Trump says Hormuz blockade to be lifted, Iran says "no final agreement" reached

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US hails 'productive' talks between Israel, Lebanon military officials after closed-door talks in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all his conditions, a White House official told AFP after the US leader huddled with aides to discuss a possible agreement.

"The Situation Room meeting has concluded and lasted approximately two hours. President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines," the White House official said on condition of anonymity.

"Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

Israeli strikes in three areas of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Friday killed 11 people including a rescuer and a Syrian national, the health ministry said.

Eight people were wounded, including another rescuer, the ministry said, slamming the attacks as a "flagrant violation of humanitarian law".

The United States and Iran are still inching towards a deal to extend the ceasefire in the Middle East war and provide a framework for longer-term peace talks, though both sides appear to differ on key points.

With oil prices once again dipping lower on hopes of agreement, what do we know about the substance of the document?

Read the full story here.

The United States issued new counter-terrorism sanctions on Friday targeting Iranian individuals and entities, among others, a notice on the Treasury Department website showed.

Iran-backed Hezbollah said Friday it had launched a series of attacks against military targets in northern Israel near the Lebanese border, as delegations from two countries held security talks in Washington.

The armed group said in a series of statements that it targeted gatherings of soldiers near a town in Israel's north using drones, as well as another group in a military camp in Galilee and a barracks.

The heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Energy Agency warned on Friday of the risks to fuel security during peak demand summer months if oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz does not return to normal.

"Global oil inventories are being drawn down at a record pace in response to the major loss of supply through the Strait of Hormuz," the heads of the agencies said in a joint statement. "If shipping flows do not return to normal, continued rapid depletion of global oil inventories ahead of peak summer oil demand in the Northern Hemisphere would present increasing risks for fuel security, market conditions, and broader economic resilience."

US President Donald Trump on Friday finished a meeting during which he said would make a "final determination" on an Iran peace deal, a White House official told AFP.

The official would not say if Trump had reached a decision on the deal with Tehran during the gathering in the high security White House Situation Room.

Iranian authorities are laying the groundwork for a "grand" funeral for slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, official media reported Friday, following a lengthy postponement due to the Islamic republic's war with the United States and Israel.

Though the timing was still uncertain, "a special headquarters has been formed to prepare for the funeral ceremony, and various agencies are currently planning and making arrangements", state TV reported, citing Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of the Tehran Coordination Council for Islamic Propaganda.

Khamenei, who led the Islamic republic for more than three decades, was killed in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on February 28.

His son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei was also wounded in the attacks and has not been seen in public since assuming office.

An event paying tribute to the elder Khamenei was organised in April, but a state funeral that was initially announced could not be held because of the war.

State TV, citing Mahmoudi, said "different organisations are working to provide the necessary conditions so that, once officially announced, a 'grand' ceremony can be held", adding "widespread attendance" was expected.

Though a ceasefire has largely held since coming into effect in April, a deal to definitively end the conflict has proven elusive.

The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization met on Thursday to discuss their institutions' response to the impacts of the war in the Middle East, they said in a joint statement on Friday.

"If shipping flows do not return to normal, continued rapid depletion of global oil inventories ahead of peak summer oil demand in the Northern Hemisphere would present increasing risks for fuel security, market conditions, and broader economic resilience," the institutions said, referring to the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

The institutions also explored options to "further enhance collective support through multilateral and bilateral actions," it added. 

Kazakhstan has offered to take Iran's uranium stockpile if the United States and Iran reach an accord on Tehran's contested nuclear programme, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Financial Times on Friday.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency met with Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana this week.

The Financial Times said the Kazakh leader had expressed his country's "openness" to store the stockpile enriched to near weapons grade level.

The estimated 440 kilogrammes of uranium processed to 60 percent purity is at the centre of talks between the United States and Iran on extending the ceasefire in the war unleashed by US-Israel attacks.

US President Donald Trump has insisted that Iran must accept that it will not have a nuclear weapon and that the uranium is destroyed. Iran has insisted on its right to maintain a nuclear programme.

According to US news site Axios, a deal being discussed does not solve the uranium dispute, but would include an Iranian commitment not to build a nuclear bomb.

Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of a "blatant violation" of the October 2025 ceasefire after he ordered the army to seize more territory in the Gaza Strip.

"In a blatant violation of all agreements, as is their usual practice, Netanyahu announced expanding control over 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, while the killing and starvation continue," Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim told AFP.

Iran began their World Cup preparations with a 3-1 friendly victory against Gambia in Turkey on Friday.

The team's players are still waiting for their visas to enter the United States, where they will play their three World Cup group stage matches.

Iran have moved their base to Mexico due to the tensions between them and the United States over the war in the Middle East.

They trailed 1-0 at half-time to Gambia in Antalya before launching a second half comeback, with three goals in 20 minutes, including one by Olympiacos forward Mehdi Taremi.

Iran will play another friendly against Mali in Antalya next Thursday and begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on June 16 in Los Angeles.

They will play further group matches against Belgium, also in LA, and Egypt in Seattle.

The European Union has adopted further sanctions against Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said the EU on Friday.

"The EU decided to expand the scope of the EU's restrictive measures regarding Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to also target members of the Political Bureau of Hamas (Politburo), who promote, defend and justify violent actions. The EU also listed 10 individual members of the Politburo," it added in a statement.

The move comes a day after the EU had also imposed sanctions against some Israeli settlers.

Iran's foreign ministry said Friday that there was still "no final agreement" with the United States to end the Middle East war, after US President Donald Trump said he was making his decision on a potential deal.

"Regarding the understanding, as I said while speaking to you, exchanges of messages are continuing, but no final agreement has been reached yet," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state media.

Israeli forces have advanced to positions north of Lebanon's Litani River, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, as Israel escalates attacks against what it claims to be Hezbollah assets after warning thousands more Lebanese to flee their villages.

The Israeli advance came as the U.S. military hosted Israeli and Lebanese defence representatives in Washington on Friday to pursue a U.S.-brokered plan to forge peace between the two countries and disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Read the full story here.

Iran's Fars news agency cited informed sources on Friday as saying the latest comments by US President Donald Trump about a potential deal to end the Middle East war were a "mixture of truth and lies".

"Trump claimed that Iran was obligated to open the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, even though no such clause appears in the next of the agreement," the agency said.

On Trump's assertion that Washington and Tehran would coordinate on destroying Iran's enriched uranium, it added: "Well-informed sources emphasised that not only does this not appear in the memorandum of understanding, but this claim is fundamentally baseless."

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the blockade of Hormuz to be lifted and the US would 'unearth' Iran's uranium. Here is the post in full:

"Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions. All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!). Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented Naval Blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of “heading home!” Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President! The enriched material, sometimes referred to as “Nuclear Dust,” which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so!), in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED. No money will be exchanged, until further notice. Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi told his Omani counterpart that reaching a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war depended on Washington dropping its "excessive demands", Tehran's foreign ministry said Friday.

"The Iranian minister of foreign affairs... indicated that arriving at a final agreement depended on ending the American party's attitude based on excessive demands and shifting and contradictory positions," the ministry said in a summary of a call between the ministers.

Trump says he's meeting with aides to make a 'final determination' on moving forward on deal to extend Iran ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Pakistani counterpart at the State Department in Washington on Friday, as negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran drag on.

The meeting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar -- whose country is acting as mediator between the United States and Iran -- came days after Rubio's visit to India, Pakistan's historic rival.

The two officials did not address the press.

Vice President JD Vance said late Thursday that progress had been made toward an agreement between the United States and Iran.

On Friday, Iran's Tasnim news agency, citing a source, said the text had not yet been finalized and that the wording of the potential memorandum of understanding had "undergone some changes in recent days."

Hamas said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that his country would expand its area of control in Gaza was a dangerous escalation, as residents of the Palestinian territory also voiced alarm at the plan.

Under a ceasefire deal in October Israel's military was to remain in control of 53% of Gaza, but Netanyahu said on Friday that it would expand that area to an initial 70%, without laying out details or a timeline.

The Palestinian militant group, which triggered two years of devastating warfare in Gaza with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, described his comments as a plan for ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians.

About 60,000 Palestinians attended Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said, despite tight Israeli restrictions.

A Greek national was set to appear in court Friday on charges that he helped the intelligence service of a foreign country, believed to be Iran, target a journalist working in London.

The allegations against Ioannis Aidinidis, 46, relate to attempts to target a journalist for Iran International, a Persian-language media outlet that has traditionally been critical of the country’s Islamic government, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement.

“We know this may cause concern for many people here in the UK, and particularly those working in Persian-language media,’’ Commander Helen Flanagan said. “We continue to work closely with a number of organizations and individuals to provide them with advice and support around their safety and security, and this includes the specific individual and organization linked to this investigation.’’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday he had discussed the Strait of Hormuz and its future administration with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi in line with their sovereign responsibilities and international law.

In a post on X, Araqchi said he also expressed Iran's solidarity with Oman in the face of any threat. 

Stock markets were mixed while oil prices fell again on Friday on investor optimism that the United States and Iran would reach a deal to extend their ceasefire.

Oil markets have been up and down this week as investors assess the chances of a breakthrough agreement between Washington and Tehran that could potentially resume shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Those hopes had been briefly dashed by new US military strikes on Iran Wednesday night, countered by the Revolutionary Guard's targeting of an American airbase in the region.

But by Thursday evening, negotiators had edged towards a deal to extend their fragile ceasefire for 60 days, pending approval from President Donald Trump

Lebanese Presidency announced Aoun received a phone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which he reviewed the general situation in Lebanon and the region.

During the call, the president stressed the need to exert all possible efforts to reach a ceasefire as the necessary path to create the appropriate conditions to address the various files and issues raised.

Rubio reiterated the commitment of the US administration to continue its efforts to consolidate the outcomes of the previous meetings in Washington.

The UN warned on Friday that an Israeli plan to take control of 70 per cent of Gaza is sure to increase suffering among children already hit by the impacts of severe overcrowding.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had ordered the military to take control of more territory in the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the terms of a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

The United Nations children's agency warned that such a move would deepen the health crisis among children in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, already suffering from a lack of food, water and access to hygiene.

Today, "people have been crammed into around 40 per cent of the space left to them, sheltering among broken buildings, rubble and mounting solid waste", UNICEF spokesman Salim Oweis told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Gaza, adding "there is no accessible space left to clear" the waste.

"The effects of this are now widely apparent: children with respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhoea, and more than half of all households reporting skin diseases," he added.

"Fleas, lice and scabies are commonplace," Oweis said, also pointing to numerous cases of rats biting young children and even babies after getting into tents and other shelters for Gaza's hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

"Increasing numbers of children are requiring hospitalisation, all without a single fully functioning hospital across Gaza," he added.

Oweis described the situation as "dire", noting the overcrowding was "creating more spread of diseases, straining the systems and of course cutting... services".

If Israel takes control of even more land, that "means that we will lose access to some of the service points, but also (to) some hard to reach places (where) children and families are living," he said. "This will just mean that more children will suffer."

Israel has killed more than 900 people in the territory since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Milan prosecutors have placed two Iranians living in Italy under investigation and ordered their homes to be searched over alleged threats to compatriots opposed to the Tehran government, judicial documents showed on Friday.

According to a nine-page search warrant seen by Reuters, prosecutors suspect the two people of aggravated threats and association with terrorism and subversion of democracy.

The case stems from complaints filed by several Iranian citizens living in Italy.

In one case cited in the warrant, an Iranian dissident told investigators she had received a phone call telling her she had been sentenced to death for being an opposition supporter and that her assets in Iran would be confiscated.

One of the two suspects had an Instagram profile from which death threats were made against anyone hoping for the accession to power of Reza Pahlavi—the exiled son of Iran's former Shah—the warrant showed.

It said both suspects, named as Jalilian Farshid and Adib Ansari Rohoulah, were known to attend an Islamic centre in Milan owned by the Iranian consulate.

Official Lebanese sources told The New Arab that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed the military delegation participating in the Pentagon meeting to prioritise establishing a ceasefire as a basic path for negotiating the remaining issues.

The sources added that Lebanon's key points are the establishment of a ceasefire, Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories, and the state's restoration of its full authority over all its lands to ensure the protection of the borders, in addition to the release of Lebanese prisoners, the return of the displaced, and reconstruction.

Sources also indicated that the Lebanese Army will stress during the meeting the need to support the military institution in carrying out its required tasks, especially regarding the state's exclusive control over weapons.

The security meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli military delegations began at the US Department of Defence headquarters, the Pentagon, to discuss security issues.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also claimed that the Israeli army has advanced past the Litani River in southern Lebanon. 

A Greek national has been charged with allegedly assisting a foreign intelligence service in the targeting of a journalist working for the London-based television station Iran International.

"Counterterrorism" police said Ioannis Aidinidis, 46, who resides in Munich, Germany, was arrested over the weekend and has been charged under the UK’s National Security Act.

Police said allegations are believed to relate to Iran and to the targeting of a British-based journalist at Iran International, which is critical of Tehran's government, and they do not believe there to be any wider threat to the public.

Professional photo and video journalists working in Gaza are to receive an annual press freedom award on Monday for risking their lives to report on the war, an association of publishers has said.

The 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom will be handed to representatives of global news agencies still operating in Gaza—Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters—"whose local journalists continue to provide consistent, professional coverage under extremely challenging conditions", said the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

"For over two and a half years, journalists in Gaza have recorded death, destruction, and human suffering in unparalleled terms," reads the citation of the award. "They are as much victims of the conflict as they are chroniclers of a war that erupted—and continues—around them."

Read more below:

 Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said on Friday in a post on X that Tehran does not trust words or guarantees and would judge by actions, adding that Iran would not act unless the other side acted first.

The United States and Iran reached an agreement on Thursday to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sources told Reuters, though US President Donald Trump has yet to approve it, and Iranian state media said it had not been finalised. 

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that at least 24 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iranian authorities over the past 24 hours.

In a statement carried on Fars news agency, the IRGC navy said it is allowing a limited number of ships to cross the strategic waterway via designated routes each day to “avoid congestion”.

Yesterday, the IRGC said 26 commercial vessels crossed Hormuz within 24 hours.

US Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing on a deal to extend their ceasefire, but the potential breakthrough still hangs in the balance on President Donald Trump's approval.

Trump remained notably silent into Friday morning, despite US sources telling AFP a deal just needed his sign-off, underscoring the volatility of talks three months after the war rattled the Middle East and the global economy.

"It's hard to say exactly when or if the President is going to sign the MOU," Vance told reporters on Thursday. "We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. We've made a lot of progress here."

The potential deal would allow unrestricted shipping through the strait, with no tolls or harassment. At the same time, Iran would remove mines within 30 days, and the US would lift its naval blockade if commercial traffic resumes, according to US media reports.

But Iran has not confirmed any commitments to a deal, and sources have told Iranian media that any agreement unilaterally announced by Trump would not be recognised.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, acknowledged on Thursday, 28 May, that his country's army currently occupies 60% of the Gaza Strip, revealing plans to expand control to 70%.

Read more below:

The Iranian Tasnim agency, citing an informed source, said that reports regarding the details of the final text of a possible agreement are premature, that the draft has not yet reached the final drafting stage, and that it will be officially announced as soon as it is completed.

The source stressed that what was recently published by Western media, claiming it was part of the original text, is "inaccurate," noting that the potential draft understanding has undergone amendments over the past few days.

During the Israeli army's Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, visit to the 210th Division alongside Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and other commanders, he said, "There is no place that will serve as a fortress for Hezbollah, and there is no place where it will have immunity. The yellow line does not limit us."

According to him, "Our goal is clear—to deepen the strike on Hezbollah, push back the threat and strengthen the defence of northern communities."

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Diodato Abagnara stressed that the political and diplomatic track remains the only possible solution to the conflict, stressing UNIFIL's commitment to supporting the restoration of the cessation of hostilities and creating conditions for a permanent ceasefire.

Abagnara's statements were made during a celebration held by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at its headquarters in Naqoura on the occasion of International Peacekeepers Day, amid deteriorating security and the escalation of hostilities along the Blue Line.

UNIFIL affirmed its continued performance of its duties and its support for the people of southern Lebanon despite difficult circumstances, reiterating its commitment to working for stability and peace.

The spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Parliament, Ibrahim Rezaei, said today, Friday, in a post on X, that the Iranian management of the Strait of Hormuz "has become a globally established matter, and for this reason, countries ask permission, pay fees, and pass their ships under the directives of the Revolutionary Guard's naval force." 

"The only person who did not believe that or did not want to believe it was Trump," he added, saying that Trump "sends his army from time to time to open the strait, and they come and get beaten and then return disappointed."

He addressed US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent, saying that "instead of empty threats and verbal displays, consider bowing in reverence to the Iranians' strength in the Gulf."

Member of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, MP Hassan Fadlallah, said that what is on offer for Lebanon is "either surrender or war", stressing that "the resistance will not submit to Israel and will continue to exercise its right to defend its existence and prevent the occupation from settling in the villages of the south."

Fadlallah pointed out the unity of the resistance and the existing coordination between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, stressing a common vision with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on confronting the dangers threatening Lebanon and addressing the proposed negotiations and solutions.

He added that Hezbollah had previously sought to avoid war and support the state in assuming its responsibilities south of the Litani, but Israeli attacks continued and expanded their occupation in the south.

Fadlallah also stressed that Hezbollah's priority is confronting Israel and preventing it from achieving its goals.

 Surrounded by expanding illegal Israeli outposts and rising Israeli settler violence, Taybeh—the occupied West Bank's last fully Christian Palestinian village—fears for its future, writes Jessica Buxbaum.

Read more below:

Israeli soldiers have closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the occupied West Bank "until further notice", according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

Israeli soldiers told worshippers and the mosque's employees and custodians to leave the site immediately, then they sealed the mosque, shutting all surrounding checkpoints and gates, officials at the mosque told Wafa news agency.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said the move is part of Israel's ongoing policy of undermining the status quo at the mosque, and is a serious violation of freedom of worship to cement its colonialisation of the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians are routinely subjected to closures, restrictions, and repressive measures by Israeli soldiers and settlers, aimed at forcing them to leave the Old City of Hebron, thereby facilitating Israeli control over the mosque and annexation of the area.

The German government is concerned about Israel expanding its violence and taking more of Gaza, a clear violation of the so-called October 2025 ceasefire, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

The German official added that Germany opposes a permanent division of the Palestinian territory. 

Israeli drones are back buzzing over the Lebanese capital, as Israel just announced more forced evacuation orders in south Lebanon.

Israel claimed that it killed Imad Hassan Hussein Aslim in the Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, it said the army and intelligence agency Shin Bet "attacked and eliminated" Aslim on Wednesday. It described him as commander of the Zeitoun Battalion and deputy commander of the Gaza City Brigade.

There was no immediate response from Hamas. If confirmed, it would be the third senior Hamas official killed by Israel in the past two weeks. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again put focus on India-Israel warm ties early Friday, saying Israel receives "crazy love" from India at a time when, according to him, much of the world seeks to "delegitimise" Israel for its genocidal war on Gaza and abuses against Palestinians and other nationals.

Addressing an event, Israeli PM said, "We have a unique relationship with a huge power called India...In India, there is an absolutely crazy love for Israel, truly crazy. I think I have more followers from India than from anywhere else."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also heads a right-wing fundamentalist coalition, visited Israel in February and was conferred with Israel's highest parliamentary honour, the "Speaker of the Knesset medal."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Iran is the only party authorised to decide the fate of its enriched uranium wealth.

This came as a comment on the recent statements of US President Donald Trump, in which he demanded the necessity of "handing over the enriched uranium in Iran to the United States to destroy it, or destroy it in its place under international supervision and inspection."

Zakharova added, in a press conference in the capital, Moscow, on Thursday, that "enriched uranium is the exclusive property of Iran, and only Tehran has the right to decide what to do with it. The final and only word on this matter belongs entirely to it."

The UN Children's Agency says that on average, 11 children were killed or injured by Israel every 24 hours in the past week in Lebanon.

Since March, Israel has killed over 3,000 people in the country.

Lebanon, on Friday, warns that Israel's intensified airstrikes have put the country's precious archaeological sites in "serious danger".

Lebanon's culture minister told AFP on Friday that Israeli strikes on the country's south are putting heritage sites, including in the ancient city of Tyre, in "serious danger".

"Bombings fell very close to the ruins of Tyre," a UNESCO World Heritage site, Ghassan Salame said, adding that the medieval Beaufort castle overlooking Nabatieh was "directly hit".

UK Labour David Taylor MP has called for left-wing internet personality Hasan Piker to have his visa revoked over several comments he has made regarding Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

The prominent streamer, who has more than 3 million followers on Twitch and more than 1.5 million on X, is scheduled to speak at London SXSW next month at an event dubbed "How the American Left Learned to Speak the Internet".

Taylor, a Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, claimed that Piker's presence would be "not conducive to the public good", accusing Piker of "vile antisemitic rants".

"It's shocking that SXSW would invite someone who has openly supported a proscribed terrorist organisation and spouted these kinds of vile antisemitic rants to speak at their festival...With the unacceptable rise in antisemitism on our streets, leaving British Jews in a constant state of anxiety, Hasan Piker is clearly not conducive to the public good," Taylor said.

For his part, Piker had stressed in various interviews that he is not antisemitic, but he was anti-Israel and has often criticised Israel for its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

A spokesperson for the festival told the press that the event brings together "a wide range of speakers with different associations, affiliations and perspectives" and that "inclusion in the programme does not imply endorsement of all organisations with whom a speaker may be directly or indirectly affiliated".

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said today, Friday, that his country strongly condemns the Israeli attacks that targeted various areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, in addition to the Dahiya area in the capital, Beirut.

Baghaei added that the US administration is "complicit and complicit" in all crimes committed by Israel in Lebanon, Palestine, and throughout the region, stressing the responsibility of the international community to hold accountable and punish "Zionist criminals for committing horrific international crimes."

He noted that Israel has killed more than 300 journalists, so far.

Israel attacked multiple areas in southern Lebanon over the past hour or so.

Israeli artillery shelling targeted the Ali Al-Taher hills, Nabatieh, Al-Fawqa, Shokin, and Kafr Rumman, and Habboush.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced he has asked the country's public prosecutor to investigate the treatment by Israel of French flotilla activists who were heading to the Gaza Strip to break a decades-old illegal Israeli blockade.

"Based on reports, I asked our consul general in Turkey, who informed me of sexual violence, exposure to cold, beatings and repeated humiliation of French citizens—all these acts may constitute criminal offences, and I decided yesterday to refer the matter to the prosecutor," he said.

The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reports that three people were killed in an Israeli attack on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, in the Al-Mawasi area.

In the north of the Strip, five people were injured in an Israeli attack on Yarmouk Street in Gaza City, according to the report.

The National News Agency in Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone bombarded the town of Maaroub in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon on Friday morning.

Lebanese ambulance crews have been prevented from entering Lebanese towns and villages hit by Israeli strikes, compounding the suffering of civilians on the ground as Israel persists with a deadly new wave of attacks.

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 The dollar was firm against other major currencies on Friday but was on track to end the week lower, after reports that the US and Iran reached an agreement to extend the ceasefire in the Middle East and to lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The deal, still pending Trump's approval, would extend the truce for another 60 days and allow traffic to flow through the strategic waterway while negotiators tackle difficult issues such as Iran's nuclear program, four sources told Reuters.

Oil futures fell more than 1% on Friday and were on track for their steepest weekly decline since early April. The dollar was heading into the end of the week 0.3% lower, snapping two weeks of gains.

"Geopolitical risk premia may continue to unwind in the near term," said Lloyd Chan, senior currency analyst at MUFG Global Markets Research.

Although renewed tensions are likely to keep markets sensitive in the near term, the balance of probabilities still points toward de-escalation, with both the US and Iran appearing incentivised to pursue a diplomatic resolution, he added.

"It might well be that once this crisis in Iran, in the Middle East, is behind us, we expect the US dollar to remain weak," said Massimiliano Castelli, head of strategy in the global sovereign markets team at UBS Asset Management.

Hezbollah announced that it had targeted a gathering of Israeli occupation army vehicles and soldiers in the Qantara town square with a missile launcher.

The Israeli army began the morning by issuing an order to the residents of the village of Ain Qana in the Nabatieh District, southern Lebanon, to evacuate their homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters away to open land, or be killed.