Iran's IRGC says it struck Togo-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an "illegal passage" through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
The tanker came to a halt after catching fire, the Revolutionary Guards Navy added.
UKMTO reports security incident in Strait of Hormuz off Oman
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said that it received a report of a security incident in the Strait of Hormuz, 16 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Khasab.
The crew were reported safe and no environmental impact had been confirmed at the time of the report, UKMTO said.
JP Morgan says it has no clear oil market endgame as Iran conflict drags on
JP Morgan said that it does not have a clear baseline view for oil markets for the first time since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
"We simply don't know how to model the endgame," analysts at the bank noted.
The note flagged that at the beginning of the conflict, JP Morgan had assumed there were some economic thresholds that the US administration would not cross, but six months into the conflict, many of those lines have been crossed with no clear exit strategy in view.
Trump declines to back Saudi Arabia as US officials reportedly meet Iran-backed Houthis in Oman
US officials met representatives of Yemen's Houthis in Oman over the weekend, five sources familiar with the matter said, days after the Iran-backed militia seized a strategic stretch of the Red Sea coast in a sweeping offensive that routed Saudi-backed forces.
US President Donald Trump has so far rebuffed pleas from the Saudis for military support fighting the Houthis.
FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.
'Stalemate' in Lebanon: Hezbollah justifies weapons, citing Israeli occupation and ongoing attacks
FRANCE 24's Angela Diffley welcomes Dr Filippo Dionigi, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Bristol.
According to Dr. Dionigi, the central obstacle to Hezbollah’s disarmament is not simply the military capacity of the Lebanese state, but the absence of a political settlement capable of making disarmament both legitimate and sustainable.
While additional funding and weapons would strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces, they will not resolve the fundamental political dilemma.
US clears way for $24.3 billion fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia
The US Department of State said it has approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom is drawn deeper into war in the Middle East.
A sale would mark a significant policy shift from the US, potentially altering the balance of military power in the Middle East and testing Washington's definition of maintaining its ally Israel's "qualitative military edge."
Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal for the jets in early 2025 to US President Donald Trump and has long been interested in Lockheed Martin's fighter.
Iranian delegation will be able to attend UN General Assembly, US says
The United States is allowing an Iranian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, a State Department spokesman said, despite a war that has entered its seventh month.
"Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week," the spokesman said.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed this would cover the Iranian president.
63 killed in latest clashes between Yemen government, Houthis, military sources say
Fighting between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces and their Saudi backers has killed 63 people in the last 24 hours, military sources from both sides told AFP.
At least 23 government soldiers were killed in missile and drone attacks by the Iran-backed group in two southwestern provinces, a government official said, while Houthi military sources reported 40 fighters killed in Saudi airstrikes and fighting on the ground.
US sanctions Iranian crypto exchange it says is linked to Hormuz payments
The United States announced sanctions on an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange controlled by the sanctioned financier Babak Zanjani, accusing it of processing payments received for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia, China end mandate for independent monitoring of UN sanctions on Iran
Russia and China ended a United Nations Security Council mandate for the independent monitoring of international sanctions on Iran, reviving their argument that all UN measures on Tehran had been removed under a nuclear deal with world powers.
All UN sanctions on Iran were reimposed a year ago after France, Britain and Germany accused Tehran of violating the 2015 nuclear pact meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
This included the return of an independent panel of experts to monitor and report to the 15-member Security Council on violations and recommend further action. However, the council has been operating without a panel of experts on Iran for the past year because it has been unable to agree on their appointment, a move that must be done by consensus.
Iran downed at least 2 unmanned US aircraft in recent days, US officials say
Iran foreign ministry summons German ambassador over Merz remarks
The Iranian foreign ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to object to "inappropriate statements" from Berlin, a reference to recent critical remarks by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
After a meeting with the visiting Iraqi prime minister on Tuesday, Merz demanded Iran lift its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, cease its support for armed groups across the region and put an end to its "military nuclear programme", which Tehran has consistently denied pursuing.
The Iranian ministry said in a statement that ambassador Axel Wilhelm Dittmann was called in following the "inappropriate statements by senior German officials against Iran, as well as certain interventionist actions by the German embassy in Tehran".
UKMTO reports skiff pursuit of tanker east of Yemen's Aden
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said that a westbound tanker had reported a skiff pursued and attempted to intercept it, 75 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden.
Authorities were investigating the incident, UKMTO added.
EU voices 'full solidarity' with Saudi Arabia, urges Houthis to 'cease' military action
The EU voiced its "full solidarity" with Saudi Arabia as it condemned recent strikes on the kingdom by Iran-backed Houthi fighters, including what Riyadh says was an attack targeting Islam's holy city of Mecca.
"We urge the Houthis to cease all military action," said a statement from EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, adding "the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure is unacceptable."
Amnesty accuses Iran of crimes against humanity
Amnesty International has accused Iranian authorities of committing crimes against humanity during the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" crackdown, saying more than 500 people, including 71 children, were killed and that the violence disproportionately targeted Kurdish and Baluchi communities.
The rights group is urging the UN General Assembly to create an international justice mechanism, arguing that many of the officials it identified remain in positions of power.
Houthis claim Saudi F-15 kill as Yemen fighting escalates
Yemen's Houthi rebels have released footage they say shows the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet, which, if confirmed, would mark the first fighter jet they have shot down.
The claim comes as fighting escalates in Yemen, with the Houthis expanding their control around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and the UN urging both sides to return to negotiations.
Lebanon on Paris talks: 'the general sentiment here is very little hope'
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, but on the ground many Lebanese say they have little hope after months of war with Israel, the continued occupation of parts of southern Lebanon and uncertainty over regional tensions.
FRANCE 24's Renée David reports from Beirut on hopes that Aoun and Macron can rally international backing and secure a framework agreement to help stabilise the country.
China's top diplomat, Rubio discuss Middle East situation
China's top diplomat Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the situation in the Middle East during a phone call, Chinese state media said.
The call comes days before the two countries' leaders are expected to meet in Washington, as Beijing seeks to mediate in Tehran's war with the United States.
Yesterday's key developments:
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Yemen's Houthis reported fresh Saudi air strikes on Wednesday as Riyadh accused the group of launching a "cowardly" attack targeting Islam's holy city of Mecca – which the Houthis disputed.
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Rescuers in war-torn Gaza were searching for dozens of people missing after an apartment block collapsed, killing eight people including children.
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Israel and Morocco have agreed to upgrade ties and open embassies in their respective countries following, according to an Israeli foreign ministry statement.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
