Gulf states in a bind over Iran’s grip on Hormuz, US troop removal talks
Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace
· Tom Hussain
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Newest first · UTC+11:00Gulf states in a bind over Iran’s grip on Hormuz, US troop removal talks
Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace
· Tom Hussain
Buried On The 4th Of July: Mediators Pledge Quiet Between US, Iran To Allow For Ayatollah Khamenei's Funeral
President Trump by mid-week told reporters that the "denuclearization of Iran is moving along well" and that "very good meetings" are being held in Doha - even though no direct talks have taken place, but only an exchange of messages via mediators. On Wednesday US officials told regional media that no frozen Iranian…
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Israeli press alarmed as criticism of Israel becomes winning recipe in US politics
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· Middleeasteye
Will America turn 250 with the same unbreakable bond with Israel?
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· YOSSI HURST
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Freed hostage Eli Sharabi sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday after Netanyahu joked in a Channel 14 interview that one of the things that had changed for him since October 7 was that he had “lost a little weight.”
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More than 90 percent of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed, and Israeli forces are in control of 80 percent of the besieged territory, authorities in the enclave say, as the world marks 1,000 days since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began.
· Al Jazeera Staff
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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An explosion Thursday in a cafe in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killed at least four people, according to a Health Ministry official
IRGC say they killed Kurdish fighters in northwest Iran
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had killed five members of the banned Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in the country’s northwest, state media reported on Thursday.
· Middleeasteye
Several people injured in explosion in Damascus, says Syrian state TV | The National
An explosion was heard in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Thursday, with authorities investigating its cause, state television reported.
· The National
Middle East leading the way when it comes to handling baggage | The National
Errors in baggage handling are among the most stressful aspects of travel. However, according to a survey released this week, mishandling rates fell by 23 per cent in 2025.
· Farah Andrews
Explosion heard in Syria’s capital Damascus: state media
An explosion has taken place inside a cafe in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to state media.
· Al Jazeera
Medvedev to Lead Russian Delegation at Iranian Supreme Leader’s Funeral
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev will attend the state funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Kremlin confirmed Thursday.
· The Moscow Times
Lebanese president says will not yield 'a single inch' of territory to Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended on Thursday negotiations with Israel, saying they were not a betrayal and he would not surrender "a single inch of Lebanon's territory", according to the presidency.
· Middleeasteye
Three Israelis indicted for aiding terrorist, failing to prevent attack in central Israel
Three Israeli citizens were indicted at the Lod District Court on Thursday after a joint investigation by the Sharon police investigative unit and the Shin Bet found that they allegedly assisted or failed to prevent the June 7 deadly shooting attack in Kochav Yair, Tzur Yitzhak, and Sal’it, Israel Police and the Shi…
· SHIR PERETS
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· GIORGIA VALENTE / THE MEDIA LINE
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· THE MEDIA LINE
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, other world leaders to attend Khamenei's funeral
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will attend the funeral of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pakistan's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
· JERUSALEM POST STAFF
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· Middleeasteye
India will send a minister and state governor to Ali Khamenei funeral
India will send its deputy foreign minister and a state governor to represent the country at the state funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
· Middleeasteye
Iranian team welcomed as heroes on return from World Cup (VIDEO)
Iran’s national football team has returned home to a hero’s welcome after being knocked out of the World Cup without losing a single match despite immense political pressure and logistical challenges fueled by US visa restrictions.
· RT
Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a 'forceful response'
Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.
· Yonhap
US and Iran conclude Hormuz-dominated indirect talks in Doha | The National
Iran and the US concluded a round of indirect talks on Wednesday with no apparent breakthrough towards a lasting agreement, as discussions focused on issues both sides had previously indicated were largely resolved.
· The National
Brisbane’s best food and drink openings of 2026 (so far)
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· Matt Shea
Iranian press review: Calls grow to maintain military pressure on Gulf states
A younger generation of analysts close to Iran's ruling establishment says the only way to reach trade deals with the Arab states of the southern Gulf is to maintain military pressure on them.
· Middleeasteye
Iranian press review: Calls grow to maintain military pressure on Gulf states
A younger generation of analysts close to Iran's ruling establishment says the only way to reach trade deals with the Arab states of the southern Gulf is to maintain military pressure on them.
· Middleeasteye
Palestinians across Gaza Strip mark 1,000 days of war
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· AfricaNews
Israel's largest oil refineries to undergo years of repairs after Iranian strikes, report says
Israel's largest oil refineries sustained far heavier damage from Iranian missile strikes during the US-Israeli war on Iran than authorities previously acknowledged, Israeli media reported.
· Middleeasteye
Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei to be held in Iraq’s revered cities of Najaf and Karbala | The National
Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in US and Israeli strikes, will be held in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, the Iraqi government announced on Thursday.
· Sinan Mahmoud
ESCO Israel announces plan to tackle AI data centers consumption crisis without new power plants
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· TOBIAS HOLCMAN
CENTCOM considers relocating US bases from Gulf States to Israel's Negev after painful Iran strikes
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· HADAR KATSMAN
Iran claims a foreign ship got stuck in the Strait of Hormuz but the vessel is tied to Tehran
This frame grab of footage aired Wednesday, July 1, 2026, by Iranian state television shows a vessel that ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz. (Iranian state television via AP)
· Jon Gambrell
Cathay Pacific to resume Middle East passenger flights from September
Airline says it will continue to closely monitor evolving situation in the Middle East ahead of the resumption dates
· Jeffie Lam
Cathay Pacific to resume Middle East passenger flights from September
Airline says it will continue to closely monitor evolving situation in the Middle East ahead of the resumption dates
· Jeffie Lam
Iran increases attacks on Kurdish opposition following days of clashes
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· SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrian foreign minister visits Beirut after Trump suggests Syria should fight Hezbollah
Syria's foreign minister traveled to Beirut on Thursday to meet Lebanese government leaders, in his first visit there since US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of Syrian forces combating Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
· REUTERS
Can Netanyahu’s strength-first strategy guide Israel through the new Middle East? - analysis
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stressing the fact that Israel has to be strong to survive in the Middle East. This isn’t a new theme or mantra, but rather one he has made into a consistent ideology over the last few decades.
· SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syria's Al Shibani says Damascus open to talks with Hezbollah during Beirut visit | The National
A meeting between Syria and Hezbollah is possible, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani said during a visit to Lebanon on Thursday, days after US President Donald Trump suggested Damascus could take part in efforts to contain the Lebanese militant group.
· Jamie Prentis
US-Iran talks in Doha: What were the outcomes and what’s next?
Trump: US envoys enroute to Doha for ‘perhaps important’ Iran meeting
· Al Jazeera Staff
Pakistan PM Sharif to attend funeral of Iran's Ali Khamenei
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the state funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.
· Middleeasteye
Billions flow between EU institutions and Israel, despite Gaza genocide
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· Al Jazeera
Israel arrests five women activists in the occupied West Bank
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· Middleeasteye
US resumes transfer of American currency to Iraq after Iran-related suspension - report
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· JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syria forms first post-Assad parliament to kickstart new era of 'managed democracy'
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· SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Why prosecutors refuse to drop Netanyahu's bribery charge despite judges' reccomendation - analysis
To say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criminal trial is among the most legally complex and politically consequential cases in Israel’s history is not an exaggeration.
· SARAH BEN-NUN
Irán advierte a petroleros que usen sus rutas aprobadas en Ormuz o habrá una "respuesta enérgica"
Buques comerciales, vistos en el estrecho de Ormuz desde la costa de Bandar Abbas, Irán, el 30 de junio de 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA vía AP)
· Jon Gambrell
Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a 'forceful response'
Commercial vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
· Jon Gambrell
The mission beyond Entebbe
Engraved outside the entrance to the Military Command Boarding School in Haifa is the biblical injunction to “walk humbly” (Hebrew: “hatzneah lechet”). The words, taken from the Book of Micah (6:18), are intended to instill modesty and humility in the school’s students, many of whom will become IDF officers.
· ALAN ROSENBAUM, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE JEWISH AGENCY