Category: International

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPA) — U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that American forces carried out fresh airstrikes against Iranian military targets, accusing Tehran of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump said U.S. aircraft targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar installations, following what he described as another breach of the ceasefire by Iran.

“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN! It is very possible that they will never learn!” Trump wrote.

He warned that Washington could escalate its military response if Tehran continued what he described as repeated acts of aggression.

“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist,” Trump added.

The latest strikes followed an Iranian drone attack on a commercial oil tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which U.S. officials cited as the immediate trigger for the military operation. According to the U.S. military, the strikes targeted surveillance infrastructure, missile and drone facilities, air defence systems and coastal radar sites near the strategic waterway.

Iran has rejected the U.S. accusations and, according to reports, responded by launching missile and drone attacks against U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, further escalating tensions in the Gulf.

Authorities in both countries activated air defence systems, although no significant casualties were immediately reported.

The renewed exchange of attacks has raised fresh concerns over the fragile ceasefire reached earlier this month and threatens ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, has remained a focal point of the crisis, with commercial shipping facing repeated security threats in recent days.

Regional governments have called for restraint, warning that further escalation could undermine security and disrupt global energy supplies.

JERUSALEM, Israel (NPA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the new framework of understandings between Israel and Lebanon as a historic breakthrough, saying it paves the way for ending hostilities and eventually reaching a formal peace agreement between the two countries.

Addressing a news conference on Saturday, Netanyahu said the agreement followed direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the United States.

“Yesterday, before the start of the Sabbath, we achieved a historic accomplishment for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

“Following direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the United States, we have reached a framework of understandings that allows us to move forward toward ending the conflict and, God willing, eventually reaching a peace agreement between the two countries.”

According to the Israeli leader, the understandings recognise Israel’s right to maintain what he described as a security zone inside southern Lebanon for as long as necessary.

He said Israeli forces would remain in the area until Hezbollah and other armed groups are disarmed and no longer pose a threat to Israel.

Netanyahu described the agreement as a major strategic setback for Iran and Hezbollah, accusing Tehran of attempting to force Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon.

“I stood firm on our vital interests and forcefully opposed the notion of forcing a withdrawal upon us,” he said.

He added that Israel, Lebanon and the United States had agreed on a pilot programme in two areas near the Blue Line to facilitate Hezbollah’s disarmament and transfer security responsibilities to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

The Prime Minister thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other American officials for facilitating the negotiations.

He also expressed appreciation to the Lebanese government and people for what he described as their courage in supporting the process, while commending Israel’s negotiating team led by Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.

Netanyahu argued that Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah and Iranian interests created the conditions for the agreement.

He claimed Israeli forces had destroyed about 90 per cent of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpile, eliminated senior commanders, including former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and dismantled significant militant infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

According to him, Israeli forces have also maintained control of several strategic locations while continuing operations to destroy tunnels, bunkers and other military positions.

“We are breaking the Iranian axis of terror, but we are also breaking the Iranian diplomatic axis,” he said.

Netanyahu acknowledged that military operations were continuing, particularly against what he described as the growing threat posed by explosive drones.

Looking ahead, he said the agreement would strengthen both Israel and Lebanon while weakening Hezbollah and Iran’s regional influence.

The Prime Minister pledged continued investment in Israel’s northern communities, announcing more than 20 billion shekels in reconstruction and economic support.

“We will continue to do everything necessary to restore security to the residents of the North,” he said.

“This is what I want to see: a quiet border between us and Lebanon, a border of peace. In the North, I want to see security, peace and prosperity.”

The agreement comes amid continued international efforts to reduce tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border after months of cross-border fighting that raised fears of a wider regional conflict with Iran in the mix.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (NPA) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the peace framework signed between Israel and Lebanon, describing it as a significant step towards de-escalation and long-term stability in the Middle East.

In a statement issued on Saturday, von der Leyen said the agreement marked a critical move away from conflict.

“Because there can be no peace in the Middle East with Lebanon in flames,” she said.

She thanked the United States for mediating the agreement and stressed that its successful implementation would depend on the disarmament of non-state armed groups and the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The EU stands ready to support this path to lasting regional stability, also with the continued delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid, with €100 million mobilised for the displaced,” she said.

Under the Trilateral Framework signed on June 26 by the United States, Israel and Lebanon, the two countries committed to ending decades of conflict, strengthening their sovereignty and security, and working towards peaceful neighbourly relations through direct negotiations with U.S. mediation.

The agreement outlines a phased security process under which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will gradually assume full security responsibility across Lebanese territory following the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups. As the process progresses, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are expected to redeploy from Lebanese territory under agreed security arrangements and U.S.-backed verification mechanisms.

Lebanon reaffirmed its commitment to restoring the state’s exclusive authority over the use of force, disarming all non-state armed groups, and ensuring that no armed organisation operates outside government control.

Israel, for its part, stated that its military operations in Lebanon had been directed at threats posed by non-state armed groups, particularly Hezbollah, and reiterated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.

Both governments affirmed their right to self-defence under the United Nations Charter while agreeing that no third party should exercise that right on their behalf. They also committed to establishing a military coordination group with U.S. participation to oversee implementation of the framework.

The agreement also provides for the creation of working groups to negotiate a comprehensive peace and security treaty, while the United States pledged to mobilise international support for Lebanon’s reconstruction, economic recovery and humanitarian assistance.

In addition, Lebanon and the United States committed to preventing reconstruction funds or financial resources from reaching non-state armed groups, with future U.S. assistance tied to measurable reforms, transparency and verified progress.

The two countries also pledged to refrain from hostile actions in international political and legal forums and to cooperate on the return of detainees and human remains as confidence-building measures, while expressing appreciation to the United States and President Donald Trump’s role for facilitating the end of decades of conflict and promoting lasting regional peace.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPA) — United States President Donald Trump has accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement between the two countries following a reported drone attack on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The accusation comes after Iran rejected a new shipping corridor proposed by Oman to facilitate maritime traffic through the strategic waterway. Tehran had warned that vessels using the alternative route, instead of the channel it recognises, could be targeted.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump alleged that Iranian forces launched four one-way attack drones at commercial ships in the Strait.

According to the U.S. president, one of the drones struck the upper deck of a cargo vessel, causing damage, while U.S. forces intercepted the remaining three drones.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran shot at least four One Way Attack Drones at ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz. One of the drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive cargo-carrying ship. Damage was done, but the ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” Trump wrote.

The reported attack is the first major incident since the United States and Iran reached an interim ceasefire aimed at reducing hostilities and restoring freedom of navigation through one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes.

As of the time of filing this report, the U.S. administration had not announced any retaliatory measures, while Iranian authorities had yet to publicly respond to Trump’s allegations.

It also remains unclear whether the incident will affect the fragile ceasefire agreement or ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has criticised the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over its approach to regional security, accusing the bloc of relying on what it described as “the greatest violator of security” to safeguard the region.

The Head of the Centre for Public Diplomacy and Spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, made the remarks in a statement issued on Friday.

Baqaei said Iran remained more committed than any other country to ensuring collective security in the region, arguing that seeking external security guarantees from powers Tehran considers responsible for regional instability was counterproductive.

“Undoubtedly, Iran, more than any other party, is concerned with ensuring the collective security of the region. For the Gulf Cooperation Council to imagine that the solution to addressing this concern lies in seeking refuge with the greatest violator of security is, in itself, a violation of the very purpose—a bitter irony and a disheartening sign of failing to learn from recent bitter experiences,” he said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also questioned the role of some Gulf states during recent regional tensions.

He alleged that some of Iran’s southern neighbours had violated the principles of good neighbourliness and international law by participating in attacks against Iran or allowing their territories to be used for military operations targeting the country.

“The southern neighbours must be asked why they themselves, in violation of the principle of good neighbourliness and the fundamental rules of international law, took part in an aggressive attack against a Muslim neighbour and allowed their territory to be used against Iran or for launching missiles from there,” Baqaei said.

He further questioned what he described as the region’s silence over the continued acquisition of advanced weapons by some countries and Israel’s military actions.

“Why do they turn a blind eye to the destructive arms race and the purchase and stockpiling of hundreds of billions of dollars in advanced weaponry that has no defensive justification?” he asked.

Baqaei also criticised what he described as the failure to condemn repeated Israeli military operations in the region and what he called Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, while Iran’s conventional military capabilities continued to attract criticism.

According to him, Iran’s military capabilities are intended solely to guarantee the country’s inherent right to legitimate self-defence while contributing to regional peace and stability.

“The national security and dignity of the country cannot be bargained or made conditional. Just as the inherent right to legitimate self-defence can never be a subject for negotiation, its instruments cannot be a subject for compromise with any party,” he said.