U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
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Trump said the U.S. could wipe out Iran’s key infrastructure within two days, while calling Iran unpredictable after repeated failures in talks.
South Korea has criticised Iran’s reported plan to charge ships using the Strait of Hormuz, saying it would breach international law and threaten free navigation on a key global trade route.
The UAE said its decision to leave OPEC and OPEC+ was a strategic choice based on its future energy plans, not due to political disagreements with other members.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone and stressed the need to continue diplomatic efforts towards a compromise-based peace agreement.
Iran said it will reopen its stock market next Tuesday after suspending trading during the conflict with the U.S. and Israel to prevent panic selling and protect investors.
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FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom said talks with Iran’s FA were “constructive” and “very positive” ahead of the 2026 World Cup, despite ongoing concerns over visas and travel restrictions linked to tensions with the U.S. and Iran.
Iran remain scheduled to play all three Group G matches in the United States.
Iran will reopen its stock market on Tuesday (19 May) after trading was suspended during the conflict with the United States and Israel, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.
“The suspension of stock market activities from the start of the war was aimed at protecting shareholders’ assets, preventing panic-driven trading and allowing for more transparent pricing conditions,” Hamid Yari, deputy supervisor at the Securities and Exchange Organization, said on Saturday.
“Now, with the reopening of the stock market, we will see the full resumption of all capital market sectors,” he added.
Demonstrators gathered in central Vienna on Saturday to protest against Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, amid continuing anger over the war in Gaza.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags, carried banners calling for a ceasefire and accused organisers of applying double standards by allowing Israel to compete while the conflict continues. Chants supporting Palestinians echoed through parts of the Austrian capital as police monitored the demonstration.
The protest comes as this year’s Eurovision contest has again become a focal point for political tensions across Europe. Similar demonstrations have taken place in several cities in recent months, with critics arguing that Israel should be excluded from the competition over its military campaign in Gaza.
Organisers of the contest have repeatedly defended Israel’s participation, insisting that Eurovision remains a non-political event run by public broadcasters rather than governments.
The war in Gaza has sparked widespread protests globally since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military offensive in the strip.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Russian state news agency RIA.
"Both sides emphasised the importance of continuing the political and diplomatic process aimed at reaching compromise-based peace agreements," the Kremlin said.
One person has been killed and five others injured in clashes between protesters and security forces on the Comorian island of Anjouan, as unrest over rising fuel prices spreads across the country.
Authorities said the violence broke out after fishermen protesting fuel price hikes gathered in the island’s capital, Mutsamudu, where roads were blocked with stones. An investigation into the death has been launched.
The protests began earlier this week after the government increased diesel prices by 46% and petrol prices by 35%, blaming the hikes on the Middle East conflict. Officials say 39 people have been detained since the strike started.
Iran has prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the Hormuz along a designated route that will be unveiled soon, the head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said.
Azizi added that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit from the arrangement.
He said fees would be collected for specialised services provided under the mechanism.
Soaring diesel prices since the onset of the Iran war are draining already tight U.S. school district budgets, making it more expensive to bus students and run generators in a shock officials say they will not be able to afford for long.
School districts from Yakima, Washington to Waco, Texas are tapping emergency funding reserves to keep buses running.
In remote Alaska, officials are scrambling to secure enough fuel to keep the lights on, according to Reuters interviews.
The United Arab Emirates said its decision to withdraw from OPEC and OPEC+ was a sovereign and strategic move based on a broad assessment of its production policy and future capabilities.
The UAE energy minister added that the decision was not politically motivated and did not reflect divisions with partner countries.
Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil in April via the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s new oil minister, Basim Mohammed, said at a press conference on Saturday.
Mohammed said Iraq plans to engage with OPEC to boost the country’s production and export capacity, adding that Baghdad aims to reach a production capacity of 5 million barrels per day.
FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom will meet Iranian FA (FFIRI) officials in Istanbul on Saturday and offer "reassurance" over Iran's participation in the World Cup.
Iran is scheduled to play all three World Cup group matches in the United States but the team's participation in the 11 June to 19 July tournament has been in question since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
An Iraqi national accused of involvement in multiple attacks against U.S. interests in Europe has been arrested and brought to the U.S. to face six terrorism-related counts, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.
Prosecutors said the suspect, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was a senior member of the Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah and accused him of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
Al-Saadi is accused of coordinating or supporting nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States, "including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
South Korea’s oceans minister is opposed to Iran’s reported move to impose fees on ships passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, calling the action a violation of international law.
Speaking at a news conference, Hwang Jong-woo said the waterway is an international shipping route where free navigation must be guaranteed, according to Yonhap News.
“Charging shipping tolls in the strait is practically equivalent to blocking the waterway,” said Hwang, adding that, the Strait of Hormuz consists of international waters protected under international agreements.
Hezbollah said that it had carried out 33 attacks targeting Israeli forces, military positions, and vehicles in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.
The group said the attacks were carried out in response to continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and attacks on civilians and areas in southern Lebanon.
In separate statements, Hezbollah said the attacks targeted Israeli troop and vehicle gatherings in the towns of Rashaf, Qouzah, and Hadatha.
The U.S. will face growing economic consequences from its “war of choice” on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister warned Saturday.
Abbas Araghchi said on X that Americans would be forced to bear the rising costs of a conflict with Tehran.
The United Arab Emirates said that it does not seek protection from any party and is capable of deterring aggression, while reaffirming its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The remarks were made by Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar during a meeting of BRICS bloc foreign ministers in New Delhi.
Al Marar rejected Iranian accusations and criticism directed at the UAE and dismissed attempts to justify attacks targeting the country and others in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington could rapidly destroy Iranian infrastructure, while insisting he had not underestimated Tehran's resilience in the war.
"I didn't underestimate anything. We hit them unbelievably hard," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
He added that the U.S. "left their bridges, we left their electricity capacity. We can knock that all out in two days. Everything."
Trump described repeated breakdowns in diplomacy with Iran, saying negotiations had become unreliable and unpredictable.
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China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, has met Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, in Islamabad to discuss the China-facilitated Urumqi Process and regional security concerns.
The United States has warned Oman against supporting any effort to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington would penalise any parties involved in facilitating such a system.
The U.S. and Iran have reportedly reached a preliminary 60-day ceasefire and nuclear talks deal, pending Donald Trump’s approval, Axios reports. Meanwhile, the GCC condemned Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. airbase in Kuwait, which Tehran said was retaliation for a U.S. strike near Bandar Abbas.
The U.N. human rights office said Israeli forces may be committing unlawful killings near the military armistice line in Gaza, after data showed that roughly a third of verified Palestinian deaths since the October truce occurred close to the boundary area.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said in a statement that its Aerospace Force did not strike the Kuwait Airport passenger terminal on Wednesday, and that the destruction was instead caused by a failed U.S. Patriot missile.
Five Azerbaijani citizens have been killed and three others injured following drone attacks on two cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire after U.S.-backed talks in Washington. The deal requires Hezbollah to halt attacks and withdraw from southern Lebanon, while both sides will resume direct talks later this month aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
As Armenia heads toward parliamentary elections on 7 June, the country's relationship with Azerbaijan is emerging as one of the defining issues of the campaign, with analysts and international observers highlighting the role of regional politics in shaping voters’ mindsets.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026, a vote that will shape the country’s political direction for the next five years. Understanding how the electoral system converts votes into parliamentary power is key to following the outcome and its wider regional implications.
U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” during a phone exchange over fighting in Lebanon. The call came as the U.S. was attempting to broker an end to hostilities involving Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Monday they targeted the source of an attack on a telecom facility on Sirik Island near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iran really wanted to make a deal with the U.S. and that it would be a good one for Washington and its allies, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Iran has strongly condemned U.S. threats to impose sanctions on and bomb Oman following reported talks between Muscat and Tehran on jointly overseeing the Strait of Hormuz, reiterating that the Islamic Republic’s actions in the strategic waterway are “lawful”.
The United States has warned Oman against supporting any effort to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington would penalise any parties involved in facilitating such a system.
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