China calls for free and safe Hormuz passage Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said to reporters in Beijing on Monday that passage through the Strait of Hormuz should be “properly handled” and resuming free and safe navigation through the waterway serves the interests of all nations. Iran’s ambassador to Beijing previously said that ships transiting through the strait would be charged new fees, but added that China and other “friendly” countries would be granted “special considerations”.
UAE Fifa official 'solely' responsible for overturning Balogun ban Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 09:40 Mohammad al-Kamali made controversial World Cup ruling without asking 17 other members of disciplinary committee Folarin Balogun of the US is shown a red card by referee Raphael Claus, 1 July 2026 (Phil Noble/Reuters) Off An Emirati member of Fifa's disciplinary committee was "solely" responsible for overturning US footballer Folarin Balogun's red card ban, according to a report in the Times. Sent off during the Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Balogun was due to be suspended for the US game against Belgium. But, following communication from US officials including President Donald Trump, Fifa reversed the decision, deploying its rarely invoked Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code.
Explosions heard around Iran’s Bandar Abbas and Qashm Island Iran's Mehr news agency has reported that new blasts have been heard near the southern city of Bandar Abbas and Qashm Island on Monday. “Over the past few nights American terrorist forces have carried out attacks on the southern coastline of the country, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of fishermen and defenders of the homeland,” the news report said. No civilian casualties or damage to infrastructure has been reported so far.
Iran says talks continuing with mediators to prevent escalation Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that it is continuing talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman in an effort to prevent any further escalation in its war with the United States. “The role of mediators is to continue their efforts to prevent an escalation of tensions” said Baghaei, following a renewed exchange of strikes between the countries.
EU says Strait of Hormuz must be reopened European Union Vice President Kaja Kallas said on Monday that EU foreign ministers will meet Gulf nations to talk about security in the region and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, noting the Iran-US interim deal is “not really holding” amid renewed strikes. Kallas said officials will discuss “what kind of message we can send that the Strait of Hormuz has to be opened, freedom of navigation has to be respected, there can be no tolls, no fees for navigation there. ” Iran has warned against “foreign” interference in the Gulf after some European countries suggested deploying naval forces to get commercial shipping flowing through the strait.
Palestinian killed in Israeli airstrike on home in central Gaza A Palestinian citizen was killed after Israeli warplanes bombed a home in al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza on Monday, according to Wafa news agency, citing medical sources. This brings the death toll since the ceasefire was announced in October to 1,101, while the number of those wounded has reached 3,546.
At least one killed, 7 injured in US strike on central Iran The deputy governor of Isfahan province told Iranian media on Monday that at least one person has been killed and seven injured in a US attack on a military base in the city of Nain. It is the second death reported today - the first being reported after a US strike on an agricultural water pumping station in Mahshahr, which injured four others.
Iran says it will not comply with deal if US does not uphold MoU commitments Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the country would no longer abide by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the US in June if Washington continued to violate its commitments to end the war. "Each time that the other party has failed to meet its obligations, we did not uphold ours... we will continue to act in this manner," Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference in Tehran.
World Cup 2026: Muslim footballers challenge Europe's identity debate Submitted by Bassil Mikdadi on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 08:35 From Lamine Yamal to Yasin Ayari and Cape Verde's converts, a new generation of footballers is challenging the notion that Islam is somehow foreign to Europe Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates by performing the sujood (prostration) after scoring his first goal at the 2026 World Cup on 21 June 2026 (Claudia Greco/Reuters) Off For decades, Islam has been a political lightning rod in Europe. But on football's biggest stage, a new generation of footballers are demonstrating that the faith is very much a part of the continent's fabric. There are an estimated two billion Muslims worldwide, making up roughly a quarter of the global population.
Oil prices spike as Hormuz traffic slows to multi-week low Oil prices have jumped more than 4 percent on Monday following renewed strikes between the US and Iran threatening their fragile peace agreement. "Oil's return towards pre-war levels in June reflected markets pricing in a best-case outcome for the fragile US-Iran arrangement," analyst Fabien Yip told AFP, adding that the "re-escalation exposes how fragile that assumption was". Meanwhile, the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest in five weeks, according to shipping data, despite Trump’s insistence that the waterway is open to commercial vessels.
EU countries discuss trade ban on Israeli settlement goods EU foreign ministers on Monday discussed imposing an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, after pressure from a number of member states. "Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable," EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said at the start of a meeting in Brussels, according to AFP. "What is happening in the West Bank is actually making it more and more impossible that the two-state solution ever can come into effect," Kallas added.
Starmer’s parting gift of billions for the military is a chain around Burnham's neck Submitted by Tom Blackburn on Thu, 07/09/2026 - 14:29 After a sustained media campaign by military hawks, this proposed increase in defence expenditure is being shielded from effective scrutiny US President Donald Trump stands next to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as NATO leaders gather for a family photo at a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey on 8 July, 2026 (Reuters) On British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan ( DIP ), although presented as an urgent response to unprecedented security threats facing Britain , says more about the imperatives of domestic politics than about national security needs. These big military spending announcements have always, to a large extent, been calculated to suit domestic political prerogatives rather than actual defence, but the DIP is explicitly the product of political manoeuvring. The plan, unveiled with much fanfare on 30 June after intense lobbying and weeks of concerted propaganda conducted through the media, proposes throwing another £15bn ($20bn) into the gaping maw of the Ministry of Defence (MoD); this is below the £28bn (approximately $37bn) it had sought, but however much the MoD receives at the expense of other government departments, it never seems to be enough.
How Scott Bessent's 'economic statecraft' aims to justify US coercion Submitted by Marco Carnelos on Thu, 07/09/2026 - 20:02 The treasury secretary has made a candid admission: Washington intends to write one set of rules for itself, and another for the rest of the world US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pictured in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 6 July 2026 (Mandel Ngan/AFP) On Amid the country’s 250th anniversary festivities, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last month delivered an important address, aiming to present a coherent doctrine of “economic statecraft”. Stripping away references to one of the nation’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, what remains is a remarkably candid admission: Washington intends to write one set of rules for itself, and another for everyone else. The speech was less a strategy than a confession; an articulation of double standards so unselfconscious that it mistakes coercion for principle.
Ongoing Israeli demolitions in southern Lebanon Lebanon's National News Agency reported that the Israeli army continued to demolish and burn houses in the southern town of Haddatha. Israeli attacks across Lebanon have killed at least 4,322 people and injured 12,219 since early March, leaving at least a million people internally displaced.
Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Iran and the US have exchanged fresh attacks overnight and early on Monday morning. The latest Iranian strikes across the region targeted military infrastructure and radars in Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Meanwhile, Washington said it hit dozens of targets with precision munitions.
Iran warns that US interference in Hormuz Strait will affect global energy Iran has said that ongoing US interference in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to "larger incidents" in the international oil and gas sector. In a statement carried by IRIB, the Iranian Armed Forces said that the only way to reopen the vital waterway is to end "U. S.
Military infrastructure, radars targeted in Oman and Bahrain 'destroyed', Iranian army says Attacks targeting US army infrastructure in Bahrain and the FPS long-range aerial radar and the maritime detection radar in Oman were "destroyed", the Iranian army was quoted as saying by state media.
IRGC says it targeted missile launchers in Kuwait Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Corp Guards (IRGC) said it targeted a US surface-to-surface missile base in Kuwait. It said that the attack "set fire to two HIMARS missile launchers and missile-packed warehouses, completely destroying them".
Jordanian army says it downed four Iranian missiles The Jordanian military said it show down four Iranian missiles that entered its airspace. An official source from the Jordanian General Staff said that there were no reports of injuries or damages to property.
Blasts heard in Iran's Bandar Abbas State news media reported that at least two loud explosions were heard in Iran's southern city of Bandar Abbas. The incident was reported just before the US Central Command announced completing its latest wave of strikes in the country.
