Bahrain, Israel hold talks on Abraham Accords Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli President Isaac Herzog have discussed regional developments and the Abraham Accords by phone. “Bahrain is an important country in the Middle East, and I congratulated the King on his bold leadership and vision for the region,” Herzog said in a post on X.
Exclusive: UK told Karim Khan it would not back him as ICC prosecutor before removal vote Submitted by Imran Mulla on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 12:20 The British government declined Khan's request to meet ministers before ICC member states voted to remove him as prosecutor, sources say Karim Khan attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the UN headquarters on 27 January 2025 in New York City (AFP) Off The UK government told Karim Khan it would not support him as chief prosecutor and declined his request to meet ministers before International Criminal Court member states voted to remove him from his role, Middle East Eye can reveal. Eighty-two of the court's 125 member states voted in a secret ballot on Friday to dismiss Khan as prosecutor over sexual misconduct claims at the United Nations headquarters in New York. In March, Khan, who has denied all allegations, was cleared of all wrongdoing by a panel of judges appointed by the ICC's governing body, the Assembly of State Parties (ASP) bureau, to review a UN investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Netanyahu calls ICC prosecutor's ouster 'very positive development', renews attack on court Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 15:20 Comments come as the US urges countries to withdraw from the Rome Statute and dismantle the Hague-based tribunal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony at the site of the planned Atarot Heritage Center in East Jerusalem, 5 July 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP) Off Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the removal of International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan, accusing him of political bias. "I welcome the decision, supported by an overwhelming majority of countries, to remove Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court," Netanyahu wrote on X. The Israeli leader claimed Khan's removal "exposes the truth", alleging that the former prosecutor sought arrest warrants against him and former defence minister Yoav Gallant to "divert attention" from misconduct allegations against himself.
US envoy to UN: Trump pausing strikes to 'give a little bit of room' for Iran talks Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations has said that President Trump has paused strikes on Iran to give "talks some space". 'He's giving a little bit of room," Waltz told Fox news, without providing further details on the progress of talks with Tehran. US strikes have halted for two consecutive nights after 13 days of daily attacks.
Iran's Pezeshkian orders immediate reconstruction of infrastructure damaged in US attacks Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the rapid reconstruction of strategic infrastructure damaged in US attacks, Iranian media is reporting. Pezeshkian said in comments carried by Mehr News Agency that "the completion and connection of rail networks with neighbours could play an effective role in boosting economic resilience, developing international transit corridors and maximising Iran’s geopolitical capacities".
Lindsey Graham's legacy: Relentless warmongering dressed in folksy charm Submitted by Ammiel Alcalay on Thu, 07/16/2026 - 16:10 From the Iraq quagmire to Israel's genocide in Gaza, the late senator never encountered a military intervention he didn't like Senator Lindsey Graham arrives to speak with US President Donald Trump during a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 2 March 2020 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) Off While the ideological and propagandistic projection of American exceptionalism as a force for good in the world has taken some lethal blows lately, this fantasy remains alive and well when US politicians are eulogised, no matter how thin the homespun platitudes get. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died this month , was generally portrayed as an avuncular figure who “got along with everybody”, as President Donald Trump put it , despite their once-acrimonious relationship. John Thune, the Senate majority leader, said Graham “believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world”.
US says 'it is time to dismantle' ICC after Venezuela announces withdrawal Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 09:46 Statement comes after Marco Rubio pledged campaign against the court and member states voted to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan Exterior of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on 28 March 2026 (John Thys/AFP) Off The US has welcomed a decision by the new Venezuelan government to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC). In a post on X , the US State Department hailed the move as marking a "partnership on American-led efforts to dismantle the corrupt and worthless ICC". It pointed to an investigation by the court into former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who was abducted from the South American country during a US military assault in January 2026, saying it had produced "no result".
UN expert Albanese says Khan's removal 'lines up neatly with fight to neutralise Netanyahu's warrant’ Submitted by MEE staff on Sun, 07/26/2026 - 07:20 UN special rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese says the ICC’s vote on Karim Khan 'proves that justice does threaten apartheid Israel' Francesca Albanese speaks during a public event hosted by the Olof Palme International Centre in Belgrade on 17 March 2026 (AFP) Off The UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories on Saturday said the removal of International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan cannot be read in isolation from the campaign to overturn the arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Khan's removal lines up neatly with the fight to neutralise Netanyahu's arrest warrant. Coincidence is a luxury intl law can no longer afford," Francesca Albanese wrote on X.
Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Tehran says talks held between Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers over the management of Hormuz have made progress. The statement comes as US Central Command said it disabled two ships and redirected 12 others as it continued to enforce the naval blockade of Iran. Israel, meanwhile, marked houses of Palestinians for demolition after a settler raid in Nablus resulted in the killing of four Palestinians and two soldiers on Friday.
CBS News: Iran-Oman talks on Hormuz make progress Talks between Iran and Oman regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and their respective territorial waterways in that area have seen progress, CBS News reported. Two regional sources, CBS reported, indicated that while things are headed in a positive direction, the diplomacy needs more time to reach a deal. Omani officials had travelled Friday to Tehran for talks, and that diplomatic outreach coincided with President Trump's decision to pause US bombing after 13 consecutive nights of strikes.
US welcomes Venezuela's decision to quit 'corrupt and worthless ICC' The United States welcomes the new Venezuelan government's partnership on American-led efforts to dismantle the “corrupt and worthless ICC”, the US State Department said. In a statement on X, the State Department welcomed interim president Delcy Rodriguez’s decision to withdraw from the ICC. It said the "so-called court has been ‘investigating’ Nicolas Maduro since 2018 with no result”.
Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US president Donald Trump has said the Iranians are in talks with the United States, and that he is willing to listen, but emphasised that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon. He added that he has not taken a decision on whether to go ahead with the large-scale military campaign he had warned of earlier. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that “the existing insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and the region is exclusively caused by the US breach of the agreement”.
UN chief arrives in Syria, likely to back post-Assad transition United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Syria on Saturday on the first visit by a chief of the global body since before the country's civil war erupted, state media reported. During the three-day visit, Guterres is set to reaffirm support for Syria's transition, more than a year and a half after the new authorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad after more than 13 years of war. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received Guterres "and his accompanying delegation at Damascus international airport", state news agency SANA reported.
Trump says Iran ‘talking to us right now’ but can’t have nuclear weapon US President Donald Trump said that the Iranians are in talks with the United States, and that he is willing to listen, but emphasised that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon. “They are talking to us right now; they’d love to make a deal. I don’t think they’re ready to.
Araghchi blames US breach of Islamabad MoU for Hormuz flare-up Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that “the existing insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and the region is exclusively caused by the US breach of the agreement”, IRNA reported. During a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Kazakhstan, Araghchi condemned the “brutal attacks” on Iran’s vital infrastructure and the “war crimes” committed by the US, the report said. Araghchi said the recent escalation was caused by Washington’s “disruption of the process of implementing Iran’s commitments in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 of the Islamabad Agreement”.
Washington says Khan’s removal won’t impact plans to dismantle ICC The United States has said the removal of Karim Khan as the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court will have no impact on Washington’s plans to dismantle the institution. “Karim Khan is a quintessential example of the ICC's corruption and abuse of its supposed authority. It is good that he is gone, but he is only one small cog in this irredeemably corrupt institution,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on X.
Venezuela will withdraw from International Criminal Court, foreign minister says Venezuela will withdraw from the International Criminal Court over the tribunal's perceived bias, the nation's foreign minister, Felix Plasencia, has said. The announcement comes amid an ongoing ICC investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed under ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's government. Interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who took over after US forces ousted Maduro in January, had instructed the move, he added.
Trump says he won't proceed with nuclear deal unless Saudis join Abraham Accords President Donald Trump on Friday said he would not go forward with a civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia unless the Saudis agreed to a normalisation of relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
Israeli UN envoy tells Mamdani to "take note" after ICC prosecutor's removal Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told New York mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday to "take note" after members of the International Criminal Court voted in New York City to dismiss the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over misconduct claims. In a post on X, Danon accused Khan of pursuing a political witch hunt against Israel and using the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as a distraction from sexual misconduct allegations made against Khan. "NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, take note: using Israel as a political weapon will not shield you from accountability," he said.
Trump says Iranians getting 'very serious' in talks US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had not decided on whether to launch major strikes on Iran as Tehran was now getting "very serious" in talks with Washington. "No, I haven't," Trump told journalists in the Oval Office when asked if he had made a decision, following reports that he was meeting advisors to discuss a large-scale operation. "Look, we're talking to them right now.
