Here\u2019s what happened today:<\/p>\n
This live page will close soon, but our minute-by-minute coverage will continue.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the day\u2019s top developments:<\/p>\n
The US military said it struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman \u2013 the second straight day of naval confrontations. Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that \u201cevery time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dozens of people have been killed in a series of Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon, marking one of the deadliest days since fighting began with Hezbollah on March 2. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged European allies to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action against Iran as it blocks the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
At least one sailor was found dead after the US attack on an Iranian ship on Thursday night, with 10 other seafarers wounded and four missing. US Central Command reported that US forces have \u201credirected\u201d a total of 57 commercial vessels and \u201cdisabled\u201d three vessels since beginning its blockade on Iranian ports.<\/p>\n
**Massive oil slick reported off Iran\u2019s Kharg Island**<\/p>\n
An oil slick is spreading off the coast of Iran\u2019s Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for the Islamic Republic, The New York Times reports, citing satellite images. It was not immediately clear what caused the spill located off the island\u2019s west coast. It appeared to cover more than 52 square kilometres (20 square miles), according to an estimate by Orbital EOS, which monitors oil spills. The slick appeared to be spreading southward towards Saudi Arabia\u2019s waters. Kharg Island is at the heart of Iran\u2019s oil export industry, a linchpin of the country\u2019s battered economy, and lies in the Gulf north of the narrow, strategic Strait of Hormuz. Kharg Island has Iran\u2019s largest oil terminal, oil pipelines, storage tanks and related infrastructure.<\/p>\n
At least 31 people, including a rescue worker, were killed on Friday in wide-scale Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, according to the official National News Agency. It was one of the deadliest days since fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah restarted on March 2. Among those killed were five people in two air strikes targeting the town of Toura in the Tyre district. Rescue operations are still ongoing to search for a missing girl beneath the rubble, it reported. An Israeli army drone also targeted a car on the road connecting Kfarchouba and Kfarhamam in the Hasbaiyya district, killing the civil defence worker. Five people were killed in Israeli air strikes targeting villages in the Bint Jbeil and Nabatieh districts. Four more were killed in a strike on the town of as-Sultaniyah in the Bint Jbeil district. Despite a \u201cceasefire\u201d announced on April 17 that was extended until May 17, the Israeli army continues to carry out daily strikes on Lebanon.<\/p>\n
**Muslim group demands end to Israeli occupation of Palestine**<\/p>\n
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) demanded immediate international action to end Israel\u2019s occupation of Palestinian territory and advance a two-state solution. Delivering a statement on behalf of the OIC group during a meeting at UN headquarters, Turkiye\u2019s UN ambassador, Ahmet Yildiz, said the Palestinian issue has reached a breaking point amid continuing violence and political deadlock. \u201cThe need for practical measures to resolve the Palestine question and the crises in the Middle East have become more pressing in view of the broad implications for global peace and security,\u201d said Yildiz. The meeting focused on conditions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and was organised by several member states of the UN Security Council, including the UK and France. Yildiz condemned ongoing Israeli assaults on Palestinians across the occupied territory. \u201cThe devastating war in Gaza and ongoing assaults by Israel, the occupying power, on the Palestinian people and their rights, land, security and dignity across occupied Palestine make it a matter of urgency to address the root causes,\u201d he said. \u201cThe illegal Israeli occupation must end. We call for respect of the ceasefire in Gaza, which is being violated every day by Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
**What\u2019s happening in the occupied West Bank?**<\/p>\n
As the world\u2019s attention remains focused on the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, the Israeli army and settlers continue to carry out attacks across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Here are some of the incidents reported by the Palestinian Wafa news agency in the past few hours: A Palestinian man and his child were injured after being attacked by Israeli settlers in the village of ash-Shuyukh, south of Hebron. Israeli troops forced residents of al-\u2018Asa\u2019asa village in the Jenin governorate to exhume the body of a deceased relative from his grave. Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem. Israeli soldiers assaulted Palestinians in the Burak Sulayman area between the town of al-Khader and the village of Artas, south of Bethlehem. Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian resident\u2019s home in the village of al-Lubban Asharqiya, south of Nablus.<\/p>\n
**US and Iran may resume talks next week in Islamabad**<\/p>\n
Talks between the US and Iran could resume as early as next week in Pakistan\u2019s capital, a news report says. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said the two sides are working with mediators to formulate a one-page, 14-point memorandum of understanding that would set the parameters for a month of talks aimed at ending the war. The draft is said to include discussions on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme, easing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the possible handling of Iran\u2019s highly enriched uranium stockpiles to another country. Key issues remain unresolved, however, it noted. The extent of any sanctions relief remains up for debate and could prevent talks. If negotiations progress, the initial one-month period could be extended by mutual agreement, according to the Journal.<\/p>\n
**US imposes sanctions on 10 people, firms for aiding Iran arms sector**<\/p>\n
The US Treasury has announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies for assisting efforts by Iran\u2019s military to secure weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran\u2019s Shahed drones. The sanctions targeted some entities in Hong Kong and China. The Treasury said it\u2019s also prepared to take action against any foreign company supporting illicit Iranian commerce, including airlines. The Treasury move comes days before President Trump plans to travel to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping and as efforts to end the war in Iran have stalled.<\/p>\n
**Israel destroys home in Gaza strike, wounding 6 including children**<\/p>\n
Israeli warplanes targeted a home in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City after issuing a forced evacuation threat. A hospital source told Al Jazeera six Palestinians, including two children, were wounded in the Israeli air strike that destroyed the house. Neighbouring homes were also damaged. Israel has escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks. The enclave has been devastated by more than two years of genocidal war, which killed more than 72,500 Palestinians. The rising attacks come as the new US-backed governance structures seem to have been sidelined.<\/p>\n
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told his UAE counterpart that US-Iran talks need to be supported to prevent a resumption of hostilities in the Middle East. \u201cThe Russian side emphasised the need to focus on supporting the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the USA,\u201d a Foreign Ministry statement said of Lavrov\u2019s phone conversation with Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Russia doesn\u2019t want \u201cto jeopardise the prospects for stabilisation by resuming hostilities\u201d, a statement said.<\/p>\n
#IranConflict #MiddleEastCrisis #StraitOfHormuz #USIranTalks #PalestineOccupation #GazaUnderAttack #LebanonStrikes #KhargIslandOilSpill #USSanctions #RegionalTensions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here\u2019s what happened today: This live page will close soon, but our minute-by-minute coverage will continue. Here are some of the day\u2019s top developments: The US military said it struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman \u2013 the second straight day of naval confrontations. Iran\u2019s Foreign […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}