8 h. ago Israel launches waves of Gaza airstrikes after new displacement orders

Scores of Palestinians reported killed as senior Netanyahu adviser due to arrive in Washington for ceasefire talks Middle East crisis – live updatesIsrael ramped up its offensive in Gaza on Monday, with new displacement orders sending tens of thousands of people fleeing the north of the devastated territory and waves of airstrikes killing about 60 Palestinians, according to local officials and medical staff.The violence in Gaza came as a senior adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was due to arrive in Washington for talks on a new ceasefire, a day after Donald Trump called in a social media post for a deal to end the 20-month war and free 50 hostages held by Hamas. Continue reading...

Politics

15 h. ago BBC says it ‘should have pulled’ Glastonbury live stream of Bob Vylan anti

Broadcaster says footage from festival contained ‘utterly unacceptable’ antisemitic sentimentsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe BBC has said it should have cut the live stream of Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance, saying it contained “utterly unacceptable” antisemitic sentiments.The corporation and its director general, Tim Davie, have come under significant pressure from Keir Starmer and ministers following the broadcast on Saturday in which the musician Bobby Vylan of the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]”. Continue reading...

Politics

17 h. ago Trump says he is ‘not offering Iran anything’ as country says US must rule out airstrikes before talks resume – Middle East crisis live

Iranian deputy foreign minister says it has been told US wants to talk but president says he is not speaking to them and repeats claim that its nuclear facilities have been ‘obliterated’France, Germany and the UK have condemned “threats” against the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, after Iran rejected its request to visit nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the US.Tehran has accused Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of “betrayal of his duties” for not condemning the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, and Iranian lawmakers this week voted to suspend cooperation with the agency.France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the director general of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the agency.We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA. Continue reading...

Events

38 h. ago Iran says it has ‘serious doubts’ over Israel’s commitment to ceasefire – Middle East crisis live

Iran’s armed forces chief of staff says it is ‘ready to respond with force’ if attacked again; Iran says airstrikes on Evin prison killed at least 71 Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli attacks have killed at least 14 people, including three children, so far on Sunday.Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency that 13 people were killed in airstrikes at four locations around the Gaza Strip, and another from Israeli gunfire near an aid distribution centre. Continue reading...

Events

41 h. ago Donald Trump reiterates calls for ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas – Middle East crisis live

US president says online ‘make the deal in Gaza’ and ‘get the hostages back’ as he says he believes a ceasefire can be reached within a weekDuring the 12-day war, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 627 civilians and injured nearly 4,900 others in Iran, according to official figures.The war on Iran – cast as a preemptive attack for self-defence – was launched by Israel and later joined in by the US. Continue reading...

Politics

62 h. ago Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza as Qatar calls for peace talks – Middle East crisis live

At least 49 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff sayEmirates extended its cancellation of flights to and from Iran’s capital Tehran until July 5 due to the “regional situation“, it said in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reports.The Dubai-based airline said it will recommence operations to Baghdad on 1 July and Basra on 2 July. Continue reading...

Events

64 h. ago Trump denies US plan to offer Iran $30bn civilian nuclear deal

US president lashes out at media for reporting his administration discussed possible deal involving release of billions of dollars in frozen assets to support Iran’s non-military nuclear development

Economics

64 h. ago Qatar sees ‘window of opportunity’ for Gaza truce as dozens reported killed by Israel – Middle East crisis live

At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff sayIran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Iranians had given their “blood” during a 12-day war with Israel but “not honour”, AFP reports.“Iranians gave blood, not land; gave their loved ones, not honour; they withstood a thousand-ton rain of bombs, but did not surrender,” Abbas Araghchi said on his Instagram account, adding that Iran does not recognise the word “surrender”. Continue reading...

Events

66 h. ago Trump says he would ‘absolutely’ consider bombing Iran again – Middle East crisis live

US president tells White House briefing he would ‘without question’ attack the country if Tehran is enriching uranium to concerning levelsWe have more on the state funeral being held in Tehran for around 60 people, including its military commanders and nuclear scientists.The proceedings started at 8.00am local time (04.30 GMT) in the capital as government offices and many businesses were closed on Saturday for the occasion, AFP reports. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago 18 killed in Israeli strike targeting Gaza police distributing flour, officials say

Attack at market is latest in series by Israeli forces that have killed hundreds of civilians seeking aidMiddle East crisis – live updatesEighteen people have been killed in an Israeli strike targeting Palestinian police distributing flour in a market in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, medical officials have said.The reported strike, on Thursday afternoon, is the latest in a series of air attacks, shootings and bombardment by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that has killed hundreds of desperate civilians seeking aid in the devastated Palestinian territory. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Members of British Jewish body suspended after criticising Israel to launch appeal

Board of Deputies representatives hit by disciplinary action say they remain ‘deeply concerned’ about Gaza warMiddle East crisis – live updatesThirty-six elected representatives to the UK’s largest Jewish organisation are to appeal against disciplinary action taken against them after they criticised the Israeli government’s operations in Gaza, and have said they remain “deeply concerned” about the war.The Board of Deputies of British Jews announced on Tuesday that five of the group would be suspended for two years and 31 would be reprimanded for breaching its code of conduct after a two-month investigation. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Iran delivered ‘heavy slap to US’s face’, says Khamenei as he threatens further attacks on American bases – Middle East crisis live

In his first comments since the ceasefire, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US ‘gained no achievement’ when it joined the war with Israel against TehranIsrael’s national security minister called for a “complete halt” of humanitarian aid to Gaza on Thursday, claiming that Hamas is taking control of the supplied goods and food.Itamar Ben-Gvir says that he will “demand” Benjamin Netanyahu put a new vote to the country’s cabinet on the issue of the introduction of aid to Gaza.The humanitarian aid currently entering Gaza is an absolute disgrace. What is needed in Gaza is not a temporary halt to the “humanitarian” aid, but a complete halt to it.When I warned and warned, and unfortunately the only one who voted a month and a half ago against the introduction of the aid, it was clear to me that it would give oxygen to Hamas.With all due respect and gratitude to the president of the United States, he’s not supposed to intervene in a legal process of an independent state.I hope and suppose tha...

Events

5 d. ago Pakistan debates Trump Nobel peace prize nomination after US strikes on Iran

Pakistani government had credited US president with ‘pivotal leadership’ in its ceasefire negotiations with IndiaMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump’s intervention into the Iran-Israel war, and brokering then announcing a ceasefire, has drawn a heated debate in Pakistan – where the government had formally nominated the US president for the Nobel peace prize as the US military was making its final preparations for a strike that threatened all-out war in the Middle East.A statement in the early hours of Saturday local time – shortly before US B-2 bombers left the Whiteman air force base in Missouri and headed to Iran – had credited Trump for a “legacy of pragmatic diplomacy” and “pivotal leadership” for ensuring Pakistan’s ceasefire with India in a conflict that had begun with the killing of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘It’s like being walled in’: young Iranians break through internet blackout

Desperate for news on war with Israel, people are searching for proxy links that route messages through servers outside Iran• Middle East crisis – live updatesAmir* hasn’t slept much in days. From his apartment in northern Tehran, the 23-year-old spends his nights searching for proxy links – fragile digital lifelines that briefly break through the internet blackout.Iran remains under a near-total internet shutdown, severely limiting access to information. A group of young Iranians are, however, working non-stop to breech the blackout to ensure their voices go out to the outside world. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘It’s like being walled in’: young Iranians try to break through internet blackout

Desperate for news on war with Israel, people search for proxy links to route messages through servers outside Iran• Middle East crisis – live updatesAmir* hasn’t slept much in days. From his apartment in northern Tehran, the 23-year-old spends his nights searching for proxy links, fragile digital lifelines that briefly break through the internet blackout.Iran remains under a near-total internet shutdown, severely limiting access to information. A group of young Iranians are, however, working non-stop to ensure their voices reach the outside world. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Caught in the crossfire, Qatar again finds itself Middle East peace broker

The US has turned to Qatar to mediate between Iran and Israel, despite one of the parties firing missiles at the tiny but staggeringly rich nationMiddle East crisis – live updatesCaught in the crossfire, Qatar on Monday night found itself in the unusual position of being asked by the US to mediate to end a war where one of the two parties was firing missiles at it. But then there are few countries as multifaceted as Qatar, or few conflicts quite as tangled as the Iran-Israel war.It seems Monday’s heavily signalled Iranian attack on Qatar’s 60-acre Al Udeid airbase, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, may even have become the opening to resume diplomacy. The attack, which caused no casualties, cleared the ground for Donald Trump and Qatar to work together to secure the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. It once again highlights Qatar’s role as professional mediator – a bespoke service this tiny but massively wealthy country makes available from the Democratic...

Events

6 d. ago Trump's snarky swipe at Vladimir Putin as he reveals details about their private call

President Donald Trump revealed Vladimir Putin called him and offered to help with Iran but he, instead, had a snarky comeback for the Russian president.

Politics

6 d. ago Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran after ceasefire he brokered is violated

US president orders Israel to turn around its planes, warning bombing sorties would be ‘major violation’Middle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has reacted furiously after an Israel-Iran ceasefire he had brokered and taken credit for was violated within a few hours, ordering Israel to turn its warplanes around midair and abort their planned bombing sorties, which he warned would be a “major violation”.Israel claimed Iran had been the first to break the truce, saying it had shot down two ballistic missiles heading for northern Israel at about 10.30am, about two and a half hours after the ceasefire was announced. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Iranian closure of strait of Hormuz would be monumental act of self

UK foreign secretary wants Iran to return to negotiating table but refuses to endorse strikes by US and IsraelMiddle East crisis – live updatesAny Iranian move to close the strait of Hormuz waterway would be an act of monumental self-harm, said David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, as he continued to refuse to endorse the Israeli and American strikes on Iran, or lay out the UK view of their lawfulness.Lammy said there was no need for the British government to say if the strikes were legal since the UK was not involved in the action and had not been asked by the US to take part, or to allow the US to use the UK’s Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean to target Iran. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Why is Iran’s nuclear programme so essential to its identity?

Why does a country with large oil reserves feel such a need to have home-grown civil nuclear energy?Middle East crisis – live updatesIn October 1978, two leaders of the Iranian opposition to the British-backed shah of Iran met in the Paris suburbs of Neauphle-le-Château to plan for the final stages of the revolution, a revolution that after 46 momentous and often brutal years may now be close to expiring.The two men had little in common but their nationality, age and determination to remove the shah from power. Karim Sanjabi, the leader of the secular liberal National Front, was a former Sorbonne-educated professor of law. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was the leading Shia opponent of the Iranian monarchy since the 1960s. Both were in their 70s at the time. Continue reading...

Events