Analysis: U.S. sanctions on Iran have a big impact, but not necessarily in the intended places
Sanctions are a long-used tool designed as an alternative to military force and with the objective of changing governments’ behaviour, but they also...
Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on Gaza, following the collapse of negotiations to extend a ceasefire. The strikes have resulted in significant casualties, while efforts to resume peace talks remain stalled.
Israel has confirmed it launched its most intense airstrikes on Gaza since the January ceasefire, conducting at least 35 strikes overnight. Palestinian health officials report more than 100 fatalities, with many others injured, as truce extension negotiations collapsed.
The Israeli military stated it targeted "terror sites" linked to Hamas. The Palestinian civil emergency service confirmed that at least 35 airstrikes hit multiple locations, with medics reporting significant civilian casualties, including children. This marks the largest wave of airstrikes since the ceasefire ended on 1 March.
Eyewitnesses described the destruction, with one Gaza resident, holding a baby, saying that almost their entire family was killed and their house collapsed.
Israel accuses Hamas of failing to release hostages, warning of intensified military actions against the group. Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire. As a result, the fate of 59 hostages in Gaza remains uncertain.
Hamas previously released 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 prisoners, but talks for a second phase of the ceasefire to release 60 more hostages and end the conflict have stalled. U.S. proposals to extend the ceasefire have also failed, with both sides at an impasse. Mediators from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are working to revive the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume the war and stop food and aid deliveries to Gaza. Hamas has stated it will only release hostages if Israel lifts its blockade, withdraws from a strategic corridor, and frees more Palestinian prisoners.
So far, the ongoing conflict has claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The war escalated following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed more than 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has activated the state’s National Guard following the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, an incident that has triggered protests and intensified tensions between state and federal authorities.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday the country should not fear pursuing energy ties with the United States, as Caracas seeks to expand oil and gas production and attract foreign investment.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected a U.S. magazine report on the death toll during January unrest. Nationwide protests erupted in response to soaring inflation and a national currency crisis.
A mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV was illuminated on Sunday at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, continuing a centuries-old Vatican tradition marking the election of a new pope.
The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran has climbed to 6,126, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
Sanctions are a long-used tool designed as an alternative to military force and with the objective of changing governments’ behaviour, but they also end up hurting civilian citizens.
Azerbaijan’s participation in the United States-backed Board of Peace reflects a clear calculation of national interest, according to Chingiz Mammadov, Research Alumni of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
A clock in a Tel Aviv square that became a rallying point for Israelis demanding the release of hostages taken during the October 2023 Hamas attack was turned off on Tuesday, 844 days after it began counting their captivity.
Turkish defence firm Aselsan announced on Monday that it had signed a deal with the NATO alliance, of which Türkiye is a longstanding member, for the supply of “Identification of Friend or Foe” (IFF) interrogator systems for use with Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS.
Secret negotiations between U.S. officials and the Taliban over remaining American detainees have stalled, after the Taliban publicly tied any further releases to the fate of the last Afghan held at Guantánamo Bay, according to a report by The New York Times published on 26 January 2026.
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