Iran rejects Trump frozen funds plan, warns ships of Hormuz transit ban
Iran rejects Trump frozen funds plan, warns ships of Hormuz transit ban NewsFeed Iran rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that ships damaged by Iran in the Gulf would be compensated from frozen Iranian funds. IRGC spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that any vessel taking such money will be banned from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Published On 28 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump expresses frustration with Netanyahu before White House meeting
US president says Iran talks progressing, reups threats if diplomacy fails before sit down with Israeli prime minister. United States President Donald Trump has appeared to express frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before their meeting at the White House. Trump made the comments to Fox News on Tuesday, just hours before he and the Israeli prime minister were set to meet in the Oval Office, their first such meeting since they jointly launched the war with Iran on February 28. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3Israel’s approval of limited Gaza force a calculated manoeuvre, experts say list 2 of 3Are the US and Iran heading towards a forever war? list 3 of 3Trump calls protester ‘communist’ after Michigan speech interruption end of list The US president pushed back when asked about reports that Netanyahu planned to discuss alleged intelligence related to Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, an underground nuclear site. “I don’t need Bibi to tell me that,” Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname He added that Netanyahu is “telling me that because he wants me to stay involved”. “I said: ‘Why didn’t you just tell it to me, why did you have to announce it to the world?’” he said, referring to the report. “I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem,” Trump said. Tuesday’s meeting with Netanyahu comes at a precarious time for Trump, who has said the US and Iran are engaged in a new diplomatic push following a 13-day escalation. He has repeatedly threatened new attacks, including on Pickaxe Mountain and Iran’s civilian infrastructure, if the talks fail. That fighting followed the breakdown of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the US and Iran in June, which saw a halt to fighting, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran. Netanyahu’s government had opposed that deal and has favoured continued military operations aimed at regime change. US media reports, meanwhile, have fuelled public perception that Netanyahu has repeatedly influenced Trump to take military action against Iran, including in the run-up to the 12-day war last year and the current war, which has stretched on for five months. The conflict has remained widely unpopular in the US, and increasingly, within segments of Trump’s Republican party. Still, Trump downplayed the differences on Iran when speaking to reporters on Monday. “We have a little difference,” Trump said of Netanyahu, “but pretty close, yeah.” During that exchange, Trump also pushed back on Israel’s opposition to the US resuming its F-35 programme with Turkiye. “Frankly, we’re being very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us. And you know who wouldn’t survive without us? Israel.” Despite Trump and, notably, his vice president, JD Vance, showing more willingness to criticise Israel in recent weeks, Washington’s policy of staunch military support has remained unchanged. Netanyahu’s visit comes as lawmakers continued to mull a defence budget that would integrate parts of the US and Israel’s militaries, with the package already passed by the US House of Representatives. For his part, Netanyahu, speaking on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” over the weekend, said he hoped to sit down with Trump “to hear what he has in mind” for Iran. Analysts have said the Israeli prime minister is acutely aware of his tanking popularity in the US, and will likely try to shed the perception he is trying to push the US into further war. On Trump, Netanyahu said it’s largely “his decision” on how to move forward. “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not?” he said, before reiterating his government’s zero-tolerance approach to Iran’s civilian nuclear programme. “But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Is Netanyahu’s Trump card losing its power in Israel?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long presented his closeness to the United States – both politically and personally – as evidence of his indispensability to Israel. Arriving with a camera-ready American accent after spending a large portion of his youth in the country, Netanyahu is said to have used his unique understanding of US politics to charm and cajole numerous presidents into maintaining their unflagging support of Israel and his personal political projects. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4Israeli ex-generals urge Trump to push Netanyahu on ‘settler terror’ list 2 of 4‘War criminal’: Protesters confront Netanyahu motorcade in Washington DC list 3 of 4Netanyahu meets Trump at the White House: What’s on the agenda, what’s next list 4 of 4Trump flouts political risk to host Netanyahu’s seventh White House visit end of list For a time it appeared as though US President Donald Trump was the most amenable of all past presidents to Israel and to Netanyahu, particularly after he became the first US leader to agree to participate in a joint war with Israel against Iran. And yet, with that war stalling, Trump appearing more willing to make deals in the Middle East without Israeli input, and increasing criticism of Israel in the US, there is a sense in Israel that Netanyahu’s Trump card may not be as useful as it once was. That has come at a bad time for Netanyahu, who faces an election at home in late October and an ongoing trial for corruption, as well as several unresolved conflicts in the region. Netanyahu’s visit to Washington on Tuesday to meet Trump – his first since the war on Iran began – therefore is an opportunity for a refresh – and a photo opportunity to remind the Israeli public of his ties to the US president. The optics Strains in Netanyahu’s relationship with Trump have been growing since the start of the war on Iran, after reporting emerged that it was the Israeli prime minister who convinced the US president of the feasibility of the mission, and the potential for the Iranian state to be overthrown. Concern has also grown within the US Congress over Netanyahu’s apparent indulgence of Israel’s increasingly violent settler movement – which included the extrajudicial detention of a US senator by settlers – alongside friction over Washington’s decision to consider selling F-35s to Israel’s regional rival Turkiye and agreeing a nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia. “The real reason Netanyahu’s got this visit [to Washington] is purely cynical,” Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera. “He’s claimed that he’s flying all the way to the US to attend the wake of his apparently great friend [deceased Republican Senator] Lindsey Graham.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the media as he is welcomed by US President Donald Trump for meetings at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida in December [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] “Supposedly there’s an agenda, supposedly they’re going to talk about Iran, F-35s and Saudi Arabia’s potential nuclear deal,” said Pinkas. “But really this is about two things: hoping to assure allies and critics within Israel that the relationship with Trump holds and, separately, hoping that Trump will again call for his pardon in the corruption trial,” he added, referring to Trump’s unorthodox intervention in Israel on Netanyahu’s behalf in November 2025. However, while Netanyahu may be hoping that a good meeting with Trump may help him in the polls, he arrives at a time when his stock in the US is potentially at its lowest. Netanyahu has received widespread criticism from figures on the American right, such as podcast host Tucker Carlson and the former Republican US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Vice President JD Vance has also been critical of “some” Israelis, using an interview with US podcaster Joe Rogan to suggest that figures within the Israeli government were trying to derail the agreement he was brokering with Iran to end the war. Analysts have suggested that the Trump-Netanyahu meeting will combine public flattery with private cynicism on the US president’s part. Asked about Netanyahu’s public resistance to the F-35 sale to Turkiye on board Air Force One on Monday, Trump told reporters, “Nobody tells me what we should be selling”. President Trump used a press conference on board Air Force One on Monday to push back against Israeli concerns over the potential sale of fighter jets to Turkiye, telling reporters, ‘Nobody tells me what we should be selling’ [Evan Vucci/Reuters] Burnt bridges “Netanyahu arrives in Washington at a time when even many around [Trump] are suspicious of him. He has become toxic in the US,” Ahron Bregman, an Israeli security analyst and senior teaching fellow in the Department for War Studies at King’s College London. “He is regarded in the US – rightly or wrongly – as the one who dragged Trump into a war of choice that has turned into a strategic catastrophe. Nobody, not even Trump, will let him pretend to be the cleverest guy in the room. Those days are gone.” While few expect any overt signs of disharmony from the visit in public, Netanyahu’s ability to present himself as uniquely positioned to manage the country’s relationship with the US – a key factor in the upcoming election – may be limited. “Netanyahu’s had a tremendous track record with the US, but he’s burned a lot of bridges,” Mitchell Barak, an Israeli pollster and a former Netanyahu aide in the 1990s, told Al Jazeera, adding that the criticism of Netanyahu was not isolated to figures within the nationalist wing of the Republican Party, but included Israel’s traditional allies within the party’s centre right. “We’ve seen tension through Trump’s comments on the various F-35 sales, including most recently to Turkiye, as well as US criticism of Netanyahu at the start of the Iran war, so I’m not too sure if Trump’s going to be stumping for Netanyahu for all that much longer,” Barak said.
Trump says Iran talks taking place during pause in US military strikes
NewsFeed US President Donald Trump says talks with Iran are continuing during a pause in US military strikes, adding he believes there is ‘a good chance’ of a breakthrough but warning military action could resume if negotiations fail. Published On 28 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
US warns hundreds of Boeing jets may require seat safety inspections
Regulator proposes checks on 453 US-registered jets over seats that may be incorrectly installed. The US aviation authority has warned that seats on hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX planes could have been installed incorrectly and may require inspection. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday that the issue relates to 453 jets registered in the US and proposed requiring airlines to inspect the seats. Recommended Stories list of 2 items list 1 of 2US summer travel slumps under rising fares and fuel expenses list 2 of 2Trump says China to buy 200 Boeing planes, much lower than expected end of list If not installed correctly, the seats could come loose during an emergency landing and “injure passengers and crew members”, the FAA said, adding that they could also “block the aisle and slow an evacuation”. The proposed order would apply only to US-registered planes because the FAA does not regulate foreign airlines. Regulators in other countries, however, often follow FAA orders when the issue affects aircraft operating in their markets. A Boeing spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that the company had issued guidance to operators on the matter in December 2025. “We support the FAA making that guidance mandatory,” the spokesperson said in an email. The warning adds to years of scrutiny of Boeing’s safety record. A cabin panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in January 2024, forcing an emergency landing and prompting the FAA to ground 171 jets. Investigators later found that the panel was missing four key bolts. The scrutiny intensified after a spate of other accidents around the world, as well as the death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett in March 2024 while he was providing evidence for a safety lawsuit against the firm. In June 2025, the US National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing had failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent the Alaska Airlines incident. There are nearly 2,300 737 MAX jets operating around the world, including 823 in the US, according to aviation advisory and intelligence firm IBA. Adblock test (Why?)
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy set to meet Trump as Iran and Ukraine wars converge
The US Senate will vote Tuesday on Russian sanctions, days after Ukraine attacked an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to meet United States President Donald Trump in the White House on Tuesday, a meeting that could coincide with the introduction of tough new sanctions on Russia. Zelenskyy, who will attend the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham, is also scheduled to meet with the Senate on Tuesday evening, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two Senate aides. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3Iran accuses Ukraine of deadly attack on Caspian commercial vessel list 2 of 3Russia and Ukraine trade attacks, killing 10, including child in Chernihiv list 3 of 3Iran warns Ukraine of retaliation after deadly Caspian Sea strike end of list The vote on Russia sanctions, legislation that has been pending for months and was championed by Graham, could happen that same day. If enacted, the Russian sanctions bill would ratchet up pressure on Moscow by imposing 100 percent tariffs on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India. In a last-minute intervention, Trump sought to add sanctions on Iran to the same bill. Zelenskyy told Trump ally Laura Loomer last week that he thinks the move is a “great idea”. Iran and Ukraine wars converge The two wars, taking place roughly 2,500km (1,550 miles) apart, have converged in recent days. On Saturday, Ukraine attacked an Iranian tanker in the Caspian Sea that Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, said was carrying drones and military components from Iran to Russia. Iran has promised to retaliate. By attacking Iranian ships, Kyiv is not only doing itself a favour but also attacking Washington’s “enemy number one”, which will please the US, former US ambassador to Kazakhstan and Georgia, William Courtney, told Al Jazeera. But while Zelenskyy supports Iranian sanctions as part of the Russian sanctions bill, Ukraine is unlikely to want to be too closely associated with the “unpopular” US war on Iran, he added. The US no longer provides direct financial aid to Ukraine for its war against the Russian invasion, but it still provides crucial intelligence for long-range strikes and sells weapons to Europe that are then passed on to Ukraine. Trump-Zelenskyy relationship While their relationship seemed tense during a heated exchange in the White House in February 2025, relations between Zelenskyy and Trump have improved significantly in recent months. The two leaders agreed earlier this month to allow Ukraine to jointly produce Patriot air defence interceptors, a crucial component for the country’s defence against Russian aerial attacks. Ukraine and the US are also moving closer to a deal on joint drone production, a move that could help the US catch up with Ukraine in this crucial military technology. Ukraine is on track to produce 6 to 7 million short-range attack drones this year, while the Pentagon’s $1.1bn production programme will have ordered just under 200,000 drones cumulatively by February 2027. Fighting continues Heavy fighting continues on Ukraine’s front lines, and long-range strikes are taking place almost every day. On Monday, Russian strikes on eastern Ukraine killed seven people and injured more than 20, officials said. In Russia’s Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone struck a commercial building, killing one person and injuring two. Fighting is heaviest in Ukraine’s Konstantinyvka and Pokrovsk directions, both of which are in the Donetsk region. Adblock test (Why?)
Why Mali’s northern conflict has entered a dangerous new phase
Bamako, Mali – An unprecedented battlefield partnership between a separatist movement and an al-Qaeda affiliate has transformed the conflict in northern Mali, shifting the military balance and deepening divisions over how, if at all, the war can end. When the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) launched a joint offensive on April 25, 2026, the conflict entered a phase unlike any before. A war that had long pitted the Malian state against multiple armed groups gave way to a coordinated campaign stretching from Kidal and Anefis to Tilemsi, Gao and Sevare, posing the most serious challenge to the Malian army in years and to Russia’s Africa Corps, the Kremlin-backed force that replaced the Wagner Group in Mali. Since then, the fighting has been marked by simultaneous assaults, ambushes, drone strikes and attacks on military convoys, with all sides claiming significant battlefield gains. Bamako says it is working to restore state authority and dismantle what it calls a “terrorist alliance” between the FLA and JNIM. The FLA says it remains committed to independence for Azawad, the name separatists use for northern Mali, while JNIM portrays the war as part of a campaign to “liberate” Mali and overthrow the government, which it accuses of relying on Russian forces. More significant than the offensive itself, however, is the unprecedented military cooperation between a nationalist separatist movement and an al-Qaeda affiliate. Their political ambitions remain fundamentally different, yet their cooperation has already reshaped the conflict and could have far-reaching implications for security across the Sahel. The partnership emerged after the collapse of the 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement, which sought to end years of fighting between Bamako and northern armed groups through greater decentralisation and political representation, but whose implementation repeatedly faltered. Successive military coups after 2020 reshaped Mali’s political leadership and security strategy. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Mali and imposed sanctions, while Russia deepened its military role by deploying the Wagner Group in late 2021. After Russia folded the Wagner Group’s operations into the state-controlled Africa Corps, renewed fighting left neither the government nor northern armed groups able to impose a lasting settlement. How the alliance took shape On paper, cooperation between the FLA and JNIM appears unlikely. The FLA traces its roots to northern separatist movements that declared the independence of Azawad during the 2012 rebellion, a claim never recognised by the Malian state or the international community. Colonel Mohamed Issa, centre, one of the FLA’s most prominent military commanders [Photo: Courtesy of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA)] It presents itself as a secular nationalist movement seeking independence for Azawad, while JNIM seeks to overthrow governments it considers illegitimate and establish governance based on its interpretation of Islamic law. Yet senior officials from both groups told Al Jazeera those ideological differences have been set aside to confront a common enemy. Colonel Mohamed Issa, a senior FLA officer, said the movement remained committed to an independent Azawad, arguing that previous peace agreements repeatedly collapsed because successive governments in Bamako failed to honour them. Negotiations, he said, would only be acceptable if they recognised Azawad’s right to separate. Issa rejected suggestions of an ideological alliance, describing the relationship as a battlefield arrangement against a common enemy. He said the JNIM-affiliated fighters operating alongside the FLA were exclusively Azawadis rather than members of the group’s wider regional network, arguing they were motivated primarily by defending their communities against the Malian army and what he described as Russian “mercenaries”. Suleiman, a senior JNIM field commander who requested that only his first name be used for security reasons, described the relationship in broader terms. He said the group approved operational coordination with the FLA after internal consultations because fighters on both sides largely came from “one people” caught up in the same conflict and because their liberation goals had become “relatively unified”. He also claimed the FLA had accepted Islamic legal arbitration by local religious scholars, one of JNIM’s core objectives, a point the FLA itself did not raise. Bamako, meanwhile, has described the relationship as a “JNIM/FLA terrorist alliance” that threatens Mali’s sovereignty. The differing accounts illustrate both the strength and the fragility of the arrangement. For now, shared battlefield interests appear to outweigh ideological differences. Whether that remains true as the conflict evolves is far less certain. A shifting balance of power The partnership has altered not only the battlefield but the way the war is fought. FLA officials say working alongside JNIM has enabled both groups to divide responsibilities and pool expertise in attacks on military bases and supply convoys. A destroyed vehicle at the site of recent fighting in northern Mali [Photo: Courtesy of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA)] Bamako disputes casualty figures released by the armed groups and insists its forces retain the initiative. Even so, the conflict has become markedly more sophisticated, with simultaneous attacks across distant locations, engagements lasting several days and ambushes targeting reinforcements before they reach the front lines. Drones have assumed an increasingly prominent role, serving not only as reconnaissance platforms but increasingly as strike weapons against vehicles and military positions. Malian forces, backed by Russia’s Africa Corps, continue to rely heavily on air power, yet months of sustained fighting suggest neither side has secured a decisive advantage. The war economy Long-established financing and trafficking networks continue to sustain both sides. JNIM sources describe a funding model built on regional commercial networks, organised zakat collections and resources accumulated over years, including proceeds linked to earlier al-Qaeda kidnapping-for-ransom operations. The FLA says it relies primarily on donations organised by tribal leaders, traders and community associations. Officials from both groups also acknowledged that individuals linked to the movements participate in illicit economies, including trafficking across the Sahara, although the extent to which those activities finance the war remains difficult to verify. Weapons have proved as important as funding. Arms have flowed across the Sahel since the collapse of Libya in 2011, providing armed groups with a steady source of equipment. The
Massive iceberg capsizes off the coast of Greenland
Massive iceberg capsizes off the coast of Greenland NewsFeed A massive iceberg capsized off the coast of Ilulissat, Greenland, on July 25, flipping with force to reveal its jagged underside amid a burst of waves and mist. The spectacle took place near the UNESCO-listed Ilulissat Icefjord, with no injuries reported. Published On 27 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
Firefighters battle to contain wildfires still burning near Bordeaux
NewsFeed Wildfires in southwestern France are continuing to burn near the city of Bordeaux. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from surrounding regions, and across the southwest of France a total of around 220,000 have been evacuated. Published On 27 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
Flavio Bolsonaro launches Brazil presidential bid with Milei support
NewsFeed Flavio Bolsonaro, son of disgraced former Brazilian President Jair, has launched his bid to unseat President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Flavio is vowing to carry forward his father’s legacy and has won right wing support from Argentina’s President Milei. Published On 26 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)