Romania's secret CIA prison: Two decades of denial and unanswered questions Submitted by Andrei Popoviciu on Thu, 09/10/2026 - 18:45 As the long-delayed 9/11 case moves towards trial, evidence of torture at a CIA black site in Bucharest is putting Romania's role in the 'war on terror' under scrutiny The Romanian agency Orniss, pictured here on 8 December 2011, sits on a leafy street in northern Bucharest close to a set of train tracks. The agency has denied hosting a CIA prison (Stringer/AFP) ..

Araghchi welcomes US navy secretarys Bahrain damage remarks Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran appreciated Hung Cao, acting US navy secretary, for publicly admitting that Iranian attacks on a key US naval base in Bahrain had caused extensive damage during the war. Cao, who is US president Donald Trumps pick, had reportedly said that Iranians blew the hell out of the US base in Bahrain. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote: Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed blow the hell out of ..

Iran dismisses IAEA resolution, says nonproliferation accusations political Iran has dismissed a resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which accuses Tehran of failing to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation commitments and refers the matter to the UN Security Council. Renewed accusations against Irans peaceful nuclear programare political and not technical in nature, Iran's UN ambassador, Gholamhossein Darzi, said in a letter addressed to the Security Council ..

Under siege: Iran faces strategic dilemma as war of attrition drags on Submitted by MEE correspondent on Tue, 09/08/2026 - 09:50 As US pressure mounts, Tehran weighs whether to escalate or pursue diplomacy An F/A-18 Super Hornet is seen parked on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea on 4 September 2026 (AFP/US Navy) Off Iran and the United States have entered another limited but dangerous phase of confrontation, with mounting military and economic ..

Gulf foreign ministers plan to meet Araghchi in Oman, FT report says Gulf foreign ministers plan to meet their Iranian counterpart on Monday in a push by Oman and Iran to secure buy-in for a deal temporarily managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Financial Times reported. The meeting would be the first between the top diplomats from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and a senior Iranian official since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran in February. The last time ..

Hormuz vessel transits fall to single digits The number of vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the previous day, well below the 10-day average of 15, according to Reuters. Preliminary ship- tracking data showed on Friday that of the seven, two vessels exited and five entered, the report said. The figures exclude any vessels that might have crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off to avoid detection. The ship ..

NYT: Vance sought unvarnished views on Iran war directly from commanders US vice president JD Vance directly sought unvarnished assessments of the Iran war from US military commanders in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, New York Times reported. The newspaper said that Vance, who opposed the war from the outset, sought direct intel from commander on objectives, tactics, casualty estimates, what the Iranians would do in the Strait of Hormuz, how adaptable they had become and how much punishment ..

Iranian strikes damaged multiple aircraft at Jordan base, report says Iranian strikes damaged multiple American military aircraft this week on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a US official told Reuters. The US military, the highest-funded in the world, suffered material damage even before Iran's strikes on Tuesday. This includes the destruction of more than two dozen drones, Iran striking fighter jets, and aircraft being lost to accidents. According to a May report from the Congressional ..

US will sanction a large bank on Monday, treasury secretary says US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has said the Trump administration will sanction a large bank next week as it continues to apply economic pressure on Tehran to end a more than six-month US conflict with Iran. He named neither the financial institution nor its country during his appearance on "Real America's Voice," but said the move would happen on Monday. Bessent said the move was originally scheduled for Friday but was ..

Senior Rabbi calls settler violence desecration of Judaism Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, former Rabbi of New North London Synagogue and senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism, has called settler violence in the occupied West Bank as a desecration of Judaism. In an interview with Sky News, Rabbi Wittenberg said that he witnessed what was happening in the West Bank during his recent visit to the occupied territories. As foreign secretary (Ed Miliband) was making his statement, I was in the village of Umm ..

US diesel prices surpass $6 a gallon for first time as oil hits highest since May The US national average price of diesel on Thursday surpassed $6 a gallon for the first time ever, according to price tracker GasBuddy, as the US- Israeli war on Iran and Ukrainian attacks on Russias refineries have squeezed supply. The latest surge in fuel costs is adding to inflationary pressures that have already strained consumers and businesses this year, creating a political headache for President Donald ..

Settler filmed emptying water from well of Palestinian family An Israeli settler has been filmed emptying water from the well of a Palestinian family in Huwara, South Hebron Hills in the occupied West Bank. A video posted on X by Yehuda Shaul, founder of Breaking the Silence, an Israeli veterans's organisation aimed at raising awareness to the dire consequences of prolonged military occupation names the settler as Moshe Bialistoki from Dvash MSela (Honey from Stone) Farm. "I am emptying your ..

Trump says he does not regret waging war against Iran President Donald Trump said he did not regret going to war against Iran despite the impact the conflict may have on the November US midterm elections. "I don't believe in the word 'regret'. You can always question yourself a little bit," Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham when asked if he regretted the Iran war due to the impact it may have on the elections. "If I had it do again, I would do exactly as I did," Trump ..

Nine former pilot officers from Assad era arrested for war crimes Internal Security forces in Syrias Lattaika province have arrested nine former military pilots accused of involvement in war crimes against Syrian people, according to Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Internal Security Commander Brigadier General Abdulaziz al-Ahmad said the arrests followed extensive surveillance, intelligence-gathering and investigations, as well as a series of carefully planned security operations across the ..

US sanctions Iraqi paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah The United States has imposed sanctions targeting Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi paramilitary group, as part of an effort to disrupt financial networks supporting Irans regional activities, the US State Department said. Today, the United States is taking action under Operation Economic Outcast targeting Kataib Hizballah (KH), Hizballah, and the broader financial networks that sustain Irans campaign of regional destabilization, ..

Oil shortage shuts main generator at Gazas Al-Ahli Arab Hospital The main generator at Gaza Citys Al-Ahli Arab Hospital has stopped operating due to a shortage of oil and spare parts, Wafa news agency reported. Citing sources, Wafa said the shutdown forced the suspension of the hospitals imaging department, including the only CT scanner in northern Gaza, while medical services have been reduced and several surgeries postponed. The hospital is facing a risk of collapse and urgently requires ..

Pro-Palestine activist wins mayoral Democratic primary in Rhode Island A vocal Israel critic and supporter of Palestinian rights has won the Democratic mayoral primary in America's smallest state. Rhode Island State Representative David Morales , 27,unseated the incumbent mayor of the capital, Providence, on Wednesday and is now likely to become the youngest mayor in the city's history come November. Morales's budget was less than a quarter of that spent by his opponent, Brett Smiley. Read ..

Saudi Arabia says it will take all measures to deter Houthi attacks Saudi Arabias UN representative Abdulaziz al-Wasil said that Riyadh will take all necessary measures to deter Houthi attacks andprotect our security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity". The Saudi representative told a UN Security Council meetingthat Saudi Arabia supports Yemeni-led political solutions that meet "the aspirations of the brotherly Yemeni people for security, stability and prosperity. The diplomat called on ..

Houthis eye 'full control' of Bab el-Mandeb, as Saudi-backed forces reel from offensive Yemen's Houthi fighters' rapid advance along the Red Sea coast has put them in a prime position to control shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb choke point, while bolstering Irans leverage against the US , experts tell Middle East Eye. The Houthis have pulled off a military victory that puts them one step closer to be in full control of the Bab el-Mandeb, Corey Ranslem, CEO of maritime security group Dryad Global, ..

UKMTO reports projectiles hit two vessels near Oman's Khasab Four unknown projectiles hit two vessels four nautical miles west of Oman's Khasab, setting one vessel on fire and leaving the status of the second unknown, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Thursday. The master of another vessel reported seeing the projectiles hit the two vessels about six nautical miles north of his position, UKMTO said.

NAZA: Film exposing systematic killing in Gaza gets record 24-minute standing ovation at Venice A documentary examining the Israeli military systems behind the mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza received a record-breaking standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. NAZA , directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, drew a record-breaking 24-and-a-half-minute standing ovation at its world premiere, the longest at Venice, according to Variety. The ..

Huge explosions heard in south Lebanon, report says Huge explosions were heard in southern Lebanon on Thursday, AFP journalists reported, after Israel said it had destroyed underground infrastructure beneath a strategic ridge. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israel carried out a "massive explosion" on the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, "causing tremors and a powerful rumble that echoed loudly".

Former New York Mayor Giuliani designated 'anti-Muslim extremist' by Muslim advocacy group Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 09/10/2026 - 18:47 Giuliani said Muslims wanted to 'dominate' Americans and are taught 'extremist religious education' Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrives for a 9/11 memorial ceremony in the courtyard of the Robert F Kennedy Justice Department headquarters, on 8 September 2026 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via AFP) Off The Council on American ..

IRGC says it targeted unmanned US sea drone in Hormuz Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday its navy targeted a US unmanned surface vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. "The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a Saildrone Explorer-type unmanned surface vessel in the Strait of Hormuz area, the IRGC said in a statement carried by its Sepah news outlet. IRGC added that the sea drone had been used in the region by the US Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain. ..

London university lifts suspension of pro-Palestine student Usama Ghanem Kings College London (KCL) has lifted the suspension of student activist Usama Ghanem, who was disciplined by the university over his pro- Palestine activism. It comes after a year-long legal and public campaign by Ghanem against the universitys decision. Ghanem said he felt vindicated by the outcome, describing it as a victory for students who have challenged university restrictions on pro-Palestine activism. After a ..

Lebanon death toll rises Israeli attacks have killed 4,383 people in Lebanon since 2 March, according to Lebanons National News Agency, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The updated toll also includes 12,406 people who have been wounded in the Israeli attacks, the agency said.

Settlement trade ban: Burnham succeeds in weeks whereStarmer failed for years Submitted by Peter Oborne on Wed, 09/09/2026 - 16:05 While more action is still needed, these sanctions go a long way towards bringing Britain in line with ICJ rulingon Israeli occupation British Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks in the House of Commons on 9 September 2026 (House of Commons/AFP) On Less than two months have passed since Andy Burnham was installed as British prime minister. He has taken a more relaxed ..

In Syria's Daraa, water is life - and today the land is parched Submitted by Mohammad Almasalma on Fri, 06/12/2026 - 20:22 Amid scarce rainfall, war- scarred infrastructure and the proliferation of unregulated wells, the region is in the grips of a severe water crisis Off Abdul-Munaf al-Masri stands before a vast, cracked expanse of land in southern Syria , where water once stretched to the horizon. Scattered stones and patches of dry grass cover what used to be Lake al-Muzayrib, while an ..

Pakistan, Turkey back Arab endorsement of UK's settlement sanctions Pakistan and Turkey have affirmed their support for Palestine and backed the joint statement by eight Arab-Islamic countries, which welcomed UKs decision to sanction imports from illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank. Pakistans deputy prime minister and foreign minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar spoke over the phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on bilateral relations and regional developments. In a statement posted on ..

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, If you're just joining us, here are key developments from across the region: Iranian media reports explosions were heard on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, city of Sirik and the area of Minab County. Donald Trump has said the United States may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, urging Tehran to be cautious. Trump said he expected Iran war to end immediately after the US midterm elections, adding that negotiations with Tehran remain possible. ..