By Christine Maguire, Umut Uras and Urooba Jamal
- Iran claims attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan, saying it hit US military sites, in retaliation for Washington’s renewed bombardment of its southern coast.
- The US attacks on Iran come amid an intensifying standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, with explosions reported in the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask, as well as Qeshm Island.
Street in Illinois named after murdered Palestinian boy
A street in the US state of Illinois has been named after Wadea al-Fayoume, 6, a Palestinian-American boy killed in a 2023 Islamophobic attack.
Police said Wadea was stabbed 26 times by his landlord because the family were Muslim.
Germany, France and UK condemn Iran’s Gulf attacks
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain have denounced Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on regional nations.
“We condemn Iran’s heinous attacks on merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on countries in the region including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan,” they said in a joint statement.
The group, which is known as the E-3, called for the restoration of the ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations between the warring parties.
Belgium slams EU response to Israeli settlement imports
Belgium has criticised the EU’s response to imports from illegal Israeli settlements as insufficient with Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot describing the bloc’s latest proposals as a “token gesture” rather than a genuine effort to act.
Prevot said Belgium has been calling for months for concrete measures over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The European Commission has finally proposed a few options in a two-page document. So it gives more the impression of being a token gesture than a genuine willingness to move forward,” Prevot told reporters.
“We are asking for concrete proposals on which positions can be taken, on which the member states will have to vote, and which can be rapidly submitted to the Foreign Affairs Council.”
The European Commission is expected to present several possible measures including stricter export licensing rules for goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements, higher import tariffs to discourage exports, and a partial or complete ban on imports from those settlements.
