Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will continue on Sunday, following the lifting of a state of emergency related to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Iran began striking Israel with missiles and drones after air strikes from Israel and former U. S. President Donald Trump on February 28 aimed at limiting Iran’s influence and nuclear ambitions. The emergency had led to the closure of schools and businesses but was lifted on Wednesday evening after a ceasefire was agreed, with no missile attacks reported since early morning.
Netanyahu is the first sitting prime minister in Israel to face criminal charges, including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, stemming from investigations that began years ago. His trial, ongoing since 2020, has faced delays due to his official responsibilities, and no conclusion is in sight. Trump has urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to consider a pardon for Netanyahu, though pardons during a trial are uncommon. The situation has negatively affected Netanyahu’s popularity as elections approach in October 2023.
The Strait of Hormuz, which links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, has held global attention since Israel and the US began their war on Iran in February.
Until fighting began, the narrow channel, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped from Gulf producers in peacetime, remained toll-free and safe for vessels. The strait is shared by Iran and Oman and does not fall into the category of international waters.
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After the US and Israel began strikes, Iran retaliated by attacking “enemy” merchant ships in the strait, effectively halting passage for all, stranding shipping, and creating one of the worst-ever global energy distribution crises.
Tehran continued to refuse to re-open the strait to all traffic at the start of this week, despite US President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges if it did not relent. Trump backed away from his threat on Tuesday night when a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, was declared.
That followed a 10-point peace proposal from Iran that Trump described as a “workable” basis on which to negotiate a permanent end to hostilities.
As part of the truce, Tehran has now issued official terms it says will guide its control of the Strait going forward. The US has not directly acknowledged the terms ahead of talks set to begin in Islamabad on Friday. However, analysts say Tehran’s continued control will be unpopular with Washington, as well as other countries.
During the crisis, only a few ships from specific countries deemed friendly to Iran and those which pay a toll have been granted safe passage. At least two tolls for ships are believed to have been paid in Chinese yuan, in what appears to be a strategy to weaken the US dollar, but also to avoid US sanctions. China, which buys 80 percent of Iran’s oil, already pays Tehran in yuan.
Here’s what we know about how shipments will work from now on:
(Al Jazeera)
Who is controlling the strait now?
On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said Iran would grant safe passage through the strait during the ceasefire in “coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations”.
On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a map of the strait showing a safe route for ships to follow. The map appears to direct ships further north towards the Iranian coast and away from the traditional route closer to the coast of Oman.
In a statement, the IRGC said all vessels must use the new map for navigation due to “the likelihood of the presence of various types of anti-ship mines in the main traffic zone”.
Alternative routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been announced by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), providing new entry and exit pathways for maritime traffic [Screen grab/ Al Jazeera]
It is unclear whether Iran is collecting toll fees during the ceasefire period.
However, Trump said on Tuesday the US would be “helping with the traffic buildup” in the strait and that the US army would be “hanging around” as the negotiations go on.
The Strait will be “OPEN & SAFE” he posted on his Truth Social media site on Thursday, adding that US troops would not leave the area, and threatening to resume attacks if the talks don’t go well.
It’s not known to what extent US troops are directing what happens in the strait now.
Delhi-based maritime analyst C Uday Bhaskar told Al Jazeera that there is a lot of “uncertainty” about who can sail through the strait, and that only between three and five ships have transited since the war was paused.
How does Iran’s 10-point plan affect the Strait?
Among Tehran’s main demands listed on its 10-point plan are that the US and Israel permanently cease all attacks on Iran and its allies – particularly Lebanon – lift all sanctions, and allow Iran to retain control over Hormuz. The plan has not been fully published but is understood to be a starting point for talks.
Iranian media say Iran is considering a plan to charge up to $2m per vessel to be shared with Oman on the opposite side of the strait. Other reports suggest Iran could charge $1 per barrel of oil being shipped.
Revenues raised would be used to rebuild military and civilian infrastructure damaged by US-Israeli strikes, Tehran said.
Oman has rejected the idea. Transport minister Said Al-Maawali said on Wednesday that the Omanis previously “signed all international maritime transport agreements” which bar taking fees.
What does international law say about tolls on shipping?
Critics of Iran’s plan to charge tolls say it violates international law guiding safe maritime passage, and should not be part of a final ceasefire agreement.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) says levies cannot be charged on ships sailing through international straits or territorial seas.
The law allows coastal states to collect fees for services rendered, such as navigation assistance or port use, but not for passage itself.
Neither the US nor Iran has ratified that particular convention, however.
Even if they had, there could be ways to get around this law anyway. Analyst Bhaskar told Al Jazeera that if Iran instead charged fees to de-mine the strait and make it safe for passage again, that could be allowable under maritime laws.
There is no precedent in recent history of countries officially taxing passage through international straits or waterways.
In October 2024, a United Nations Security Council report alleged that the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen were collecting “illegal fees” from shipping companies to allow vessels to pass through the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, where it was targeting ships linked to Israel during the Gaza war.
Last week, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei suggested the Houthis could shut the Bab al-Mandeb shipping route again in light of the war on Iran.
(Al Jazeera)
How might countries react to a Hormuz toll?
Tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz would likely most affect oil and gas-producing countries in the Gulf, but ripple effects will spread to others as well, as the current supply shocks have shown.
Gulf countries, which issued statements calling for the reopening of the passage and praising the ceasefire on Wednesday, would also face a continuing degree of uncertainty, analysts say, as Iran could again disrupt flows in the future.
Before the ceasefire was announced, Bahrain had already proposed a resolution at the UN Security Council calling on member states to coordinate and jointly reopen the passage by “all necessary means”. It was backed by Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. On April 7, 11 of 15 UNSC members voted in favour of that resolution.
But Russia and China vetoed the resolution, saying it was biased against Iran and did not address the initial strikes on Iran by the US and Israel.
Beyond the region, observers say the US is unlikely to accept indefinite toll demands by Iran as part of the negotiations expected to begin on Friday.
A toll to pass through the Strait of Hormuz “is not going to go down well with President Trump and his expectations that the strait should be open for everyone”, Amin Saikal, a professor at the Australian National University, said.
Other major powers have also voiced opposition. Ahead of the ceasefire, Britain had begun discussions with 40 other countries to find a way to reopen the strait.
Practical realities in the strait might see a different scenario play out with ship owners losing millions each day their vessels remain stranded seeking to get them out quickly and undamaged experts say. They are more likely to comply with Iran, at least for now.
“If I were the owner of a VLCC [very large crude carrier] which weighs about 300,000 tonnes, whose value could be a quarter billion dollars…I would believe the Iranians if they said we have laid mines,” Bhaskar said.
What exactly is stagflation, and why do some economists and investors believe the global economy could be heading toward it? Al Jazeera’s Yasmeen ElTahan explains.
The UNIFIL announced that an investigation has concluded that three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed by a shell fired from an Israeli tank.
According to UNIFIL, analysis of the impact site and recovered shrapnel confirmed that the projectile was a 120mm shell fired from an Israeli Merkava tank, launched from the east toward the town of Taybeh.
The mission noted that it had previously provided the Israeli army with the coordinates of all its positions and facilities on 6th March and again on 22nd March, as part of efforts to reduce risks to its personnel.
In a related incident, UNIFIL reported that the Israeli army detained one of its peacekeepers after intercepting a logistics convoy, before releasing him less than an hour later following urgent contacts by UN command.
The mission condemned the detention as a “flagrant violation of international law,” stressing that any obstruction of peacekeeping operations breaches UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which guarantees freedom of movement for UN forces in southern Lebanon.
Separately, UNIFIL confirmed that another peacekeeper was killed on 29th March when a shell struck a UN position near Adshit al-Qusayr, with another seriously wounded. At the time, the source of the shell was unknown, prompting the investigation.
The findings come amid ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon and heightened risks facing UN peacekeeping forces operating in the area.
WASHINGTON — Morning broke in the Middle East on Wednesday with a wave of attacks by Iran. Air defenses in Kuwait were overwhelmed. Three dozen drones and 17 ballistic missiles were shot down over the United Arab Emirates. The most important oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia suffered a hit. Sirens flared in Tel Aviv, and a devastating drumbeat of Israeli strikes targeting Iran’s allies in Lebanon killed scores in Beirut.
A day after President Trump hailed a ceasefire in his war with the Islamic Republic, reversing course on his threat to escalate, the only country spared from attack appeared to be Iran itself.
The “fragile truce,” as Vice President JD Vance called it, began with a calculated show of force from an Iran militarily weakened by six weeks of U.S.-Israeli strikes, yet strategically positioned to press for sweeping concessions from an American president eager to end the war.
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Strait flush
A naval vessel sails on March 1 in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes.
(Sahar al Attar / AFP/Getty Images)
The president’s main conditions for a truce were the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and, through negotiations, a definitive end to Iran’s nuclear work. But Tehran offered no sign of relenting on its enrichment program, and by Wednesday afternoon, had warned that tanker traffic would halt through the strait until Israel paused its attacks in Lebanon.
It was the clearest demonstration yet of Iran’s emboldened position to use the strait — treated for decades as a free and open international waterway — as a bargaining tool, threatening its closure over any number of demands, or else implementing a toll system as reparations for its war damage.
By Friday, U.S. negotiators flying to Islamabad for talks can expect Iran’s hold on the strait to weigh against all other priorities, including American demands that Iran relinquish its right to enrich uranium, the source of decades of tortured diplomatic efforts.
The White House said that traffic had increased through the strait on Wednesday. But it also described reports of its closure, briefed to a displeased president, as “completely unacceptable,” serving as a stark reminder in the West Wing of the new world its war had brought.
James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called the ceasefire framework “a foreign policy disaster” for the United States that revealed Iranian leverage long predicted by independent experts and intelligence analysts.
“Let’s assume the ceasefire actually takes hold — and as far as I can see, it hasn’t done so far,” Acton said. “Iran has the upper hand, and frankly, it’s not close.”
“The negotiations are likely to focus on opening the Strait of Hormuz, which is clearly Trump’s top goal, not Iran’s nuclear program,” he added. “Because Iran has demonstrated it can close the strait — and inflict large economic costs on the U.S. and large political costs on Trump — it now has plenty of leverage over the United States.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on Wednesday. Leavitt spoke to reporters on a range of topics including a two-week ceasefire deal between the U.S., Iran and Israel.
(Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
Unclear terms
The Trump administration reportedly urged two allies of Tehran — China and Pakistan — to pressure the Iranians into a ceasefire ahead of a Tuesday evening deadline, self-imposed by Trump, to escalate the conflict. The resulting truce was described not in a shared statement among the warring parties, but in separate, differing social media posts that all but guaranteed misinterpretation between the two sides.
A statement from the Pakistanis, who have helped mediate the talks, said the ceasefire extended to hostilities in Lebanon. The Israeli statement said it did not; Trump’s post omitted any mention of Lebanon at all.
But the president’s statement did say that a 10-point plan from Iran could serve as the basis for negotiations over a long-term truce going forward. The White House was forced to walk that back Wednesday afternoon, claiming that Iran had presented its diplomats with another, secret 10-point plan substantially revised from those detailed in the press.
“They put forward a more reasonable and entirely different and condensed plan to the president and his team,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “The idea that President Trump would ever accept an Iranian wish list as a deal is completely absurd.”
In social media posts and interviews with select reporters on Wednesday, Trump appeared to suggest exactly that — floating sanctions relief for Tehran and proposing a plan to share revenue from a Strait of Hormuz toll system that could raise global oil prices while directly funding the Iranian government.
Limited achievements
Experts agree that the U.S.-Israeli campaign succeeded in significantly degrading Iran’s drone and ballistic missile infrastructure. But in a statement on Wednesday, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said any deal between Washington and Tehran had to include structural limits on those programs — suggesting concern in Israel that Iran could reconstitute its military within a matter of years.
Iran’s continued attacks on its neighbors Wednesday, its downing of American aircraft last week, and its retention of its nuclear material have raised doubts among U.S. allies about whether Washington’s military capabilities can deliver on its promises.
“There is less respect for what the United States — and Trump in particular — can accomplish, be it through military force or diplomacy, and for the strategic thinking that underlies U.S. policy,” said Patrick Clawson, director of the Iran program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “These attitudes are even stronger in Europe, Russia and China.”
Iran’s military weaknesses have been uncovered as well. Few of its missiles and drones inflicted physical damage throughout Israel and the Arab world.
Yet the psychological impact — on local populations, on the economy of metropolitan Dubai, on the commercial shipping sector and the oil market — has proven Iran is capable of exacting greater pain than its conventional military capabilities would suggest.
Whether the United States can return the Strait of Hormuz to its status before the war, as a free and open waterway, may depend on longstanding allies that Trump has ostracized over the course of the war.
“We launched a war that affected the rest of the world, with little consideration for its effects,” said Dennis Ross, a veteran diplomat on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who served in the George H.W. Bush, Clinton and Obama administrations.
“When you berate allies and leave them out but expect them to be there when you need them, you discover that you don’t have them,” Ross added. “No one is going to assume that the U.S. is more reliable after this.”
From Maddie Lee:Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas learned about 40 minutes before the Dodgers’ game against Blue Jays on Tuesday that his father, Miguel “Micky” Rojas, was being rushed to the hospital.
Just that afternoon, the elder Rojas had sent his son a photo of himself lying down in bed, ready to watch the game. He was excited to see him play, Micky wrote.
Then, as Rojas prepared to play, he started getting calls and texts from family members.
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“There’s nothing I could do being this far,” Rojas said before Wednesday’s 4-3 series-finale loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. “Just support my family, and trying to understand a little bit of what’s going on. I found out that my dad, on the way to the hospital, passed away. He couldn’t live through the heart attack that he had. So it was suddenly that he passed away; he was feeling good. Really hard to understand. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”
Micky Rojas’ funeral was scheduled for Wednesday. But being in Toronto complicated travel options back to Venezuela. Rojas would have had to fly back through the United States, on an extremely tight timeline.
“That’s how they do things in Venezuela,” Rojas said of the timing of the funeral. “It happens quick because they have to. They don’t have many places to hold these funerals.”
Rojas planned on returning to Los Angeles with the team, and then he might travel to Venezuela to be with his family.
“That hasn’t been decided yet,” Rojas said. “But the most important part for me today was showing up and playing, and then after that, I’ll be a family man on the off day and see what’s the best way to do things after that.”
UCLA women’s basketball players (from left) Lauren Betts, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gabriela Jaquez dance during the Bruins’ national championship victory celebration Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion.
“This group is so special,” Jaquez told the crowd that filled half the arena. “We’re all best friends.”
Jaquez led a spirited eight-clap, the band blared the school fight song, and mascots Joe Bruin and Josie Bruin danced.
It’s been a whirlwind for the Bruins since their 79-51 rout of South Carolina in the title game in Phoenix on Sunday. The game averaged 9.9 million viewers, the third most-viewed women’s championship game since 1996.
Davey Lopes acknowledges the cheers of the crowd after hitting his second home run of the game against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1978 World Series at Dodger Stadium.
(Associated Press)
From Steve Henson: Davey Lopes, the no-nonsense, base-swiping second baseman of a Dodgers infield that played together for an MLB-record 8½ seasons, died Wednesday at age 80, the team announced.
The first 10 years of Lopes’ 16-year major league career were spent with the Dodgers, and he returned to the organization in 2010 to serve as first-base coach for five years. Lopes was a four-time All-Star who won two stolen base titles and one Gold Glove and helped the Dodgers to four World Series, including the championship in 1981.
Taken in the second round of a 1968 Dodgers draft haul considered by many the most talented in baseball history, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Lopes rose from a rough-and-tumble Rhode Island upbringing to become the team’s everyday second baseman and leadoff batter.
From Suhauna Hussain and Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Andie Pangan did not even conceive of the possibility she would fail to snag tickets for tennis or climbing events at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
She has been watching tennis since she was young and desperately wanted tickets for a chance to see Filipina breakout star Alex Eala, who she hopes will qualify and be a trailblazer for the Philippines in the Olympics.
But when she logged on the website at 10 a.m. Monday, the start of her ticket-buying time slot, all the events she had even remotely wanted had sold out, were unavailable or were well out of her price range, more than $1,000.
“I was shocked. Even climbing was all gone,” said Pangan, who lives 10 minutes from the Carson Stadium, which will serve as an Olympic venue. “I never really thought I would come out of this presale without getting anything.”
Lakers great Michael Cooper coaching at Cal State L.A.
Lakers great Michael Cooper speaks during a news conference at Cal State L.A. on Wednesday after being introduced as the university’s men’s basketball coach.
The Lakers legend was introduced Wednesday as the program’s 14th men’s basketball head coach, bringing with him decades of experience and a clear vision: return the Golden Eagles to championship form.
The goal for Cooper is to reestablish what the men’s basketball program achieved two years ago, winning a championship.
How a dependence on painkillers took down Tiger Woods
In this image from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, golfer Tiger Woods is taken into custody following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., on March 27.
(Associated Press)
From Steve Henson: Reaction to Tiger Woods’ car crash and driving under the influence arrest last month ranged from sadness to dismay to exasperation. Few observers, however, expressed surprise.
Although widely recognized as perhaps the greatest golfer of all time, Woods, 50, has been in a downward spiral personally and professionally for years.
His struggles with prescription drugs became public in 2017 when police found him asleep at the wheel of his car with the engine running near his Jupiter, Fla., home. Multiple painkillers, sleep aids and THC were detected in his system. Woods checked into rehab shortly after that incident, saying his efforts to manage insomnia and pain from his staggering number of surgeries on his own was a mistake.
Now, though, he’s again in rehab, likely in Switzerland after his private jet landed in Zurich on Friday, according to reports. The latest crash is the fourth major incident involving Woods behind the wheel since 2009.
Jalen Williams scored 18 points for the NBA champion Thunder (64-16), who will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason in their title defense after holding off San Antonio (61-19), which is on an 18-2 run since February. Oklahoma City has won seven straight and 19 of 20 to earn the West’s No. 1 seed for the third straight season.
Atlanta broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning on Olson’s third homer of the season — a two-out, two-run shot to center field against Reid Detmers (0-1). Austin Riley followed with a double and scored on shortstop Zach Neto’s throwing error to make it 5-2.
Holmes (1-1) left with two on and two outs in the seventh and Mike Trout due up. Joel Payamps struck out Trout on a full-count fastball. Trout was 0 for 4 and just one for nine in the series, his hit a pop fly misplayed for a single, and is hitting .190.
1912 — First exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park.
1946 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 to win the Stanley Cup in five games.
1947 — Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is suspended for one year by Commissioner A.B. “Happy” Chandler for “conduct detrimental to baseball.” Durocher is linked to gambling interests.
1950 — Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters, by two strokes over Jim Ferrier.
1959 — Thirteenth NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in 4 games.
1960 — The Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks 122-103 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for their third NBA title in the last four years. Frank Ramsey leads the Celtics with 24 points and Bill Russell scores 22 points and grabs 35 rebounds.
1962 — Arnold Palmer wins a three-way playoff, beating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters.
1966 — Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens.
1972 — 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles.
1978 — Gary Player shoots a final-round 64 to win his third Masters, edging Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and defending champion Tom Watson by a shot.
1978 — Denver’s David Thompson, battling San Antonio’s George Gervin for the NBA season scoring title, scores 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the third-highest output ever in an NBA game. Gervin, not to be outdone, later scores 63 against the New Orleans Jazz. It’s just enough to give Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson’s 27.15, the tightest one-two finish ever.
1981 — Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela’s first start.
1987 — For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Béliveau as all time playoff scoring champ.
1989 — Britain’s Nick Faldo makes a 25-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters. Runner-up Scott Hoch missed a 2-foot putt for par on the first hole of the playoff that would have given him the title.
1995 — 59th Masters tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Crenshaw wins his second Masters title.
1997 — Major League Soccer announces Miami & Chicago as expansion teams.
2000 — Fiji native Vijay Singh meets every challenge to win the Masters, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Ernie Els.
2001 — Australia sets a record for the most one-sided international win in FIFA history, beating Tonga 22-0 in an Oceania Group One qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup.
2005 — The United States beats Canada 3-1 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless regulation and 20-minute overtime to win the Women’s World Hockey Championship. The win ends the defending champions’ run of eight straight titles.
2006 — 70th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 2nd green jacket.
2016 — Manny Pacquiao returns from the biggest loss of his career with a bang, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.
2017 — Sergio Garcia overcomes a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beats Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the Masters for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache. No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning a major for the first time.
2017 — Russell Westbrook breaks Oscar Robertson’s 56-year-old record with his 42nd triple-double of the season, then he breaks the Denver Nuggets’ hearts with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for a 106-105 victory. Westbrook has 50 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in breaking Robertson’s record of 41 triple-doubles that stood since the 1961-62 season. With his triple-double in the books, Westbrook scores his team’s final 15 points, including a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounds after a timeout with 2.9 seconds left.
2021 — San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove no-hits the Texas Rangers.
Compiled by the Associated Press.
Until next time…
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Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator in ceasefire talks between the United States, Iran and Israel, hosting negotiations in Islamabad. The announcement of the initial ceasefire by Shehbaz Sharif signaled Islamabad’s unexpected diplomatic centrality in a high stakes conflict.
This role is not incidental. It reflects Pakistan’s long standing regional ties, security concerns, and strategic positioning between major global and regional powers.
Historical Leverage with Iran Pakistan’s mediation draws on decades of close ties with Iran, shaped by shared borders, religious linkages, and past strategic cooperation. Since 1947, both states have supported each other in regional disputes, creating a baseline of trust that allows Islamabad to act as a credible interlocutor.
Despite occasional tensions, Iran continues to view Pakistan as a state willing to engage without overt hostility, making dialogue politically feasible.
Security Driven Diplomacy Pakistan’s involvement is rooted in hard security calculations. Instability in Iran could spill over into Balochistan, where separatist movements already challenge state authority. A fragmented Iran risks amplifying cross border militancy and separatist narratives.
Additionally, Pakistan’s status as a nuclear power makes regional de escalation a priority, as prolonged conflict increases the risk of external pressure on its own strategic assets.
Military Influence and US Access The central role of the military, particularly Asim Munir, has strengthened Pakistan’s credibility with Donald Trump. Direct engagement between military leadership and Washington has enabled Islamabad to maintain influence within US strategic circles.
This relationship enhances Pakistan’s ability to act as a bridge, especially under an administration that values strong security partnerships.
Emerging Strategic Alignments Pakistan’s deepening ties with Saudi Arabia and parallel coordination with the United States suggest the emergence of a loose strategic alignment. At the same time, Islamabad maintains close relations with China, which has a vested interest in Gulf stability due to energy dependence.
This dual alignment uniquely positions Pakistan as a mediator acceptable to multiple competing blocs.
Implications Pakistan’s role signals a shift in regional diplomacy, where mid tier powers can leverage geography and relationships to shape major geopolitical outcomes. Successful mediation could elevate Pakistan’s global standing, while failure risks exposing its strategic vulnerabilities.
The talks also highlight how regional conflicts are increasingly multi layered, involving overlapping alliances and competing security priorities.
Analysis Pakistan is not acting as a neutral peace broker but as a strategic actor pursuing its own stability. By engaging all sides, it reduces the risk of regional spillover while enhancing its diplomatic relevance.
Its ability to maintain simultaneous ties with Washington, Tehran, Riyadh and Beijing gives it rare flexibility. However, this balancing act is inherently fragile. Any perceived bias could undermine trust and derail negotiations.
Ultimately, Pakistan’s mediation reflects a broader geopolitical reality: influence in today’s conflicts belongs not only to superpowers, but to states that can navigate between them.
A dispute has emerged between Kenya and the United Nations over allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse linked to a UN backed security mission in Haiti. The force, largely composed of Kenyan police officers, was deployed in June 2024 to stabilise a country where armed gangs control much of the capital.
A UN report, based on findings from its Human Rights Office, concluded that four allegations of abuse were substantiated. Kenya has formally rejected these findings, asserting that its own internal investigation found no evidence to support the claims. This divergence has opened a deeper debate over credibility, jurisdiction, and the persistent problem of accountability in international interventions.
Conflicting Investigative Authority
At the core of the dispute lies a fundamental question: who has the authority to determine truth and accountability in multinational missions. The United Nations, through its human rights mechanisms, operates as an external oversight body, positioning itself as impartial and norm driven. Kenya, by contrast, asserts sovereign control over its personnel, emphasising that its internal inquiry was independent and shared with relevant stakeholders.
This clash reflects a structural ambiguity built into international peace operations. While missions are authorised or supported by the UN, enforcement power over individual personnel remains with contributing states. As a result, accountability mechanisms are fragmented, allowing for conflicting conclusions such as those seen in this case.
Historical Context and Institutional Credibility
The controversy is intensified by Haiti’s history with international peacekeeping missions, particularly the MINUSTAH deployment between 2004 and 2017. That mission was marred by widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, many involving vulnerable populations, including children. Despite the scale of accusations, prosecutions were rare, largely dependent on the willingness of troop contributing countries to act.
This legacy casts a long shadow over current operations. Allegations, whether proven or disputed, are not assessed in isolation but through a lens of accumulated mistrust. The UN therefore faces pressure to demonstrate that oversight mechanisms have improved, while Kenya is equally motivated to avoid reputational damage associated with past failures of the peacekeeping system.
Power, Reputation, and Strategic Stakes
Kenya’s firm rejection of the UN findings is not only a legal position but also a political one. As the primary contributor to the mission, Nairobi has invested significant diplomatic capital in presenting itself as a stabilising force in Haiti. Accepting the UN’s conclusions would risk undermining both domestic legitimacy and international standing.
For the United Nations, the stakes are similarly high. Its credibility as a guarantor of human rights depends on its willingness to investigate and publicly report abuses, even when doing so creates friction with member states. Backing down or appearing inconsistent would weaken its already challenged authority in overseeing multinational operations.
Victims and the Accountability Gap
Amid institutional disagreement, the position of alleged victims becomes increasingly precarious. When investigative bodies reach opposing conclusions, the likelihood of justice diminishes. The reliance on troop contributing countries to prosecute their own personnel has historically resulted in limited accountability, reinforcing perceptions of impunity.
This gap is not merely procedural but systemic. Without a unified mechanism for enforcement, findings risk becoming symbolic rather than consequential. The repetition of such disputes suggests that structural reforms within the peacekeeping system remain incomplete.
Implications
The dispute signals potential strain in cooperation between Kenya and the United Nations at a critical moment for the Haiti mission. Operational effectiveness may be affected if trust between the UN and its primary personnel contributor erodes. At the same time, the controversy could deter other countries from participating in similar missions, given the reputational risks involved.
More broadly, the case highlights enduring contradictions in international peace operations. The system depends on state contributions but lacks full authority over them, creating a persistent tension between sovereignty and accountability.
Analysis
This episode underscores a recurring paradox in global governance. The United Nations is tasked with upholding universal norms, yet it relies on sovereign states that retain ultimate control over their agents. When allegations of abuse arise, this division of authority becomes a fault line.
Kenya’s rejection of the UN findings is therefore not an anomaly but an expression of this structural tension. Both sides are operating within their respective logics: the UN prioritising normative legitimacy, and Kenya defending sovereign jurisdiction and institutional credibility.
The result is not simply disagreement over facts but a deeper contest over who defines accountability in international interventions. Until this question is resolved, similar disputes are likely to recur, particularly in high risk environments where oversight is most needed and most difficult to enforce.
Walt Disney Co. is planning an extensive round of layoffs in the coming weeks, according to a source familiar with the matter but unauthorized to comment.
The move comes nearly three months after Disney unveiled a more streamlined management structure that sought to centralize its sprawling marketing operations.
Many of the layoffs are expected to come from the recent consolidation of Disney’s marketing department.
After officially taking the reins of the company last month, Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro told employees he wants the Burbank media and entertainment giant — which includes film and TV studios, a tourism division, streaming services and live sports programming — to operate as “one Disney,” saying the global businesses all play a role in deepening consumers’ relationship with Disney and its characters.
Like many studios in Hollywood, Disney has faced decreased theatrical revenues, the continued decline of linear television and the smaller profits it makes from its streaming services. Though the company’s theme parks division has served as its economic engine for years, Disney recently indicated it expects to see “headwinds” in international tourism to its U.S. parks.
News of the planned Disney job cuts add to the ongoing drumbeat Hollywood has endured for the last few years.
Disney recently laid off thousands of workers in the years after former Chief Executive Bob Iger returned to the company. At the time, Iger said Disney had been pumping out too many shows and movies to compete with Netflix and needed to retrench.
Around 3,000 worshippers entered Al-Aqsa for the morning prayer on Thursday, after Israel lifted restrictions.
Published On 9 Apr 20269 Apr 2026
The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem has reopened to Palestinian worshippers after a 40-day closure by Israel.
Video verified by Al Jazeera showed Palestinians streaming through its gates early on Thursday morning. Around 3,000 worshippers attended morning prayers.
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Access had been completely prohibited, or restricted to a few dozen faithful at Christian, Jewish and Muslim sites following the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28. Israel often imposes restrictions, especially on Palestinian worshippers.
The Islamic Waqf Department in occupied Jerusalem confirmed that the doors of Al-Aqsa would be reopened to all worshippers from dawn. The Jordanian-affiliated religious authority responsible for managing the mosque did not provide further details.
Video from earlier showed volunteers and caretakers in courtyards and prayer areas preparing to receive worshippers and holding religious rites.
Israeli authorities announced the opening of the mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday evening.
Israeli police attributed the opening of holy sites to what it called “updated instructions from the Israeli Home Front Command”.
The statement noted intensive security reinforcements, including hundreds of police officers and border guards in the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem and roads leading to the holy sites, aimed at “securing visitors”.
Jerusalem and its holy sites have been subjected to strict security measures and frequent closures during the regional war of the past six weeks.
The restrictions subdued Lent, Passover and Ramadan celebrations for many in some of the holiest sites for Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Authorities also prevented Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Aqsa this year – the first such restriction since Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
But the bans have been lifted just in time for Orthodox Christians, who celebrate Easter on Sunday, a week after Catholic and Protestants.
No let up in raids in occupied West Bank
Israeli raids have continued across the occupied West Bank.
Israeli forces detained a woman and assaulted a man during an early Thursday raid in Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry separately said Israeli forces fatally shot a Palestinian man near the village of Tayasir in the northern West Bank on Wednesday night.
The ministry said 28-year-old Alaa Khaled Mohammed Sbeih “was shot and killed” by Israeli forces, while the Israeli military said an off-duty soldier fired at a stone-thrower.
Wafa said six young men were detained in a raid on the village of Tayasir, while in Ya’bad, south of Jenin, Israeli troops stormed several homes at dawn, destroying the contents of three houses. Forces also raided the villages of Qusra and Awarta, but no arrests were reported there.
Attacks by Israeli forces across Gaza and the occupied West Bank have continued, along with Israel’s wars on Iran and Lebanon.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since 2023, with at least 10,000 forcibly displaced.
Venezuela possesses significant, largely untapped gas reserves. (Archive)
Mérida, April 8, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Energy multinational Shell is reportedly in advanced negotiations with the Venezuelan government to expand its operations in the country’s offshore natural gas fields
According to Reuters, the London-based oil and gas giant is seeking rights to exploit four major fields in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border with Trinidad and Tobago.
Shell wants to move beyond the 4.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) Dragon field project, which it is set to develop alongside Trinidad’s National Gas Company (NGC) after receiving a 30-year license from the Venezuelan government in December 2023.
The company is currently targeting three additional fields that, together with Dragon, comprise the Mariscal Sucre project: Río Caribe, Patao, and Mejillones. The four fields represent approximately 12 tcf of reserves combined.
Shell likewise aims to accelerate operations in the 7.3 tcf Loran field, which forms part of the Loran-Manatee cross-border reservoir with Trinidad. The firm is already developing the Manatee side in Trinidadian waters, and spokespeople referred to Loran, which remains largely untapped, as an “attractive investment opportunity.”
If the deals are finalized, Shell would gain access to a combined resource base of approximately 20 tcf of Venezuelan natural gas, with plans to process it into liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Trinidadian facilities.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan stated during the late March CERAWeek conference in Houston that the company could reach a final investment decision (FID) on at least two Venezuelan projects “before the end of this year, if afforded the right fiscal and legal frameworks.” Sawan added that there is “a long way to go” before the projects launch but that he was “encouraged” by recent progress.
A primary hurdle in the current negotiations is the status of the Río Caribe and Mejillones fields, which had partial ownership stakes previously assigned to Rosneft and then transferred to Russian state-owned Roszarubezhneft in 2020. Both fields have remained largely untouched.
In a statement to Reuters, a Shell spokesperson confirmed that the Russian part-ownership is “a problem” but expressed confidence in overcoming it.
For its part, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has maintained a supportive stance toward the integration of Venezuelan gas into its domestic infrastructure. Port of Spain possesses significant idle capacity at its Atlantic LNG facility, partly owned by Shell, due to declining domestic production in recent years.
The Trinidadian Energy Chamber recently expressed optimism that the expanded Shell projects in Venezuelan waters would “boost [Trinidadian] exports and generate much-needed foreign currency.”
However, the recent negotiations have drawn internal scrutiny. Former Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine noted that while the deals will benefit Trinidad’s LNG exports, it effectively transitions the country into a gas importer.
The acceleration of talks for natural gas concession projects in Venezuelan waters follows the January 2026 reform of the Caribbean nation’s Organic Hydrocarbon Law. The pro-business overhaul granted private corporations significant benefits in terms of reduced fiscal responsibilities and increased control over operations and sales.
In addition to offshore natural gas ventures, Shell additionally signed agreements to take over light and medium-crude projects in the Punta de Mata Division in eastern Venezuela.
For the Dragon Project, the proposed development plan involves drilling subsea wells in Venezuelan waters and tying them to the Hibiscus platform off the north coast of Trinidad. The Loran field is expected to be linked to the Manatee platform.
Alongside Shell, BP had also previously progressed in talks to exploit the Cocuina-Manakin joint field. Both energy corporations recently received US Treasury licenses to negotiate contracts with Caracas under restricted conditions.
The Nicolás Maduro government had suspended all joint natural gas projects with Trinidad in late 2025 after the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government openly supported the Trump administration’s Caribbean military build-up ahead of the January 3 military strikes against Venezuela. Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were kidnapped by US special forces.
BAE Systems, which makes the weapon and is the British partner in the Eurofighter consortium, said it conducted the trial on an unspecified date at its flight test development center in Warton, Lancashire. The sortie involved a RAF Typhoon test and evaluation aircraft launching “a successful strike on a ground-based target at a UK military testing range,” the company said in a statement.
After hitting a ground target with the APKWS, the next step for the Typhoon will be testing them on air-to-air targets, BAE noted. A special proximity fuzed FALCO version APKWS is used for engaging aerial drones, but it an also be used against ground targets. Typhoons are already equipped with targeting pods that can laser designate aerial and ground targets for APKWS.
APKWS, The Innovation Continues
“This trial with the APKWS laser-guidance kit on Typhoon demonstrates a game-changing capability and a cost-effective solution that would enhance Typhoon’s already impressive range of weapons capabilities,” Richard Hamilton, Managing Director – Air Operations at BAE Systems’ Air sector, said in a statement.
The announcement of the test firing comes after BAE confirmed last September that feasibility studies for the integration of APKWS on the Typhoon were underway. At the time, BAE was investigating how it could improve the Typhoon’s counter-drone role and what it would take to make the APKWS system work on the fighters.
Speaking at the 2025 Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London, Paul Smith, BAE Systems head of Typhoon Strategy Delivery, said the company was trying to ascertain the level of risk and integration maturity Typhoon customers want when adapting the jets for the counter drone role.
The proliferation of one-way attack drones, especially in the Ukraine war and in the Middle East, has sparked a mad dash to find cheaper ways for fighters to shoot them down. As we have frequently noted, there is a huge mismatch between the cost of the drones and the interceptors used to defeat them.
For example, the latest variants of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), which also arm the Typhoon, cost around $1 million each, while current-generation AIM-9X Sidewinders each have a price tag around $450,000. The standard short-range missiles on the Typhoon — IRIS-T and ASRAAM — are similarly expensive.
In comparison, the unit cost for the standard APKWS II guidance section has typically been between $15,000 and $20,000. The 70mm rocket motors run in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. The price point for warheads fluctuates more widely, given the breadth of options available, as you can read about more here.
A stock picture of a pod of APKWS II rockets loaded on a US Air Force F-16. USAF
In addition to offering Eurofighters a cheaper option for countering drones, APKWS rockets would significantly increase each fighter’s magazine depth. The standard pod holds seven rockets. It would take the place of a weapons pylon that would otherwise normally be loaded with just one air-to-air missile.
An image shared by BAE shows two APKWS pods, one under each wing for a total of. 14 rockets. The jet would still be able to carry six additional air-to-air missiles.
A seven-rocket APKWS pod under the wing of an RAF Eurofighter. (BAE)
For the U.S., the rockets have been so successful that they are “our primary weapon against a drone,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Derek France, head of Air Forces Central (AFCENT), the service’s top command in the Middle East, told TWZ on the sidelines of the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2025 Air, Space, and Cyber Conference yesterday. “We’ve had multiple shoot-downs with it.”
The U.S. experience has played a key role in stoking RAF’s interest in the rockets, according to BAE. The Typhoon test firing will give the RAF more information about how these rockets could perform on its own fighters.
“This activity, supported by RAF, will provide valuable insights into how a low-cost precision weapon could be integrated in the aircraft, particularly counter UAS weapons, where affordable interception options are needed,” the company explained. “It also forms part of a range of capability enhancements planned for Typhoon to increase the aircraft’s potency in current and future combat air operations.”
An RAF Eurofighter Typhoon. (AS1 Nathan Edwards/Crown Copyright) A Royal Air Force Typhoon, seen before the RAF Cosford airshow, in June 2023. AS1 Nathan Edwards/Crown Copyright
Ukraine is also using APKWS with its F-16s in the air-to-air role as they grapple with the constant threat of long-range one-way attack munitions.
Typhoons have swatted down Iranian drones during the war with Iran. In addition to a joint RAF-Qatari unit, they are operated by Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, as well. Royal Air Force Typhoon and F-35 fighter fighters, supported by military helicopters, shot down several Iranian drones targeting Middle Eastern countries, the United Kingdom‘s Defense Ministry (MoD) stated on X.
“UK Typhoons and F-35 jets, supported by Voyager and Royal Navy Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, have continued their defensive missions over the Eastern Mediterranean, Jordan, Bahrain, and the UAE,” the MoD added. The RAF also deployed fighters to Cyprus to protect it from drone attacks.
As they have with the U.S., APKWS rockets could give all these Typhoon operators a cheaper option for countering drones compared to their current loadouts and greater magazine depth, allowing more engagements per sortie.
It is unclear how Germany, Italy and Spain – the other three Eurofighter partner nations that are responsible for developing, building, and sustaining the aircraft – view adding APKWS to its fighters. However, those discussions are apparently underway.
At the Paris Air Show last June, Eurofighter CEO Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt confirmed that the counter-drone mission was one of growing importance for Typhoon customers.
Since then, as we have seen in Ukraine and especially in the Middle East where Iran launched hundreds of drones prior to a ceasefire enacted yesterday, the need for affordable counter-drone systems is only going to increase.
Other air arms in Europe are following a similar path, including testing similar, locally produced laser-guided counter-drone rockets systems on their fighters.
With all this in mind, there is little doubt that laser-guided rockets adapted for the air-to-air role are quickly becoming the counter-drone weapon of choice for fighter inventories, a tactical shift that is likely to spread around the globe.
US president meets NATO chief, expresses disappointment over member states failing to back war on Iran.
By AJ Staff, AFP and Reuters
Published On 9 Apr 20269 Apr 2026
United States President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO over its reluctance to join Washington’s war on Iran, and appeared to revive threats over Greenland, following a meeting with the alliance’s secretary-general.
Writing on his TruthSocial platform on Wednesday, Trump said in capitalised letters that “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again”.
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The remarks came after a two hour meeting with NATO’s Mark Rutte at the White House, a day after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.
Ahead of the meeting, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that member states had “turned their backs on the American people”, who fund their nations’ defence. She said Trump would have a “very frank and candid conversation” with the NATO chief and quoted the US president as saying: “They were tested, and they failed.”
The rhetoric has raised seats in the West that Trump could move to withdraw the US from the transatlantic alliance, which he has repeatedly called a “paper tiger”. Several NATO members refused to open their airspace to US military aircraft or send naval forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy route that Iran has effectively closed.
Trump – following his meeting with Rutte – also appeared to revive his threat to seize Greenland from NATO member Denmark – a move had roiled the alliance before he launched his war on Iran
“Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run, piece of ice!!!”, he wrote.
Rutte, known in Europe as the “Trump whisperer” for his skill in maintaining a productive relationship with the US president, told the CNN broadcaster that Trump was “clearly disappointed with many NATO allies”.
Rutte said he had “very frank” and “very open” discussions with Trump during the meeting, and that while he understood the US president’s frustrations, he had pushed back against some of the broader criticism.
“I was also able to point to the fact that the large majority of European nations have been helpful, with basing, with logistics, with overflights, with making sure that they live up to the commitments,” Rutte said.
“What the US did with Iran, they could do because so many European countries lived up to those commitments. Not all of them, and I totally understand his disappointment about that, but it is, therefore, a nuanced picture,” he added.
Rutte also rejected the notion that NATO members considered the war on Iran “illegal”, arguing that there was widespread support in Europe for degrading Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. He also said that prolonged diplomacy risked a “North Korean moment” – where talks drag on until a country acquires nuclear capacity and it becomes too late to act.
The NATO chief declined to answer directly when asked multiple times if Trump had said he would leave the alliance.
NATO, which includes European countries, the US and Canada, was formed in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union and has been the cornerstone of the West’s security ever since.
The alliance has only activated its mutual defence clause on one occasion, following the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in the US.
It was not clear what role Trump had expected it to play in the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported that Trump was looking at punishing some NATO members he believed were unhelpful during the conflict by moving US troops out of their countries.
The plan, reported by the Wall Street Journal, would fall short of Trump’s hinted threats to pull the US out of NATO entirely – a move for which he would need the approval of the US Congress.
Rutte did not answer directly when asked about that report.
“The large majority, including France, of European nations, has been doing what they committed before they will do in a case like this,” he said instead.
“So Europe, as a platform of power projection for the United States, was in full play over the last six weeks.”
A man trapped for nearly two weeks in a flooded gold mine in Sinaloa, Mexico, has been rescued by military divers. Structural failure and flooding caused the mine to collapse, killing two other workers.
It’s not clear under what legal authority Trump can tack on this tariff, and analysts called it an ’empty threat’.
Published On 8 Apr 20268 Apr 2026
United States President Donald Trump has said imports from countries supplying Iran with military weapons will face immediate 50 percent tariffs with no exemptions, announcing the threatened duty in a social media post just hours after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.
Trump’s Truth Social post on Wednesday did not specify which legal authority he would invoke to impose such tariffs, as the Supreme Court in February struck down his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act [IEEPA] to impose broad global tariffs, prompting a lower court to order refunds of some $166bn collected over the course of a year.
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The 1977 IEEPA law has been used extensively for decades to back financial sanctions against Iran, Russia and North Korea, but the court ruled that Trump overstepped his authority in using it to impose trade tariffs.
“A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions! President DJT,” Trump wrote.
However, “it’s a lot more complicated to do that after IEEPA was struck down”, Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Al Jazeera. “There’s no immediate policy lever and authorisation that is available for the US to do that. So they need either an act of Congress or need to adapt some other trade tool, and there isn’t really a national security-oriented trade tool.”
Trump did not name any countries that could face punitive tariffs. China and Russia have helped Iran build military capacity to counter US and Israeli pressure, supplying missiles, air defence systems and technology intended to bolster deterrence.
But that support appeared capped during the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Both Beijing and Moscow have denied supplying any weapons recently, although allegations against Moscow have persisted.
The Reuters news agency has previously reported that Tehran was considering a purchase of supersonic antiship cruise missiles from China. In March, Reuters reported that China’s top semiconductor maker, SMIC, has sent chipmaking tools to Iran’s military, according to two senior Trump administration officials.
“This is a China-related threat, the way I read it. And China will read it that way,” said Josh Lipsky, vice president and chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council.
Although drone and missile parts routinely flow from Chinese entities to Iran, evading US sanctions, Lipsky said Trump was unlikely to follow through with new tariffs in the near term because that would derail his planned trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid-May.
“US tariffs on Chinese products have gone down a lot since the court ruling,” said Ziemba, “and slapping on 50 percent tariffs now would be very expensive, especially for US importers and consumers.”
Moreover, with the Trump-Xi meeting looming, “this is kind of an empty threat, but shows that when push comes to shove, Trump comes back to tariffs”, Ziemba said.
Trump does have active “Section 301” unfair trade practices tariffs on Chinese goods from his first term, to which he may be able to add duties and similar pending cases related to excess industrial capacity and China’s compliance with a 2020 trade deal. But these would require a public notice period before they could take effect.
Trump also may be able to invoke Section 232 of the Cold War-era Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows sector-specific tariffs to protect strategic domestic industries on national security grounds, but using this law would require a new months-long investigation and public comments.
Russia has been another source of arms technology for Iran, but US imports of Russian goods have fallen sharply since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the wave of financial sanctions imposed on Moscow as a result.
US imports from Russia, one of the only countries not subject to Trump’s now-cancelled “reciprocal” tariffs, jumped 26.1 percent to $3.8bn in 2025. These are dominated by palladium used in automotive catalytic converters, fertilisers and their ingredients, and enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. The US Department of Commerce is already moving to impose punitive tariffs on Russian palladium after an anti-dumping investigation.
A 13-year-old girl on Snapchat captured the moment Israel began its assault on Beirut. In the video posted on her mother’s social media, she is seen running with her father to hide from the blast. On the first day of the US-Iran ceasefire, Israel said it bombed Lebanon 100 times in just 10 minutes, killing hundreds.
Hundreds of vehicles have driven through Istanbul to condemn the ‘lawless aggression’ of the US and Israel. The convoy, carrying Palestinian and Turkish flags, is calling for international accountability in light of relentless attacks on Lebanon, Iran and Gaza.
Protesters have blocked roads outside the Israeli embassy in London, condemning Israel’s violent strikes on Lebanon which killed hundreds across the country on the day the US-Iran ceasefire was announced. Many demonstrators also expressed solidarity with Iranians and Palestinians who have all suffered under Israeli bombardment.
