Iran allows Chinese ships to pass Hormuz as Trump-Xi meet

TNA’s live coverage of the latest in the Middle East concludes for today. Join us again tomorrow.
 

Iraqi officials have approached the International Monetary Fund about securing financial assistance as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, news agency Reuters reports- citing a source close to the IMF and an Iraqi government official on Thursday.

Initial conversations took place during last month's spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, and discussions are ongoing about how much funding Iraq would need and how any loan would be structured, the source close to the IMF told Reuters.

An Iraqi official advising on financial policy said Iraq is in preliminary discussions with the IMF and World Bank over a loan to finance the country's budget, given a sharp revenue shortfall caused by halted oil exports following the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The official said the talks were expected to be finalized once a new government is in place.

The war that began on February 28 with a massive US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran and triggered Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has rocked the entire Middle East, wreaking damage on infrastructure and economies.

Iraq has been hard hit by the war, with most of its oil exports - which represent nearly all government income - cut off by the closure ⁠of the critical waterway, which previously carried about one-fifth of the world's crude oil.

Iran's football federation chief said on Thursday that no visas had yet been issued for the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, state media reported.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has still not been resolved," the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying.

"We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet," he added.

According to Taj, the players were expected to travel to the Turkish capital Ankara for fingerprinting as part of the visa process.

"The players must travel to Ankara for fingerprinting, but we are trying to arrange for this to be done in Antalya so there will be no need to travel to Ankara," he said.

Iran has been at war with the United States and Israel since February 28, though a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, meanwhile, said that a "host country cannot use political disputes, sanctions or its own unilateral domestic policy decisions" to prevent a team from attending the World Cup.

"If the organising body cannot guarantee that all qualified teams, including Iran, can enter the host country without discrimination or restriction... the credibility of the World Cup itself will be undermined," Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X.

Iran's ability to threaten its neighbors and US interests in the region have been dramatically reduced , a senior US admiral said on Thursday.

"Iran has a significantly degraded threat, and they no longer threaten regional partners, or the United States, in ways that they were able to do before, across every domain," Admiral Brad Cooper told a Senate committee. "They've been significantly degraded."

 Dozens of boats carrying activists and aid for Palestinians began sailing from Turkey’s Mediterranean coast on Thursday in the latest attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza — just weeks after Israel intercepted a previous flotilla and detained two activists.

More than 50 vessels were scheduled to depart from the port in Marmaris in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described was the final leg of their journey to Gaza’s shores.

On April 30, Israeli forces intercepted more than 20 boats from a flotilla near the southern Greek island of Crete, initially holding about 175 activists. The incident drew protests and condemnation from several countries and raised questions about what any nation can legally do to enforce a blockade in international waters. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved.

Israel took two of the activists — Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel where they were interrogated and detained for several days. The activists accused Israel of torture. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens. The two were deported from Israel on Sunday.

Organizers say the latest efforts involved a regrouped fleet following Israel’s interception, joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries were taking part.

Jerusalem was bracing for tens of thousands of ultranationalist Jews to parade through Palestinian areas of the Old City on Thursday during an annual march that is often characterized by racist chants and violence.

The march commemorates Jerusalem Day, which marks Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war. Four years ago, the march helped set off an 11-day war in Gaza.

This year it comes as Israel's far-right government, where settler leaders hold key positions, is heading toward elections and is eager to play to its base.

Earlier in the day, one member of that government — far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — staged a visit to Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque stands, the third holiest site in Islam.

Jews revere the site as the Temple Mount, where the biblical temples once stood. It is the holiest site in Judaism. The visit threatened to inflame tensions that are rife in the city after two and a half years of nearly constant war and fragile ceasefires.

Ben Gvir on Thursday raised an Israeli flag, singing and claiming “the Temple Mount is in our hands," referencing a famous statement from the Israeli paratrooper commander in 1967 which announced Israeli control of parts of the Old City during the height of fighting.

Ben-Gvir has frequently visited the contested Jerusalem hilltop compound during sensitive times.

The procession often leads to violent confrontations between ultranationalists and the Old City’s Palestinian residents. In past years, crowds have chanted slogans like “Death to Arabs” and “May your villages burn.”

Israel's defence minister has criticised Barcelona's teenage star Lamine Yamal for waving a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the Spanish league title win, saying the act "incites hate."

"Lamine Yamal chose to incite hate against Israel while our soldiers combat [Hamas]", Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Thursday.

The 18-year-old Yamal waved a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus during a victory parade by Barcelona’s team through the city on Monday. The parade drew some 750,000 people to celebrate the league title, which was clinched on Barcelona's day, local authorities said.

Yamal, who is Muslim, posted pictures of himself holding the flag on his Instagram account.

Israeli authorities will take The New York Times to court over a piece it published denouncing alleged widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have ordered the "initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times", according to a joint statement issued by their offices.

It said the lawsuit was being pursued "following the publication by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times of one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press, which also received the backing of the newspaper".

The investigation, published on Monday as an opinion piece by columnist Kristof, is based on testimonies gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from 14 men and women who said that they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces.

The report described "a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and even children -- by soldiers, settlers, interrogators in the Shin Bet internal security agency and, above all, prison guards".

Iran's football federation chief on Thursday said no visas had yet been issued for the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, state media reported.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we will have a decisive meeting with FIFA. They must give us guarantees, because the visa issue has still not been resolved," the state news agency IRNA quoted federation chief Mehdi Taj as saying.

"We have not received any account from the other side regarding who has been granted visas. No visas have been issued yet," he added.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday pledged to press ahead with reforms within the Palestinian Authority, saying he was prepared to hold long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections, during an address to his party congress.

"We renew our full commitment to continuing work on implementing all the reform measures we pledged... We are ready to hold presidential and legislative elections," Abbas said, though he did not provide a timeline for the vote.

Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are under mounting pressure from the United States, the European Union and Arab states to implement reforms and hold elections, amid widespread accusations of corruption, political stagnation and the body's declining legitimacy among Palestinians.

Iran has reportedly begun allowing Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, which cited an “informed source”.

The source said the arrangement was reached due to the two countries’ “deep relations” and “strategic partnership”, following “an understanding about Iranian management protocols of the strait”.

The report came after shipping data showed several China-linked cargo ships and oil tankers, including the Yuan Hua Hu crude carrier, passing through the strait on Wednesday.

Lebanon will demand Israel cease fire at face-to-face talks in Washington on Thursday, a senior Lebanese official told news agency Reuters, as Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel continued to trade blows despite a US-backed truce declared last month.

The talks between Lebanese and Israeli envoys will mark the sides' third meeting since hostilities reignited between Hezbollah and Israel on March 2. Beirut is attending despite strong objections from Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah.

An Israeli government spokesperson said the talks were taking place with the goal of disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement.

Fought in parallel to the US-Iran conflict, the Hezbollah-Israel war has rumbled on since US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire on April 16 - though hostilities have largely been contained to southern Lebanon since then.

The ceasefire is due to expire on Sunday.

With Lebanon's health ministry reporting 22 people killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including eight children, the senior Lebanese official said the Lebanese delegation would seek "a ceasefire that Israel implements". 

India's foreign ministry condemned an attack of an Indian-flagged ship off Oman as "unacceptable" on Thursday, with maritime security monitors reporting the cargo vessel had sunk.

New Delhi did not give further details on the attack on Wednesday, and the fate of the unnamed ship, nor who it believes was responsible.

"The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable, and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"All Indian crew on board are safe, and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them," it added, without giving further details.

Maritime security firm Vanguard named the cargo vessel with 14 crew as the MSV Haj Ali, and said it had reports that it had sunk off the coast of Limah, Oman -- just south of the Strait of Hormuz -- after an explosion.

Vanguard said it was reported to be transporting livestock from Berbera in Somalia's breakaway Somaliland region to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, when there was a "suspected explosion believed to have been caused by a drone or missile strike".

It said a "fire reportedly broke out onboard, forcing the crew to abandon ship before the vessel sank".

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday accused the United Arab Emirates of playing what he called an active role in the US-Israeli war against Iran.

"The UAE is an active partner in this aggression, and there is no doubt about it," Araghchi said while attending the BRICS summit in India. "It also became clear that they participated in these attacks and may have even acted directly against us."

Araghchi also referred to what Israel described as a "secret" meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the UAE -- a visit that Abu Dhabi has denied took place.

BRICS nations, including Iran and Russia, met in New Delhi on Thursday, where India warned of "considerable flux" in a world hit by conflict, economic uncertainty and energy insecurity.

War in Iran and the related fuel crisis are dominating discussions in the two-day gathering.

India was hosting the foreign ministers from the expanded bloc that now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- countries at odds over the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

"We meet at a time of considerable flux in international relations," India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, in his opening speech, before closed meetings began.

Among the foreign ministers attending were Iran's Abbas Araghchi and Russia's Sergei Lavrov.

"Ongoing conflicts, economic uncertainties, and challenges in trade, technology, and climate are shaping the global landscape," Jaishankar added, saying many countries "continue to face challenges on energy, food, fertiliser and health security".

Disruptions around Gulf shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz continue to drive volatility in oil and gas markets, increasing pressure on energy-importing economies, including India.

India's foreign ministry also condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged ship off Oman on Wednesday as "unacceptable" -- with all sailors rescued safely by Muscat.

"We deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted," the foreign ministry said, without giving further details of who launched the attack.

Araghchi, speaking in New Delhi, insisted that the Strait of Hormuz "is open for all" commercial vessels who "cooperate" with its navy.

A Hezbollah drone strike injured several Israeli civilians on Thursday, the Israeli military said, hours before US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon were set to begin in Washington.

"A short while ago, an explosive drone that was launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation fell within Israeli territory, near the Israel-Lebanon border," the military said.

"As a result, several Israeli civilians were injured and evacuated to receive medical treatment at the hospital."

Israel's military said it launched strikes against Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon on Thursday, hours before US-brokered talks between the two countries were set to begin in Washington.

"The [Israeli military] has begun striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the military said after issuing evacuation warnings for a number of villages in the area.

Iran on Thursday called on BRICS member states to condemn what it says are violations of international law by the United States and Israel, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement on his Telegram account.

He also called on the BRICS nations to prevent the politicization of international institutions.

"The West's false sense of superiority and immunity must be shattered by all of us."

BRICS nations include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. 

 The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning on Thursday to residents of eight towns and villages in Lebanon's Bekaa region and the country's south ahead of possible strikes. 

 Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that unimpeded maritime flows through international waters, including the Strait of Hormuz, are vital for global economic well-being.

Jaishankar was speaking at the start of a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi.

"The conflict in West Asia merits particular attention," Jaishankar said, referring to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.

"Safe and unimpeded maritime flows through international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, remain vital for global economic well-being."

The impact of the war in Iran, including the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has been described as one of the biggest disruptions to energy markets in history.

The disruption has choked tanker traffic and sent energy prices surging, stoking fears of spiralling inflation and a global economic downturn.

The BRICS grouping, founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China, expanded to include South Africa in 2011. Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates have joined more recently. India holds the BRICS chair for 2026.

Foreign ministers from most member states are attending the meeting in New Delhi, including Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the UAE’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar.

The war has made it harder for the group to reach consensus on a joint statement, reflecting differences between Iran and the UAE, which are on opposing sides in the conflict launched on February 28.

Jaishankar also said BRICS must address the "increasing resort to unilateral coercive measures and sanctions inconsistent with international law and the U.N. Charter."

"Such measures disproportionately affect developing countries. These unjustifiable measures cannot substitute dialogue, nor can pressure replace diplomacy."

He said emerging economies expect BRICS to play a constructive and stabilising role. 

A ship off the UAE coast near the Strait of Hormuz has been taken by unknown people and is now headed towards Iranian territorial waters, a UK maritime agency said on Thursday.

The vessel was "taken by unauthorised personnel whilst at anchor" 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah, and "is now bound for Iranian territorial waters", according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre.