US revokes licence authorising sale of Iranian oil The US Treasury Department has revoked the general licence that authorised the sale of Iranian oil, according to a statement issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. "Effective July 7, 2026, General License X, dated June 21, 2026, is revoked and superseded in its entirety by General License X1," the statement reads. The US had partially lifted sanctions on Iranian oil exports following what it described as "encouraging" talks over ending the war.
Saudi Arabia condemns Iran over attack on tanker in Strait of Hormuz Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry has condemned Iran for attacking a Saudi tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry called on Tehran to immediately cease "practices that threaten international maritime navigation and global energy supplies".
UN experts call for release of detained Gaza doctor UN experts have called on Israel to immediately release Palestinian physician Dr Hussam Abu Safiya and all health and care workers held in what they described as arbitrary detention. The experts said Abu Safiya's continued detention without charge or trial reflects Israel's systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers and the continued destruction of Gaza's health system. They said the targeting was aimed at inflicting conditions leading to the mental and physical destruction of Palestinians.
Trump says he is working to remove Turkey from US sanctions list Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 17:52 The process remains unclear, but the US president is in Ankara for the Nato summit, where he reserved praise for his 'friend' Erdogan US President Donald Trump speaks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential compound for the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, on 7 July 2026 (Emrah Gurel/Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is going to remove Turkey from a US blacklist that he himself imposed during his first term. Sitting in Ankara next to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of the Nato summit, Trump announced: "We're going to be taking the sanctions off. Okay?
Israeli police investigate officer filmed throwing stun grenade into car Israeli police have opened an investigation after CCTV footage showed a border police officer throwing a stun grenade into a car carrying young Palestinians during a raid on Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The footage, released by Israeli rights group B'Tselem, shows an officer approaching a car and shouting at its occupants during Sunday's raid. After a brief exchange, the officer reaches for his belt, grabs a stun grenade and throws it through the open door, which he then pushes shut as the driver tries to get out.
Blasts near Damascus hotel housing Macron during historic Syria visit wounds 18 Two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, wounding 18 people and overshadowing the first visit to Syria by an EU head of state since Bashar al-Assad was toppled. Macron's motorcade left the hotel shortly before the blasts. The French president pressed ahead with his visit, meeting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace.
US prosecutors seek leniency for Turkish-Iranian sanctions case witness US prosecutors are seeking leniency at next week's sentencing of Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who admitted to helping Iranians and their government evade sanctions. Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum to a New York federal judge on Monday that Zarrab provided substantial assistance to the US. They said the international gold trader revealed paying millions of dollars in bribes to government and banking officials in Türkiye and provided key testimony at a 2017 corruption trial that strained relations between the US and Türkiye.
‘Let Palestinians live’: Egypt coach wins global praise after emotional speech Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 16:19 Hossam Hassan said his support for Palestinians came from being 'human' before any identity or religion Head coach Hossam Hassan of Egypt speaks during a press conference one day ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2026 round of sixteen between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on 6 July 2026 (Alejandro Pagni/Getty Images/AFP) Off Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan sparked widespread praise on social media after delivering an emotional speech supporting Palestinians during a Fifa World Cup press conference on Monday, ahead of Egypt’s match against Argentina. Speaking in Arabic, Hassan said: “If there is one person in the world who does not feel for the Palestinian people, then he is not a human being,” adding that this applied regardless of whether the person was “Arab, European, American or anything else”. He criticised global indifference to the suffering of Palestinians, saying that while people often mobilise when an animal is harmed, “every day human beings are killed in their thousands, children and women”.
Lawsuit accuses Trump administration of sharing Iranian asylum seeker data A lawsuit filed on Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies shared confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating immigration regulations and endangering countless Iranians. The lawsuit depicts a coordinated campaign between the US and Iranian governments to identify Iranians in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and pressure them to return to Iran. The filing describes the alleged cooperation as a marked departure from decades of diplomatic hostility between the two governments and the ongoing war.
Israeli strikes kill at least three Palestinians in Gaza Israeli strikes killed at least three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, health officials in the enclave said. Medics said an Israeli air strike killed a man and wounded two children in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. Later on Tuesday, another Israeli air strike hit near a tent encampment housing displaced families in western Gaza City, killing one person and wounding five others.
Three tankers struck within hours in Hormuz, Qatar slams Iran Three tankers, including a Qatari LNG vessel, were struck within hours in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting peace mediator Doha to denounce an "unacceptable" Iranian attack. An "unknown projectile" hit a tanker overnight, causing a fire, before two more were hit, at least one by a drone, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said. Earlier in the day, citing anonymous sources, Iran's IRIB said an oil tanker attempting to pass through the Omani route in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked "after ignoring repeated warnings".
Trump praises Türkiye as 'great ally' of US Trump has continued his praise of Türkiye, calling it a "great ally" of the US. The US president said Türkiye knows Iran "very well", adding that Ankara has been "very instrumental" in helping deal with the situation in the region. "They could have gotten into the fight.
UK train operator bans Palestine badges after pressure from pro-Israel legal group Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 12:45 LNER said it acted after UK Lawyers for Israel submitted a complaint that a Palestine badge made a passenger uncomfortable A passenger passes a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train at London King's Cross railway station, 25 June 2018 (AFP) Off A train company in the UK has banned its staff from wearing badges supporting Palestine while on duty after a pro- Israel legal group raised complaints over an employee wearing a "Palestine Solidarity" badge. Last month, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) sent a legal letter to London North Eastern Railway (LNER) after a passenger complained that a member of staff wearing a pro-Palestine badge made them feel "uncomfortable and unwelcome" during a train journey. According to UKLFI, the incident took place on 14 June aboard an LNER service travelling from Edinburgh to London.
Erdogan: Turkey working to bring US and Iran to common ground The Turkish president said his country is taking steps to reinforce global peace, Al Jazeera reported. “All our friends are working together to achieve this end,” he said. Asked about the situation in Gaza, he said, “We will work towards restoring peace in the region.
Will Donald Trump become America's last Zionist president? Submitted by David Hearst on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 12:53 Trump was the president who gave Israel all it needed, and more. But with a wave of Aipac-backed candidates defeated in Democratic primaries, support for Israel is now toxic US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embrace as they walk into Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Florida, on 29 December 2025 (Reuters) On Hell hath no fury like an Israel scorned.
Turkey and UK to sign new defence partnership deal Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 15:25 The sensitive agreement is being compared to the 2021 defence pact between France and Greece, although sources declined to say whether it includes a mutual defence clause The UK had previously been in talks with Ankara to supply with Eurofighter jets, like the one seen here in Qatar in October, 2022 (AFP) Off Turkey and the UK are expected to sign a security and defence partnership deal on Wednesday, the latest development in the growing partnership between the two countries. The deal will commit both countries to closer cooperation on defence, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye. According to the sources, the document mandates both countries to support each on every matter on defence, including cooperation on their respective defence industries, counterterrorism, hybrid threats, and cybersecurity.
Nigel Farage resigns as MP to force by-election he will stand in Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 14:11 Reform UK leader says he's done nothing wrong, after longstanding relationship with aristocrat and convicted felon George Cottrell revealed Nigel Farage announces his resignation as an MP on Tuesday 7 July 2026 (Screengrab) Off Blaming the British establishment and media for revelations about his connections to crypto billionaires and convicted aristocrats, Nigel Farage resigned as an MP on Tuesday before announcing his intention to compete in the resulting by-election. Over the weekend, the Sunday Times revealed that George Cottrell, a 32-year-old aristocrat and convicted felon who previously faced 20 years in US prison for 21 counts related to money laundering, fraud, blackmail and extortion, paid for security and social media staff for Farage in the year before he became an MP. The paper described “Posh George” as Farage’s “closest adviser for more than a decade”, reporting that the crypto gambler travels with the Reform UK leader in Westminster and around the country.
Trump says US will lift sanctions on Turkey, consider selling F-35s Sitting next to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after landing in Ankara for a NATO summit, Trump said, "That's a decision we're going to make... it's a great plane, the best plane by far and it's certainly something we will consider. " The US had imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2020 over Ankara's purchase of Russian defense missiles.
Iran media says Tehran urges IMO to reject joint proposal on Hormuz Vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz in a picture obtained on 18 June 2026 (AFP/Isna) Iran called the joint proposal, submitted by the UAE and allied countries to the 187th session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, as politically motivated and urged the body not to adopt it, according to Iran's Mehr News Agency. The joint proposal shifted responsibility to what it described as the victim of aggression and ignored the causes of regional instability, Iran said. Iran's formal response to the IMO said that the joint proposal sought to use the IMO Council as a platform for political pressure under the guise of maritime safety.
World Cup 2026: Internet revels in Belgium's crushing of USA Submitted by Imene Guiza on Tue, 07/07/2026 - 12:00 From jokes about calls from the White House to viral Trump memes, the elimination of the US became one of the internet's favourite moments of the World Cup Belgium's Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the Fifa World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between USA and Belgium at Seattle Stadium on 6 July 2026 in Seattle, Washington (Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP) Off Belgium beat the United States 4-1 on Monday, knocking out the World Cup host at the last 16 stage, and unleashing a torrent of jokes across social media. Just 24 hours earlier, Fifa had been engulfed in criticism for delaying USA striker Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match suspension for receiving a red card following intervention from President Donald Trump. The global football body has insisted that the decision to delay Balogun’s suspension was made independently , and was not due to phone calls from Washington.
