said Tuesday Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into “infinity”, despite Tehran’s denials, as the UN began efforts to evacuate hundreds of ships from the Gulf in a tentative return to calm after a fragile peace deal. The UN shipping agency said an evacuation plan to enable some 11,000 seafarers stuck aboard vessels in the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively blocked during the war, was underway after the ceasefire deal between Washington and Tehran. “We have now started contacting the ships to start the evacuation,” a spokesperson for the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) said, without providing a timeframe, adding that the agency had secured “the necessary safety guarantees” and verified conditions for safe navigation. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the “large-scale operation” would unfold in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, other coastal states, the US and the maritime industry. In another sign of de-escalation, Washington agreed to waive sanctions on Iran for 60 days from Monday after the first round of talks under the nascent peace deal agreed last week on ending more than three months of war. Trump also said unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the USUS Vice President JD Vance said the talks with Iranian officials in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock laid a good foundation for a final accord and that Tehran had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country.Iran denied it had discussed its nuclear program at the talks, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, and said it had not agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back.Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Tuesday Iranian officials had not held a meeting with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Switzerland and had no plans for the UN nuclear watchdog to inspect Iran’s damaged nuclear facilities.Trump hit back on Tuesday at what he said were Iran’s “protestations and false statements”.”Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.He also said any Iranian assets unfrozen under the deal would be placed in an escrow account and used to buy food and medical supplies from the US “including Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans from our great American Farmers”.Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, had earlier on Tuesday denied there had been any such agreement.The conflicting statements highlighted the uncertainty facing efforts to halt a war that has upended the Middle East.On Monday, the sides agreed on a mechanism to end fighting between US ally Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and opened a communications line to help ensure safe passage for commercial ships through Hormuz, an energy chokepoint. In the first of several steps to provide economic relief to Iran, the US Treasury announced a waiver until August 21 on sanctions, allowing Tehran to sell oil and related products and receive payment for them.Bahreini said “good progress” had been made in the talks and that two working groups would be established in coming days to focus on the removal of sanctions and Iran’s nuclear activities.The ambassador said Lebanon was an “unquestionable” part of the interim accord between the US and Iran, and that it included the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon. .Israel and Lebanon began fresh talks in Washington Tuesday, with Beirut determined to press ahead even as the direct negotiations appear to be overshadowed by Iran’s decision to make Lebanon part of its talks with the US While tanker traffic through Hormuz started to pick up on Monday, Iran and Oman suggested there may be costs involved in using the strait, whose closure pushed up global inflation.Iran’s Fars news agency quoted a military source as saying only a limited number of vessels are currently permitted to transit Hormuz in coordination with Iranian forces, adding the number allowed through will vary daily, depending on conditions.The Iran war, which began with joint US-Israeli strikes, is now a political liability at home for Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress as midterm elections loom in November. Opinion polls have shown public frustration over a rise in gas prices since the war began, and Trump faces pressures from Republicans who want Iran’s nuclear program shut down.Iran has limited IAEA inspections since the US and Israel launched their first airstrikes last year, and suspended them when war broke out. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful. Related Story Source link
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. REUTERS/File Picture Oman said on Tuesday it had coordinated with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to provide a temporary maritime corridor for vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency reported.The vessels wanting to use the temporary corridor would need to coordinate with the IMO, based on coordinates announced by the organisation and Omani authorities, it added.The measure was aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway in line with international law and the law of the sea, which uphold freedom of navigation without imposing transit fees. Related Story Source link
The Kingdom of Bahrain expressed its sympathy and full solidarity with the State of Qatar following the incident at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City.In a statement, Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the Kingdom’s support for the State of Qatar, and its full confidence in the ability of the competent Qatari authorities to manage the incident and contain its repercussions, ensuring the safety of workers and all residents. Source link
The Syrian Arab Republic expressed its solidarity with the State of Qatar following the incident at a factory in Ras Laffan Industrial City.In a statement, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates affirmed its solidarity and support for Qatar during this tragic event, extending its sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the families of the victims, and wishing the injured a speedy recovery. Source link
The Syrian General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs confirmed that the number of Syrians who have voluntarily returned to the country through border crossings exceeded 1.26 million citizens, while measures and facilities for receiving them continue. Director of Public Relations at the Authority Mazen Alloush said, in remarks to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the total number of returnees through border crossings between December 2024 and the end of May 2025 reached 1,268,347 citizens. Of these, 736,902 arrived from Turkiye, 367,444 from Lebanon, 137,239 from Jordan, and an additional 23,606 from Iraq. He added that during the first five months of 2026, 273,412 citizens returned to Syria, reflecting the continued trend of voluntary return. Among them, 149,185 returned from Lebanon, 105,767 from Turkiye, 13,599 from Jordan, and 1,705 from IraqAlloush emphasized that the General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs continues to provide a comprehensive package of facilities for returnees, including simplifying procedures, speeding up the processing of transactions, providing flexible travel lanes at border crossings, and exempting personal, household, and domestic belongings from fees in accordance with applicable laws and regulations He noted that these measures help reduce burdens on returning families and facilitate their resettlement inside the country. He also explained that the Authority is continuously working to improve services for travelers and enhance operational efficiency at various border crossings. The Director of Public Relations further stated that the ongoing increase in the number of returnees reflects growing confidence in the procedures and services provided at border crossings, as well as the success of efforts to ensure safe, comfortable, and efficient passage for citizens wishing to return home. He added that the continued flow of large numbers of returning Syrians also indicates a growing desire among citizens to return to their country and settle there. Related Story Source link
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Sunday discussed regional developments with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud, Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.The discussions took place during the 4th meeting of the foreign ministers of the quadrilateral group comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkiye, held in Cairo on Sunday.In a statement, the Egyptian Presidency said that President El Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to continuing cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkiye, and all Arab and regional states to support the implementation of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and ensure the success of the negotiation process between both sides.The Egyptian President also stressed the importance of reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, considering it a fundamental prerequisite for achieving comprehensive and lasting stability in the region. Related Story Source link
Kuwait’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, held a telephone conversation on Sunday with the Maldives’ Foreign Minister, Iruthisham Adam, to discuss regional and international developments.During the call, the two ministers also reviewed bilateral relations between their countries and explored ways to strengthen and expand cooperation across various fields. Related Story Source link
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) murdered at least 73,032 Palestinian civilians and injured at least 173,357 others since the beginning of the genocide that the Israeli occupation has been committing against the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The health authorities in the Gaza Strip said in a statement on Sunday that hospitals across the Strip received nine Palestinian martyrs and 41 injured others over the past 24 hours. The sources indicated that many of the victims remain under the rubble and scattered on the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews are still unable to reach them.Since the “ceasefire” agreement went into effect in October 2025, the IOF murdered at least 1,021 Palestinians, and injured at least 3,249 others, while 784 bodies were pulled out from under the rubble. Related Story Source link
A member of the civil defence carries an injured girl following an Israeli strike in Barish, as they arrive at Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre, Lebanon,…
Al Jazeera cameraman Ahmed Wishah was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Saturday.In a statement , the network said it “strongly condemns the heinous crime of targeting and killing” the Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent.”This constitutes a new and flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, and reflects a continued systematic policy of targeting journalists and silencing the voice of truth,” the statement added.At least 10 people were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza Saturday.Wishah’s killing comes barely two months after his brother, Mohammed Wishah, also a correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher, was killed on April 8 when an Israeli drone fired a missile that struck his car on the al-Rashid coastal road as he drove home to Bureij. He was declared dead at the scene.Mohammed Wishah, born in 1986 in Bureij, had joined Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language live channel in 2018 and was among 12 Al Jazeera journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023. At the time of his death, Palestinian authorities put the number of media workers killed across the enclave at 262. Related Story Source link