U.S. President Donald Trump said he sees progress between Israel and Lebanon after talks with Netanyahu, while Hezbollah has rejected a new ceasefire proposal and Israel has ruled out a troop withdrawal.
Iran has launched multiple drones towards the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported on Friday, citing a U.S. official who also said at least four drones were shot down by U.S. aircraft
"They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say percentage wise, maybe 21-22% of their missiles. It's a lot of missiles, but it's not what it was when we first attacked," Trump was quoted as saying.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday that lowering gasoline and diesel prices will ultimately take a resolution with Iran to get more oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia wants oil prices on global markets to be balanced and stable amid the U.S. war against Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Speaking at Russia's annual economic forum, Putin said that the reduction in oil supplies was causing concern in the market, but that Russia was participating in OPEC+ in order to balance the market.
The United States will add 40 million barrels to its strategic petroleum reserve after the conflict in Iran is over, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday in an interview on Fox Business.
The United States imposed new Iran-related sanctions on Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department's website showed.
Iran has reaffirmed its support for Hezbollah and insisted that any wider peace agreement with the United States must include a ceasefire in Lebanon and an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
"This war will end only when it ends in Lebanon as well," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, adding that "the end of the war on Lebanon must be accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they have occupied''.
Iranian Official has criticised Germany after it failed to secure a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, calling the outcome a sign of growing international dissatisfaction.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the vote as a 'stark rebuke,' linking it to Berlin’s stance on the Gaza conflict and its support for Israel.
Germany has expressed disappointment over the result but says it will continue to engage in international diplomacy through the United Nations.
European shares are trading flat as investors remain cautious over ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with markets on track to end the week slightly lower.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index is broadly unchanged in early trading and down around 0.3% for the week so far.
Concerns over a lack of progress in U.S.-Iran diplomacy and uncertainty around the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire are keeping oil prices elevated, with Brent crude hovering near $95 a barrel.
Technology stocks are leading losses, falling after a strong two-month rally, while chipmakers such as Infineon and Aixtron are among the biggest decliners.
Investors are also focusing on rising eurozone inflation, which has increased expectations that the European Central Bank will raise interest rates next week.
The Middle East conflict is pushing millions of people closer to hunger, as rising fuel and transport costs drive up food prices while funding shortfalls force aid agencies to scale back assistance, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February triggered a regional conflict stretching across the Gulf and into Lebanon, disrupting key shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, forcing vessels to reroute and sharply constraining global energy flows and supply chains.
In March, the WFP forecast as many as 45 million people could fall into acute food insecurity if oil prices remained around $100 per barrel through June. That scenario is now unfolding, the agency said, with benchmark crude prices staying above that level since early March.
Households in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka are among the most seriously affected and face mounting pressure due to higher fuel costs, food price spikes, income losses and disrupted trade.
The United Nations (UN) has doubled the amount of money it says it needs to help Lebanon meet surging humanitarian needs, as the war enters its fourth month.
Lebanon was drawn into the wider regional war in early March when the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia fired rockets at Israel in solidarity with Iran, which was under U.S.-Israeli attack, prompting a major Israeli air and ground campaign.
Since 2 March, more than 3,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanese authorities, whose data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Israel says 26 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since March.
The UN is launching a fresh aid appeal with the Lebanese government to seek an additional $331.5 million to reach 1.4 million people, bringing the total appeal to $639.9 million.
So far, it has received $185.9 million as of 31 May.
"In the past three months, communities across Lebanon have faced an appalling situation due to the escalation of hostilities," UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza said, pointing to high casualties, widespread displacement and extensive damage to infrastructure.
"The toll on civilians is alarming and worsening by the day."
France faces no fuel supply concerns ahead of the summer travel season.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said there is "no major concern on supply" of either jet fuel or petrol. However, he warned that "there is the question of cost, of course", he told French broadcaster CNews/Europe 1 on Friday.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, accused the United States and Israel of killing children in Gaza, the West Bank, Iran's Minab and elsewhere around the world.
“For what crime are innocent children being killed?” Baghaei asked in a social media post.
“From Gaza and the West Bank to Beirut, Minab, Lamerd, Tehran, and many other places across Iran and the world, wherever children have perished under the bombs and missiles of the United States and the Israeli regime, the truth is the same: no military objective, no political interest, and no security pretext can ever justify the slaughter of children,” he wrote.
“Children are neither parties to war nor tools of it. They are the living conscience of humanity. Every child killed or maimed is a burial of a part of our shared humanity.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believed progress was being made between Israel and Lebanon and that Lebanon "deserved peace", despite fresh setbacks to efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and added: "I actually spoke to Hezbollah about it." He said he believed progress was being made after years of tensions.
A family of six, including four children, has been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit their home in Gaza City, underscoring the continuing violence...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said it had struck U.S.-linked military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming damage to air defences and radar sys...
Lebanese soldiers have begun patrolling the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, in the first major test ...
A family of six, including four children, has been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit their home in Gaza City, underscoring the continuing violence despite a ceasefire that has formally remained in place for more than nine months.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said it had struck U.S.-linked military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming damage to air defences and radar systems, as U.S. forces carried out a 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran. The IRGC also said two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
Lebanese soldiers have begun patrolling the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, in the first major test of a U.S.-brokered plan aimed at restoring Lebanese state control over parts of the country's south.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier have discussed regional developments, transport connectivity, energy cooperation and the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process during talks in Berlin.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
At least six people were killed and 21 others injured after two earthquakes struck Peru's central Junín region, destroying dozens of homes and triggering a major emergency response.
Kylian Mbappé has become the first player to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot on more than one occasion. The French forward won the award presented to the top goalscorer of the tournament for the second time, despite France being knocked out in the semi-finals.
The United States launched fresh strikes against Iran after two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan. U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute to the fallen troops as Iran warned of further escalation.
Overnight U.S. strikes caused blackouts in southwestern Iran and hit the northwestern city of Tabriz for the first time. Separately, a U.S. soldier died in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone.
A family of six, including four children, has been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit their home in Gaza City, underscoring the continuing violence despite a ceasefire that has formally remained in place for more than nine months.
Lebanese soldiers have begun patrolling the southern town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, in the first major test of a U.S.-brokered plan aimed at restoring Lebanese state control over parts of the country's south.
Türkiye has taken a new technical step to facilitate direct trade with Armenia as part of the ongoing normalisation process between the two countries.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev met a leading representative of German business Monday evening during an official Berlin visit. Talks with Michael Harms, Chairman of the Eastern Committee of the Germany Economy, focused on trade, energy cooperation and transport links between Europe and Asia.
Iran said it has received overtures from regional mediators aimed at de-escalating the ongoing military standoff between Tehran and Washington.
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