https://www.scmp.com/rss/322264/feed The latest news, politics and current affairs from the Middle East. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Israeli troops killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby boy after firing at his parents’ vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was killed on Friday evening, and his parents were wounded while driving in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron City, according to the ministry. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the infant was critically wounded after being struck in the jaw by the same bullet that injured his mother. He later died of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356199/israeli-troops-kill-7-month-old-palestinian-baby-west-bank-car-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356199/israeli-troops-kill-7-month-old-palestinian-baby-west-bank-car-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:14:30 +0000 Reuters Reuters American forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites on Saturday after shooting down drones launched by Iran towards the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, in the latest escalation complicating efforts to end the war between the two countries. The US military believed the four Iranian drones were targeting regional maritime traffic, a US official told Reuters. US Central Command said on social media that Washington then struck Iran’s surveillance sites in Goruk and Qeshm ‌Island, which are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356182/us-strikes-iranian-radar-sites-after-drone-shootdown-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356182/us-strikes-iranian-radar-sites-after-drone-shootdown-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:39:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Franco-Iranian author and film director Marjane Satrapi, renowned for her graphic novel and film Persepolis, has died aged 56, a year after the passing of “the love of her life”, a member of her close circle said on Thursday. “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” they said in a statement. Born in 1969 in Rasht in northern Iran, Satrapi arrived in France in 1994 and gained French nationality in 2006. An... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356010/persepolis-author-marjane-satrapi-dies-aged-56?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3356010/persepolis-author-marjane-satrapi-dies-aged-56?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:20:18 +0000 Agencies Agencies Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in US-mediated talks, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it would not be withdrawing from the south. Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a “complete cessation” of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington on Wednesday. The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355889/israel-and-lebanon-agree-renew-fragile-ceasefire-create-hezbollah-free-zones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355889/israel-and-lebanon-agree-renew-fragile-ceasefire-create-hezbollah-free-zones?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:43:46 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Republican-led House voted to halt the US war with Iran, breaking with President Donald Trump on an unpopular foreign conflict that is taking an escalating economic toll on Americans. The 215-208 vote on Wednesday showed worries over the war spreading in the president’s own party five months before congressional elections. Last month, a Senate resolution to end the war also advanced past a procedural hurdle for the first time, though that legislation hasn’t yet come to a formal vote. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355887/us-house-votes-stop-iran-war-rebuke-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355887/us-house-votes-stop-iran-war-rebuke-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 22:11:53 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh Since the Ukraine war began in 2022, Asia has been watching conflict as if enrolled in a study course. We have heard every argument: Nato enlargement, Russian insecurity, Ukrainian sovereignty, European fear, American power, energy politics, sanctions, nationalism and resistance. We have watched Gaza burn. We have watched the United States capture Venezuela’s president and defend the act as lawful. We have watched Iran absorb attacks and retaliate. For Asians, these are no longer distant events.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Gulf hostilities ⁠flared again on Wednesday as Iranian attacks on Kuwait damaged its airport and injured dozens while the US military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy to halt the war showing little sign of progress. The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355759/us-and-iran-exchange-new-attacks-sides-locked-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355759/us-and-iran-exchange-new-attacks-sides-locked-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:14:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse They went to war together against Iran, but Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship is under strain after the US president reportedly called the Israeli premier “crazy”. Trump unleashed a profane tirade over the phone at Netanyahu over Israel’s threats to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut, fearing it would undermine talks with Tehran, the Axios news outlet and ABC News reported. It underscored the increasingly shaky ties between two right-wing allies with lots to lose politically from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355753/trump-netanyahu-relationship-under-growing-strain-over-iran-youre-crazy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355753/trump-netanyahu-relationship-under-growing-strain-over-iran-youre-crazy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:41:11 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Efforts to negotiate an end to war in the Middle East appeared in limbo on Tuesday, after Iran-linked media reported that Tehran had suspended contact with Washington over Israel’s expanding offensive in Lebanon, even as US President Donald Trump insisted talks were continuing “at a rapid pace” and claimed to have helped broker a halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The conflicting accounts highlighted the fragile state of negotiations aimed at ending more than three months of... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3355608/trump-says-israel-dial-back-fighting-lebanon-after-iran-threatens-end-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3355608/trump-says-israel-dial-back-fighting-lebanon-after-iran-threatens-end-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:33:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ⁠ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, signalling further escalation of a war that has complicated mediation towards resolving the US-Iran conflict. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon were among factors causing a delay to the diplomatic process to end the US-Iran war, reiterating that a Lebanon ceasefire was an integral part of any... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355575/netanyahu-orders-strikes-beiruts-southern-suburbs-clouding-iran-mediation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355575/netanyahu-orders-strikes-beiruts-southern-suburbs-clouding-iran-mediation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:56:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday it had targeted a US base in response, the latest exchange of attacks amid negotiations to end the three-month-old war. The US and Iran have sporadically exchanged strikes ‌since their ceasefire took effect in early April as diplomacy aimed at a more durable agreement drags on. A similar exchange occurred last Thursday and was described in near-identical terms by both sides. The weekend US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355512/us-says-struck-iran-military-sites-tehran-responds-targeting-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355512/us-says-struck-iran-military-sites-tehran-responds-targeting-base?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:48:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Syrian President ⁠Ahmed al-Sharaa held a phone ⁠call with US President Donald Trump in which they discussed supporting the Syrian economy and the latest regional developments, the Syrian presidency said ‌on Sunday. During the call, Sharaa said lifting the remaining US sanctions on Syria was essential to reviving the economy and attracting investments, according to the statement. The United States says some sanctions remain in ⁠place despite dismantling most of its Syria sanctions regime and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355491/syrias-sharaa-holds-phone-call-trump-syrian-presidency-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355491/syrias-sharaa-holds-phone-call-trump-syrian-presidency-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 20:26:38 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s chief negotiator warned on Sunday the United States was not to be trusted, saying Tehran would not agree to any deal with Washington unless it fully secured Iranian rights. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s remarks came as reports emerged that US President Donald Trump had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran, and underlined the rift that the parties still need to close. Any tweaks to the draft could further delay an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355489/iran-says-does-not-trust-us-trump-toughens-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355489/iran-says-does-not-trust-us-trump-toughens-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 19:10:30 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter-century, the military said on Sunday. The taking of Beaufort castle, near the city of Nabatiyeh, followed days of air strikes and intense fighting in nearby villages between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. The capture marked a major Israeli advance in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, which began on March 2, when... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355486/israeli-army-captures-strategic-crusader-built-castle-lebanon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355486/israeli-army-captures-strategic-crusader-built-castle-lebanon?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 17:04:35 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell There seems to be no end to the harm arising from US President Donald Trump’s madcap war on Iran. Go beyond the direct tragic impact across Iran itself, the collateral damage from Tehran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and its ad hoc assaults on US allies in the region: beyond the burgeoning impact of shortages of oil, gas, hydrogen, helium and sulphur, and the prospect of food shortages arising from the collapse in fertiliser supplies; beyond the hardships of tens of thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355220/how-trumps-war-iran-jeopardising-asias-remittance-lifeline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355220/how-trumps-war-iran-jeopardising-asias-remittance-lifeline?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An annual United Nations report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide has included Israeli forces for the first time since the review began more than 15 years ago for their treatment of Palestinian detainees. Israel denies the accusations. The 35-page report – shared by the Israeli mission to the UN late Thursday ahead of its expected release on Friday – blacklists 77 government and non-government parties in a dozen countries suspected of committing or being responsible for sexual... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355285/israel-russia-hit-back-after-being-added-un-blacklist-sexual-violence-conflicts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355285/israel-russia-hit-back-after-being-added-un-blacklist-sexual-violence-conflicts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 May 2026 06:59:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel’s military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70 per cent of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 per cent of the tiny coastal strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel’s two-year military assault that followed the 2023 Hamas ‌attack on southern Israel. Under an October US-brokered truce that has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355233/netanyahu-directs-israeli-forces-expand-gaza-control-70?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355233/netanyahu-directs-israeli-forces-expand-gaza-control-70?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 23:40:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel pounded south Lebanon with deadly strikes and widened its offensive with the first raid near Beirut in weeks where authorities said a woman and two children were killed despite a ceasefire. The attack near the capital came after heavy strikes on south Lebanon that authorities said had killed at least 14 people, including three children. The escalation comes as Lebanon and Israel prepare for talks between military delegations at the Pentagon on Friday, and for US-brokered talks early next... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355225/strikes-kill-family-6-after-israel-declares-south-lebanon-combat-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355225/strikes-kill-family-6-after-israel-declares-south-lebanon-combat-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 18:06:00 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A tentative agreement has been reached in the ongoing negotiations with Iran, US sources confirmed, though they stressed that the deal has not yet been finalised and remains subject to formal approval by US President Donald Trump. Trump has asked for a couple of days to consider the proposal before making a decision. “The teams have been going back and forth,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday at a White House press conference. He added that Trump has been “very clear” about... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3355221/tentative-agreement-reached-iran-negotiations-pending-trumps-approval-us-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3355221/tentative-agreement-reached-iran-negotiations-pending-trumps-approval-us-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 16:39:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel’s military on Wednesday declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon as a combat zone and said residents in the area should move north, warning it would act “with great force” against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the zone. The military’s statement, posted on X, ‌appeared to signal further escalation after more than 120 strikes on Tuesday hit Lebanon’s south and east, despite a ceasefire announced on April 16. “We advise residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate to the north of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355107/israel-declares-new-swathe-lebanon-combat-zone-imperilling-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355107/israel-declares-new-swathe-lebanon-combat-zone-imperilling-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 03:05:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United ⁠States and Iran have reached an outline ⁠agreement to extend their ceasefire pending the approval of President Donald Trump, according to an Axios report, after Iran targeted a US air base in Kuwait on Thursday in the wake of US strikes on what Washington described as an Iranian drone operation. According to ‌the report by Axios, the two sides agreed on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the truce and launch negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program but the plan still needed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355100/us-military-launches-new-strikes-against-targets-inside-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355100/us-military-launches-new-strikes-against-targets-inside-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2026 01:05:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to threaten to attack ally Oman if it sides with Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Oman must “behave” or he would “blow them up”, when he was asked if he would accept a short-term deal to allow Iran and the Gulf state to control the waterway. “No, the strait is going to be open to everybody,” Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355091/trump-appears-threaten-blow-oman-after-question-iran-and-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355091/trump-appears-threaten-blow-oman-after-question-iran-and-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 21:17:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Dozens of Palestinians carried the body of Hamas’ armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group’s top brass despite a ceasefire. The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday night, just over a week after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza residential block. The deaths mean ‌there are few militant... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355013/israel-says-it-killed-hamas-new-armed-wing-chief-gaza-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355013/israel-says-it-killed-hamas-new-armed-wing-chief-gaza-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 07:38:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israel pounded Lebanon with more than 120 air strikes on Tuesday in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks, Lebanese security sources said, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military was deepening its operations in the country. The bombing raids further strained a ceasefire announced on April 16 that was meant to halt fighting between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and ‌came as Iran said the United States had violated a separate truce by striking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354986/israel-pounds-lebanon-heaviest-bombing-blitz-weeks-expands-ground-operations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354986/israel-pounds-lebanon-heaviest-bombing-blitz-weeks-expands-ground-operations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 04:49:02 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Iran started restoring access to the internet – a sign that the longest shutdown of its kind in history is easing amid a diplomatic push to end the war with the US. Monitoring group NetBlocks said there was a “partial restoration” on Tuesday after 88 days of near-total blackout on the national network, showing connectivity had risen from close to zero to around 35 per cent of typical levels. “In line with the esteemed President’s mission and in fulfilment of the government’s promise, the first... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354950/iran-restores-partial-internet-access-after-record-months-long-blackout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354950/iran-restores-partial-internet-access-after-record-months-long-blackout?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 17:21:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters Palestinian shepherd Sameeha Rasheed was planning for the sacred ritual of sacrificing her family’s sheep for the Eid al-Adha holiday, one of the holiest occasions in Islam, but West Bank Jewish settlers stole them in a predawn raid, she said. Instead of celebrating, Rasheed has been left with nothing and has also been deprived of the income she would have received from selling the sheep not used by her family. The settlers stole around 45 sheep from her home in Masafer Yatta, a collection of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354939/west-bank-settlers-steal-palestinian-familys-sheep-herd-ahead-eid-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354939/west-bank-settlers-steal-palestinian-familys-sheep-herd-ahead-eid-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 13:29:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse An explosion damaged a tanker close to its waterline as it sailed off Oman, a marine monitor said on Tuesday, as tensions remained high around the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The captain reported the explosion on the hull of the vessel, UK Maritime Trade Operations said. “The crew and vessel are safe, although the master reports some bunker fuel has discharged into the sea.” The incident, in the Gulf of Oman about 60 nautical miles east of Muscat, was an “external explosion”, UKMTO added,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354937/tanker-hit-explosion-near-hormuz-hours-after-us-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354937/tanker-hit-explosion-near-hormuz-hours-after-us-strikes-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 12:58:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s foreign ⁠ministry ⁠said in a statement on Tuesday that the United States had violated the ceasefire ‌with strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province. US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, imperilling a fragile ceasefire and casting new doubt on a deal to end the Middle East war. “The United States ‌committed a gross violation of ⁠the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region ⁠in the past 48 hours … Iran holds the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354821/us-attacks-missile-sites-iran-amid-negotiations-end-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354821/us-attacks-missile-sites-iran-amid-negotiations-end-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 01:07:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Israeli army intensified strikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to escalate its offensive in an effort to “crush” Hezbollah. The air strikes come as the United States and Iran seek to finalise the terms of an agreement to end the Middle East conflict, which could include the Lebanon front, where Israel and Hezbollah have waged war since March 2. Despite a ceasefire that came into effect on April 17, Israel and Iran-backed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354819/israel-steps-lebanon-strikes-netanyahu-escalates-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354819/israel-steps-lebanon-strikes-netanyahu-escalates-offensive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 23:06:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she has “no issue” with her country hosting Iran’s World Cup team after its training base was moved from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer competition. The team will still play its group stage matches in the US but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, a move that Iran’s football federation announced recently and that was formally confirmed by Fifa, the sport’s governing body, on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3354817/mexicos-president-sees-no-issue-her-country-hosting-irans-fifa-world-cup-team?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3354817/mexicos-president-sees-no-issue-her-country-hosting-irans-fifa-world-cup-team?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 21:30:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to reopen international internet access, Iranian state media reported on Monday, citing an official after a ‌near-90-day blackout in the wake of the war against US and Israel. The report cited the head of public relations at Iran’s Communications Ministry. The mechanism for how and when Iran would reconnect to ⁠the global web following the decision was unknown. “The decree aimed at restoring internet access to its pre-January state was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354813/irans-president-orders-reopening-international-internet-access-state-media-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354813/irans-president-orders-reopening-international-internet-access-state-media-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 19:18:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said Monday that any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term aimed at normalising relations with Israel. US and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354809/trump-says-iran-deal-should-include-additional-countries-joining-abraham-accords?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354809/trump-says-iran-deal-should-include-additional-countries-joining-abraham-accords?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 16:44:04 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang A major diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran could signal sanctions relief for Iran, a development analysts say bodes well for China, the primary buyer of Iranian oil. Negotiations have advanced on a proposed 60-day ceasefire extension, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the US side issuing temporary sanctions waivers that would allow Iran to sell oil freely, Axios reported on Saturday, citing a US official. Any such relief would only be implemented under a final... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3354765/how-china-could-benefit-us-iran-talks-raise-hopes-oil-sanctions-relief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3354765/how-china-could-benefit-us-iran-talks-raise-hopes-oil-sanctions-relief?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel’s two far-right ministers on Monday called for an escalation of military operations in Lebanon, with one advocating strikes on Beirut in response to Hezbollah’s drone attacks. “It is time for the prime minister to take a firm stand with Donald Trump and tell him that Israel is returning to war in Lebanon,” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on social media. Ben Gvir leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) Party. “Electricity to Lebanon must be cut off, the Zahrani... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354791/israeli-far-right-ministers-want-return-war-lebanon-despite-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354791/israeli-far-right-ministers-want-return-war-lebanon-despite-peace-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 12:21:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The annual haj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, officially began on Monday. More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the country, Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, commander of the haj passport forces, said on Friday. The faithful have been pouring into the country for the haj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related regional tensions and uncertainty. Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim said she was grateful to God that she... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354730/muslims-begin-haj-sweltering-heat-and-shadow-middle-east-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354730/muslims-begin-haj-sweltering-heat-and-shadow-middle-east-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 05:48:50 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain For decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has preached a mantra of peace and stability in the Middle East through the destruction of Iran’s Islamic Republic. The obliteration of the ayatollahs, he prophesied, would lead to the normalisation of relations between Israel and the wider Arab-Islamic world – with Israel emerging as the Middle East’s dominant power and indispensable security provider. But on Saturday, Netanyahu’s dreams looked set to be dashed, after US President Donald... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354715/why-trumps-draft-peace-pact-iran-threatens-netanyahus-middle-east-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354715/why-trumps-draft-peace-pact-iran-threatens-netanyahus-middle-east-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 May 2026 02:57:21 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Oil fell as senior US officials gave further, positive signals on progress towards a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Brent lost as much as 6.2 per cent to US$97.10 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was near US$91. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a cautiously upbeat tone, saying the US was going to give diplomacy every chance. “We thought we might have some news last night,” he said in New Delhi. “Maybe today.” At the weekend, US President Donald Trump said... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3354707/crude-oil-drops-us-inches-towards-iran-deal-reopen-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3354707/crude-oil-drops-us-inches-towards-iran-deal-reopen-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 23:16:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Geopolitical tensions and a funding crisis are jeopardising peacekeeping missions, particularly those under the auspices of the United Nations, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned on Monday. Just under 79,000 international staff were deployed in international peacekeeping operations at the end of 2025, the lowest number in at least 25 years, the institute said in a report. “If things continue in this way, we could see a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354706/global-tension-and-funding-woes-threaten-peacekeeping-missions-sipri-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3354706/global-tension-and-funding-woes-threaten-peacekeeping-missions-sipri-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 22:32:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters An Israeli air strike on a flat in ⁠a refugee camp in central Gaza on Sunday left three people dead, including a six-month-old child, health officials said. Medical workers named the three who died in the Nuseirat refugee camp as Mohammad Abu Mallouh, the infant’s father, Alaa Zaqlan, the mother, and their child, Osama. Later on ‌Sunday, Israeli gunfire killed a Palestinian man in the north of the enclave, near a UN-run medical clinic in Jabalia refugee camp, medical workers said. The Israeli... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354699/israeli-fire-kills-parents-and-their-baby-gaza-refugee-camp-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354699/israeli-fire-kills-parents-and-their-baby-gaza-refugee-camp-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 17:04:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse With no food aid, 65-year-old Saeedah Mohammed heads out with a plastic bag to pick tree leaves near her displacement camp in southern Yemen, before serving them to her grandchildren to stave off hunger. Behind the camp wooded hills stretch under a clear sky, while on the ground, yellowed and stony earth is strewn with rubbish. Amid the trash and destitution, daily life manages to organise itself, however imperfectly. Worn-out clothes dry on lines strung between spindly trees, and two old... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354698/yemen-family-eats-tree-leaves-aid-dies-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354698/yemen-family-eats-tree-leaves-aid-dies-out?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 15:29:22 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat As the US-Israel war on Iran stretches past its 80th day and continues to upend global naval shipping, a growing number of Chinese investors in Iran are turning to railway and overland transport routes to keep their businesses afloat. While disruptions to ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz show little sign of abating, many are hoping that transcontinental freight links across Eurasia could become a more reliable option. Chinese trader Han Yun has spent recent weeks travelling long distances... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353363/how-chinese-traders-iran-are-keeping-business-afloat-war-capsizes-naval-shipping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353363/how-chinese-traders-iran-are-keeping-business-afloat-war-capsizes-naval-shipping?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 06:00:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse ⁠US ⁠President Donald Trump ⁠said on Sunday that he has told his diplomatic representatives not ‌to rush into a deal with Iran on the war because “time is on our side”, less than a day ⁠after announcing that an agreement with ‌Tehran had been largely negotiated. “The Blockade ‌will remain in full force ⁠and ⁠effect until an agreement is ‌reached, certified, and signed. Both sides ‌must take their ‌time and get ‌it right,” Trump wrote ⁠on Truth Social. “There can be ⁠no mistakes! Our relationship... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354647/iran-us-could-be-close-breakthrough-talks-draft-deal-end-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354647/iran-us-could-be-close-breakthrough-talks-draft-deal-end-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 15:39:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters France has ⁠decided to ban Israel’s far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from French territory, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Saturday, adding that this reflected ‌growing anger among governments around the world over the treatment of an activist flotilla heading to Gaza. “As from today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory,” Barrot wrote on X. “Along with ⁠my Italian counterpart, I am asking the European Union to ‌also take sanctions against Itamar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354646/israeli-far-right-minister-itamar-ben-gvir-banned-french-territory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354646/israeli-far-right-minister-itamar-ben-gvir-banned-french-territory?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 14:33:07 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain For months, the United Arab Emirates had denied Iran’s accusations that it was in league with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or hosting his country’s military personnel. Then, US ambassador to Israel Mick Huckabee handed Tehran a propaganda gift and Abu Dhabi a diplomatic headache all in a single sentence. Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries to the UAE amid the ongoing war on Iran to help protect it from Iranian attacks, Huckabee confirmed at a conference in Tel Aviv on May... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354525/israel-thrusts-reluctant-uae-open-over-defence-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3354525/israel-thrusts-reluctant-uae-open-over-defence-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 05:00:06 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing in a much weaker position than he did more than four years ago, when he launched his invasion of Ukraine shortly after his last visit. US President Donald Trump left Beijing after much fanfare. However, he was criticised back at home for failing to deliver on any key aspect of American interests, such as committing China to pressuring Iran to end the war on US terms. His popular support is at a historic low. Putin, Trump and Chinese President... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3354354/how-china-wins-avoiding-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3354354/how-china-wins-avoiding-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump surprised Nato allies by pledging to send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned alliance ministers that Washington’s frustration with some of them would still need to be discussed. “The President’s views of, frankly, disappointment at some of our Nato allies and their response to our operations in the Middle East ‌are well documented,” Rubio said on Friday at a gathering of Nato foreign ministers in the Swedish town of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354437/us-send-5000-troops-poland-trump-says-after-earlier-deployment-called?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354437/us-send-5000-troops-poland-trump-says-after-earlier-deployment-called?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 22:57:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by its forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, as the first group arrived in Turkey following global outcry over their treatment in custody. Hundreds of activists from countries around the world were placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory. Turkish foreign ministry sources said 422 activists,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354436/first-gaza-flotilla-activists-arrive-turkey-after-israel-deportation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3354436/first-gaza-flotilla-activists-arrive-turkey-after-israel-deportation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 22:30:01 +0000 Andy Xie Andy Xie The Iran war has baked in stagflation and starvation through big reductions in the supply of oil and fertilisers. This inflationary pressure will only increase. As inflation sucks liquidity out of financial markets and into the real economy, bond yields are being pushed up across the world. If bond yields rise by more than a percentage point, a likely scenario before the year’s end, the liquidity diversion could be big enough to pop the AI bubble. The US-Israeli war on Iran has disrupted the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3353772/not-even-quick-end-iran-war-can-save-ai-stock-bubble-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3353772/not-even-quick-end-iran-war-can-save-ai-stock-bubble-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday voiced hope of progress on ending the war with Iran, with mediator Pakistan’s army chief poised for talks in Tehran. The role played by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan’s foreign relations, has taken on increased significance as US President Donald Trump warned that negotiations to end the war were on the “borderline” between a deal and renewed strikes. “I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3354435/us-voices-hope-iran-deal-progress-pakistan-army-chief-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3354435/us-voices-hope-iran-deal-progress-pakistan-army-chief-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 21:24:32 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Three fully laden supertankers – including two Chinese vessels – crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, in a possible sign that Tehran may be starting to open up the vital waterway to more shipping traffic. The exit of the three very large crude carriers (VLCCs) came on the same day that Iran confirmed it had allowed 26 vessels to transit the strait – a hefty uptick compared with the level of traffic Iranian forces have generally permitted since the war began. The moves appeared to signal an... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354378/2-chinese-supertankers-join-flotilla-exiting-hormuz-stand-appears-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354378/2-chinese-supertankers-join-flotilla-exiting-hormuz-stand-appears-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:06 +0000