Iran will announce Strait of Hormuz mechanism, collect fees, Iranian MP says
Iran has prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz along a designated route that will be unveiled soon, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday.
Azizi added that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit from the arrangement. He said fees would be collected for specialised services provided under the mechanism.
Israel military confirms Hamas armed wing chief killed in Gaza strike
The Israeli military has confirmed that Ezzedine Al-Haddad, chief of Hamas’ armed wing, was killed in an air strike in Gaza on Friday.
“The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad was eliminated,” the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet domestic security agency.
Earlier, witnesses in Gaza City said that mosques had announced Haddad’s “martyrdom”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a joint statement with his defence minister on Friday that Haddad had been targeted, though they did not say if he had been killed.
Israel military says striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military has said it launched new strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon on Saturday, the day after the two countries agreed to extend an existing ceasefire.
“The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon,” the military said.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on at least five villages in the south, preceded by an exodus of residents towards the southern city of Sidon and the capital Beirut.
The Israeli military had earlier warned residents of nine villages in the Sidon and Nabatieh regions to evacuate ahead of the strikes.
Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil in April through Strait of Hormuz
Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil in April via the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s new oil minister, Basim Mohammed, said at a press conference on Saturday.
Mohammed said Iraq plans to engage with OPEC to boost the country’s production and export capacity, adding that Baghdad aims to reach a production capacity of 5 million barrels per day.
FIFA officials to meet Iranian FA to discuss World Cup, report says
FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom will meet Iranian FA (FFIRI) officials in Istanbul later Saturday and offer “reassurance” over Iran’s participation in the World Cup, a source familiar with the talks has told Reuters.
Iran is scheduled to play all three World Cup group matches in the United States but the team’s participation in the June 11 to July 19 tournament has been in question since the US and Israel launched the Iran war.
Israeli strikes on Tyre wounds several Lebanese, including hospital personnel
Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire and hold expanded talks on a political settlement, the US announced days before the April 17 ceasefire was set to expire.
The announcement came even as Israel carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon that it insists are not subject to the truce. Israel has been pounding Lebanon and invaded its south in response to fire from Hezbollah since early March.
US accuses Iraqi man of helping Iran-backed militia’s plans for attacks in US, Europe
An Iraqi national accused of involvement in multiple attacks against US interests in Europe has been arrested and brought to the US to face six terrorism-related counts, the US Justice Department said.
Prosecutors said the suspect, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was a senior member of the Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah and accused him of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Al-Saadi is accused of coordinating or supporting nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the US , “including his efforts to kill on US soil,” said US Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York in a statement.
The US government and independent experts say Kata’ib Hezbollah operates at the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The charges come amid heightened US scrutiny of Iran-backed militias accused of targeting American personnel and allies across multiple regions amid the ongoing US and Israeli war against Iran.
UAE says all of its actions came under defensive measures
The United Arab Emirates said on Saturday that all actions taken by the Gulf country came within its framework of defensive measures aimed at protecting its sovereignty, civilians, and vital infrastructure, according to a statement by its foreign ministry.
The statement came after the Wall Street Journal published a story on Monday saying that the UAE carried out military operations on Iran in early April.
The statement by the UAE foreign ministry did not refer explicitly to the reported strikes on Iran.
Israel, Lebanon say extending ceasefire despite new strikes
Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire and hold expanded talks on a political settlement, the US announced late Friday, even as Israel carried out new strikes that it insists are not subject to the truce.
Envoys from Israel and Lebanon’s government, which has struggled to restrain Hezbollah, met for two days in Washington and said they would extend the ceasefire that was set to expire Sunday.
The cessation of hostilities “will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
He said that the State Department would hold negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent political agreement on June 2 and 3 and that the Pentagon would bring together delegations from the countries’ militaries on May 29.
Lebanon’s delegation said in a statement that the ceasefire extension and opening of military talks would offer “critical breathing room for our citizens” with a goal of “lasting stability.”
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