Middle East Monitor

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who headed negotiations with Washington, said on Sunday that implementing the memorandum of understanding with the US is “difficult but possible,” stressing diplomacy must preserve battlefield gains. Qalibaf made the remarks at a meeting with Mohammed Darwish, head of Hamas’ Leadership Council, on the sidelines of farewell ceremonies for slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, according to Iranian Students News Agency. He said diplomacy and negotiations should be able to resolve military deadlocks while preserving and consolidati

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More than 200,000 people, including over 20,000 children, are facing a worsening humanitarian and public health crisis in western Bara in Sudan’s North Kordofan State amid cholera and measles outbreaks and acute shortages of food and medicine, a Sudanese medical group warned Sunday, Anadolu reports. “More than 200,000 people, including over 20,000 children, are facing extremely harsh humanitarian conditions due to severe shortages of food and medicine, compounded by outbreaks of measles and cholera,” the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement. The group said more than 100 cases of measles h

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Israel’s government said Sunday it will not recognize decisions made by the Council of the Second Authority, the country’s commercial broadcasting regulator, in defiance of a recent High Court ruling allowing the body to continue operating despite lacking a legal quorum, Anadolu reports. The Cabinet approved a declaration proposed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Justice Minister Yariv Levin stating that the government would not respect decisions, approvals, appointments or actions taken by the council in its current composition, according to The Times of Israel news website. The mo

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Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani received a phone call on Sunday from French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, during which the two sides discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, particularly in Lebanon, Anadolu reports. According to a statement by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, the call reviewed cooperation between Doha and Paris and ways to support and strengthen ties. The two officials also discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in the region, particularly after the signing of

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports Sunday that the US had restricted Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Anadolu reports. “I heard it was said in the media that President Trump asked not to act against terror tunnels in Lebanon. This is a legend, fake news. He didn’t say anything to me about it, and I didn’t ask him. We operate according to our considerations,” Netanyahu said during a weekly Cabinet meeting. His remarks contradicted an earlier report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN late last month that Israel had provided US officials with detailed intelligence on

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Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Sunday threatened Lebanon with a “swift offensive” in the event of any violation of an ongoing ceasefire agreement, during a field visit to the occupied Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Israeli army said Zamir toured forces stationed in the Beaufort area, known in Arabic as Qalaat al-Shaqif, alongside senior military commanders. During the visit, Zamir called for transitioning to a “swift offensive” if the ceasefire agreement is breached. The statement quoted him as describing Beaufort Castle as a “strategic point do

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French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Syria to discuss bilateral ties and address issues of mutual interest, Syria’s presidential media directorate said on Sunday, Anadolu reports. Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of investors and representatives of French companies, the directorate added in a statement carried by the SANA news agency. Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will hold a roundtable meeting with their respective delegations during the visit, it added, without specifying a date for the trip. If confirmed, the visit will be the first by the French pre

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Iran and Qatar have resumed their maritime trade following roughly five months of suspension, Iran’s commercial attaché in Doha said on Sunday, Anadolu reports. Maritime shipping between Iran’s Dayyer Port and Qatar’s Al Ruwais Port resumed following coordination between the Iranian Embassy in Doha and Qatari authorities, Abbas Abdolkhani added in statements carried by Iran’s state news agency IRNA. Tensions have escalated in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets, inc

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A Sudanese relief group on Sunday reported 30 deaths from a cholera outbreak in West Kordofan state in western Sudan since June 20, Anadolu reports. In a statement, Dar Hamar Emergency Room said 800 people have also been infected with the disease during the same period. The organization said the outbreak was recorded in Wad Banda and Al-Nahud localities as well as neighboring villages in the state. “Statistics to date show 30 deaths and 800 cholera infections across more than 25 villages,” it said, appealing to humanitarian organizations and health authorities to intervene urgently to provide

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Israeli occupiers set fire to a restaurant in the occupied West Bank on Sunday after stealing money from there, local sources told Anadolu Agency. A group of occupiers broke into the restaurant near Al-Zaytouna University, between the towns of Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and Ammuriya, south of Nablus, the sources said. They smashed its doors, stole money, and set it on fire, completely destroying it, the sources stated, adding that the attack occurred under the protection of the Israeli army. The sources added that the restaurant served university students, and estimated the losses from the fire at

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A cargo ship came under attack on Sunday off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said, Anadolu reports. UKMTO said it has received a report of an incident 30 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah. “A cargo vessel has triggered a distress alert stating that they are under attack by unknown armed assailants,” it added on US social media company X. Authorities are investigating the incident, the agency said, urging vessels operating in the area to exercise caution and report “any suspicious activity.” No further details were immediately available. READ: Houthi

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said there will be “no popular normalization” with Israel unless a just peace is achieved that ends the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Sisi’s remarks came during a Saturday speech at the inauguration ceremony for the State Strategic Command headquarters in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital east of Cairo, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency. “There will be no lasting peace, no true stability, and no popular normalization except with a just peace that

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Qatar announced on Sunday that all maritime navigation activities would resume with immediate effect after nearly a week of suspension, Anadolu reports. “Maritime navigation activities can now resume normally for all types of maritime vessels & ships, as of the date of this announcement,” the Transport Ministry said on the US social media company X. It also called on “everyone to abide by the maritime regulations & instructions in effect, to ensure highest levels of safety & security for all trips.” The move reverses a June 29 advisory that suspended sailing and fishing activities until furthe

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Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, who has been detained by Israel since 2024, is facing an immediate threat to his life, Physicians for Human Rights said Saturday. Physicians for Human Rights said its lawyer, Nasser Odeh, documented serious injuries, signs of physical abuse, breathing difficulties and repeated episodes of loss of consciousness during a July 2 visit to Abu Safiya at the Rakefet detention facility in Nitzan Prison, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA on Saturday. Abu Safiya was brought to the meeting shackled at both hands and feet

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Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is planning to skip a UN police chiefs conference in New York this week amid legal pressure over his prison policies and “involvement in war crimes,” Israeli media reported. Ben-Gvir’s office has yet to confirm the cancellation of the visit, the Jerusalem Post reported Saturday. The report came a day after the Israeli daily Haaretz, citing ministry officials, said the decision was made amid planned demonstrations against Ben-Gvir’s visit and growing calls by human rights groups for his investigation and arrest. Earlier in the week, the Hind Ra

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US President Donald Trump told Axios on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked him for a meeting at the White House and it could take place as early as next week, Anadolu reports. “We get along very good. (Netanyahu) knows who the boss is,” Trump said in a brief phone interview. This would be the first meeting between the two leaders since their February Situation Room meeting, when Netanyahu presented his plan for a joint war against Iran. An Israeli official said next week could be too soon because of Trump’s trip to Türkiye for the NATO summit on July 7-8, saying the

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A mass funeral prayer was held in Iran’s capital Tehran on Sunday for the country’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at Imam Khomeini Mosalla Mosque, Anadolu reports. The funeral ceremony for Khamenei and his family members drew hundreds of thousands of mourners, many of whom arrived at the venue in the early hours of the morning carrying Iranian flags. The prayer at the major prayer complex was led by Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, senior military and political officials, and religious figures were among those attending the ceremony. Khamenei was killed in US-Is

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Moroccans at home and abroad celebrated on Saturday after their national team’s 3-0 victory over Canada in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston, sending the Atlas Lions into the quarterfinals, Anadolu reports. The win over Canada, one of the tournament’s three co-hosts alongside the US and Mexico, made Morocco the first African side to reach the World Cup quarterfinals in back-to-back tournaments. Fans waving Moroccan flags and chanting “Dima Maghreb” – meaning “Always Morocco” – flooded major streets and squares in Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakesh and Fez, while celebrat

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