(TR) The Israeli army is expanding evacuation calls in southern Lebanon: Residents of Sidon, Mazra'at Kawkariya al-Riz, and al-Zarariya have been instructed by the army to "immediately" leave north of the Zahrani River. Israel claims it is responding to violations of the April ceasefire by Hezbollah and attacks on...
(TR) What happened at night?
(TR) UNICEF warns that the war with Iran disrupts the supply of vital aid to children. Due to more expensive fuels, insurance, and delays in shipping through Hormuz, organizations have to rely more on air transport. Maritime shipments are delayed by four to six due to limited traffic in the strait.
(TR) Despite the blockades, several tankers managed to pass through the Hormuz Strait. 🚢👇 Two tankers carrying oil products set sail from the Persian Gulf: Cy Victorious with at least 80 thousand tons of Iraqi fuel oil and Sti Elysees with cargo from Kuwait. Meanwhile, LNG tanker Marigold...
(TR) The USA has imposed new sanctions on Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges due to alleged circumvention of sanctions and ties to the Revolutionary Guards. The main target is Nobitex, the largest digital exchange in Iran, which, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, processed more than half of the influx of digital assets last year.
(TR) Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam supported the resumption of negotiations with Israel in Washington. According to Salam, the talks could help solidify the ceasefire throughout Lebanon and allow displaced civilians to return. "It is the least costly option for Lebanon and the Lebanese," he stated. Since the escalation of the war.
(TR) The UAE is considering the construction of its first multipurpose pipeline that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz. State-owned ADNOC is preparing a project that allows for the export of multiple types of fuel outside the route affected by the blockade. Abu Dhabi is also accelerating the expansion of the existing pipeline to the port of Fujairah.
(TR) Transportation through the Hormuz Strait remains very limited despite hopes for an agreement between the USA and Iran: In recent days, several tankers with petroleum products have managed to pass through the strait, and one tanker loaded LNG in the UAE. At the entrance to Hormuz, additional empty tankers are also waiting.
(TR) Turkish President Erdoğan, according to former head of Israeli military intelligence Tamir Hayman, helped block the American-Israeli plan to change the regime in Iran. Hayman stated in an interview with PBS that the plan included a series of special operations and the involvement of Kurdish armed groups.
(TR) Divers pulled abandoned fishing nets from the Marmara Sea near Balıkesir that are so large they could cover the entire Çamlıca Tower in Istanbul (shown below). So-called "ghost nets" remain on the bottom for years or float freely in the water, continuing to catch and kill marine animals, according to Turkish authorities.
(TR) According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Donald Trump is preparing for the NATO summit in Ankara in July. Fidan stated that Trump has repeatedly confirmed his participation during phone calls with President Erdoğan. The summit will take place on July 7 and 8.
(TR) The Israeli army urged residents of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately north of the Zahrani River. This is already the second call for the city, to which Israeli units have approached about 5 km after the capture of the Beaufort fortress. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon meanwhile.
(TR) Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is facing criticism across the political spectrum after he backed down from extensive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut under Trump's pressure. According to the FT, the Israeli Prime Minister announced the attacks as retaliation for rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. After a phone call with Trump.
(TR) France has banned Israel's official national pavilion at the Eurosatory defense industry fair in Paris in June. Israeli companies will also not be allowed to exhibit offensive combat systems; air defense is permitted to remain. The Israeli Ministry of Defense labeled the decision.
(TR) The eastern part of Syria has been hit by floods in recent days due to the release of water from Turkish dams on the Euphrates. According to the media, the water damaged agricultural land and affected the livelihoods of over 2,000 people. Three children drowned. 🇹🇷 Turkey released the water after an exceptionally rainy winter, which was supposed to be...
(TR) Russian financial officials warned Putin, according to Bloomberg, that war expenditures threaten the country's stability. The budget deficit for the first four months of the year has risen to 5.9 trillion rubles, or 2.5% of GDP. This is already about half more than Moscow planned for the entire year.
(TR) Donald Trump stated that after the conversation with Netanyahu, Israeli forces will not move to Beirut and the soldiers who were already on their way have been ordered to return. He also stated that despite high-ranking intermediaries, he communicated with Hezbollah. According to Trump, both sides...
(TR) Macron discussed with Trump the situation in the Middle East and supported the effort to quickly conclude an agreement between the USA and Iran. According to him, France is ready to get involved in its implementation. Together with the UK and other partners, it has already prepared an international mission that would take place after the agreement is reached.
(TR) Iran, according to the Tasnim agency, is suspending communication with the 🇺🇸 USA through intermediaries due to Israeli operations in 🇱🇧 Lebanon. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that "a violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts." Tasnim also claims that Iran and its allies
(TR) Iran executed two men sentenced for participating in the riots in Tehran in January 2026, according to the local judiciary website Mizan. Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki were reportedly among the main perpetrators of the attack on the Jafari mosque in the Gisha district. They faced charges of arson,
(TR) The Iranian acting defense minister warns that "new surprises are coming," while negotiations with the USA are again hitting contentious terms of the agreement. According to NYT, Trump tightened the proposal, especially regarding Iran's enriched uranium, and sent it back to Tehran for consideration.
(TR) Syrian interim president Ahmad Sharrah discussed by phone with Donald Trump the cancellation of the remaining American sanctions and the restoration of the Syrian economy. Sharrah stated that the complete removal of sanctions is key for the return of investments and development projects. Trump, according to the Syrian side, emphasized...
(TR) Morocco has for the first time surpassed South Africa as the highest-rated industrial economy in Africa. According to the African Development Bank index, it benefits from modernization of production, diversification of exports, and long-term industrial policy. South Africa, on the other hand, has lost its rank after 15 years.
(TR) Saudi Arabia is considering launching a state-regulated stablecoin as part of a broader digitization of the financial market. The first test transactions could take place later this year. The digital currency is intended to be linked to stable assets and enable faster transfers in trading.
(TR) Donald Trump announced that the American ambassador in Turkey, Tom Barrack, will also serve as a special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq. Barrack will retain his position as ambassador in Ankara and will newly receive a mandate for the development of cooperation between Washington, Damascus, and Baghdad. According to
(TR) In France, the largest European infrastructure project for artificial intelligence is to be created. Japanese SoftBank has promised to invest up to 75 billion euros in a network of data centers in the north of the country. The planned capacity of 5 GW corresponds to the output of about five nuclear power plants or peak consumption.
(TR) According to the Wall Street Journal, the UAE has allegedly carried out dozens of attacks against Iran during the war and after the declaration of a ceasefire. The attacks were reportedly based on intelligence from the USA and Israel. The targets were supposed to include the islands of Qeshm and Abu Musa, the port of Bandar Abbas, and the refinery on the island of Lavan.
(TR) China is facing an unpleasant dilemma in Syria: it is worried about Uyghur militants, but it is also expanding economic ties. According to NPR, Uyghur fighters linked to the Turkestan Islamic Party played a significant role in the fall of Assad's regime. Reuters reported last year that the new Syrian leadership
(TR) In the Financial Times, there is an interview with Czech Prime Minister A. Babiš: - He admitted to FT that the Czech Republic will probably not meet the NATO commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defense this year. - However, before the July summit of the alliance in Ankara, he relies on good relations with Trump. "I am a Trump supporter," he said.
(TR) Iran may have used a Chinese portable air defense missile to shoot down the American F-15E, according to three sources familiar with the investigation, as reported by NBC News. The aircraft was shot down over southwestern Iran in April. Both crew members ejected and survived.
(TR) Trump, according to the media, sent a tightened version of the draft agreement to Iran. According to Axios, he is asking for more precise rules for Iranian enriched uranium: how the material will reach the USA and within what timeframe. The changes are also supposed to concern the wording about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal is thus returning to...
(TR) Turkey has long proposed a new regional security platform from Pakistan through the Gulf states to Egypt and Turkey. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated this, stating that Israel could also join if it recognizes a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967.
(TR) Russian drone attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea may be related, according to Türkiye Today, to pressure on Russia's "shadow fleet" and grain exports from occupied parts of Ukraine. Turkey and Israel recently refused to allow the ship Panormitis with cargo that Kyiv designates.
(TR) Why do some Lebanese still not want Hezbollah to disarm? Report 👇
(TR) Frustration is rising in Netanyahu's circle over Trump's approach to Iran - sources cited by Al-Monitor claim. The server reported that the USA abruptly stopped plans for deeper intervention against the Iranian regime in March, including support for Kurdish armed groups.
(TR) The scenario of why the Kurds ultimately did not join the fight against the Iranian regime is becoming increasingly likely.
(TR) ‼️ The Iraqi channel Sabereen News, supported by Iran, claims that there was a shootout in the Hormuz Strait between 🇮🇷 Iran and vessels linked to 🇺🇸 the USA. According to Sabereen, Iran opened fire on four ships, including commercial ones, due to an alleged violation of Iranian passage rules.
(TR) The Israeli army announced a strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The strike hit near the southern suburb of the city, which is considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. The target of the attack is not yet clear. Footage is coming from the site showing thick smoke over the buildings. The strike comes at a time when Israel is expanding
(TR) According to the shipping agency Tribeca, drone attacks on three tankers near the northern coast of Turkey were reported in the Black Sea. The ships James II flying the flag of Palau and Altura and Velora flying the flag of Sierra Leone were said to be hit. All were sailing without cargo, two of them during the transshipment operation from
(TR) Turkish President Erdoğan is reportedly seeking a meeting with Trump around the World Cup, according to Bloomberg. The agenda is expected to include NATO and a broader security agenda at a time when Ankara is hosting the alliance's summit in July and trying to strengthen its own role between Europe, the USA, and the Middle East.
(TR) Donald Trump, when asked if he would accept a temporary agreement under which Iran and Oman would control the strait, replied that "Hormuz will be open for everyone." He then said about Oman that they must "behave like everyone else," otherwise the USA will have to "blow them up."
(TR) Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr announced that he wants to integrate his militia Saraya al-Salam under state control. It is a sensitive step at a time when Baghdad is facing pressure due to armed groups linked to Iran and drone attacks from Iraqi territory on Gulf states.
(TR) The USA has allegedly carried out further strikes in southern Iran. Nevertheless, according to an American official, the ceasefire still formally applies. CENTCOM was supposed to have shot down four Iranian attack drones and hit a control station in Bandar Abbas, which according to Washington was preparing to launch another drone. The USA claims that it was…
(TR) Most Turks reject the court ruling that ousted the leader of the opposition CHP, Özgür Özel. The verdict from last week deepened the political crisis surrounding the main opposition party. The court annulled the CHP congress from 2023, reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the helm, and caused
(TR) The USA and Armenia signed a strategic partnership agreement in Yerevan less than two weeks before the Armenian parliamentary elections. Marco Rubio and Ararat Mirzoyan also signed a framework for cooperation in critical minerals and on the TRIPP corridor (a proposed trade corridor through the South).
(TR) According to Turkish media, NATO is nearing an agreement to invite the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand to the July summit in Ankara. The so-called IP4 group has participated in NATO summits since 2022. Ankara wants to use their participation this year to strengthen cooperation in
(TR) The French prosecutor is investigating suspicions that an Israeli company conducted a disinformation campaign against candidates of the left-wing La France Insoumise in the municipal elections. According to the media, it was about false accusations, manipulation on social networks, and forged electoral materials.
(TR) Turkey wants to include zero waste and water security among the main topics at the international climate conference COP31 in Antalya (taking place in November). About 40% of the food produced ends up as waste, which also means huge water waste.
(TR) According to Al-Monitor, the USA has given Israel silent consent to intervene against the top commanders of Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire on April 16. Israeli sources claim that this is not a written agreement, but Washington would not prevent an attack under "special circumstances."
(TR) Iran is pushing in negotiations with the USA for the quick release of about 24 billion dollars in frozen funds. According to media reports, Tehran wants about half of the amount immediately upon the announcement of the memorandum, the rest within 60 days. Iran frames this as a test of Washington's credibility, not as a concession. The key dispute
