live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Thirty-six Turkish nationals aboard vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was seized by Israeli forces, are expected to return to Türkiye on a special flight on Saturday afternoon, the Turkish foreign ministry said.
Citizens of other countries are also expected to be on board the flight, it added.
"The final number has not yet been confirmed," the ministry said in a statement.
The plane, operated by Turkish Airlines, is expected to land at Istanbul Airport sometime after 1430 local time (1130 GMT), the ministry said.
Work was also under way to complete procedures for remaining Turkish citizens as soon as possible, it said.
Israel faced international condemnation on Thursday after its military intercepted almost all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and took captive more than 450 foreign activists.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The Israeli foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade," and asked organisers to change course.
In 2010, 10 Turkish activists were killed by Israeli commandos who raided the Mavi Marmara ship leading an aid flotilla towards Gaza.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday for talks focused on Gaza, Palestinian statehood and regional security.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
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