Middle East crisis live: Trump threatens ‘very bad’ future for Nato if allies fail to help secure strait of Hormuz | US-Israel war on Iran
Summary
Here’s a snapshot of the latest key developments in the US-Israel war on Iran to bring you up to speed.
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The Israeli army said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It said that before the troops’ entry into the area, it conducted air force and artillery strikes against “numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats”.
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Donald Trump warned that Nato faced a “very bad” future if US allies failed to assist in opening up the strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported. Trump has urged a string of countries to send warships to the region but the response has been muted. Japan and Australia have declined to send ships.
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Flights are “gradually” resuming at Dubai international airport, according to its operator, after a “drone-related incident” earlier sparked a fuel tank fire nearby. No injuries were reported, the city’s media office said.
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The US has started moving more than 2,000 marines from the Japanese island of Okinawa to the Middle East, according to news reports.
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Japan said it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.
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Oil prices climbed again amid mounting supply fears, with brent crude – the international benchmark – rosing 1.8% to $104.98 a barrel during early trading on Monday.
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British prime minister Keir Starmer discussed with Trump the need to reopen the strait of Hormuz, a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Sunday. Starmer also spoke with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney about the impact of the strait’s continued closure on international shipping.
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Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but that all its personnel were safe.
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A rocket attack on Baghdad international airport in Iraq wounded five people, Iraqi authorities said. The airport houses a US diplomatic facility.
Key events
Trump suggests he may delay China visit as he ramps up pressure over strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump is suggesting he may delay his much-anticipated visit to China at the end of the month as he seeks to ramp up the pressure on Beijing to help reopen the strait of Hormuz and calm oil prices that have soared during the Iran war.
In his interview on Sunday with the Financial Times, Trump said China’s reliance on oil from the Middle East means it ought to help with a new coalition he is trying to put together to get oil tanker traffic moving through the strait. Trump said “we’d like to know” before the trip whether Beijing will help. “We may delay,” Trump said in the interview.
As Associated Press reports, the uncertainty underscores just how much the US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reshaped global politics in the past two weeks. Calling off the face-to-face visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could have its own major economic consequences: Relations between Washington and Beijing have been fraught as both sides have threatened the other with steep tariffs over the past year.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Donald Trump’s comments about the risk to Nato if allies do not contribute to the military effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz have been played down by a UK cabinet minister.
The UK appears unlikely to agree to the US president’s call for allies to contribute warships to a mission to protect shipping passing through the waterway from Iranian attacks. However, ministers are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the area.
Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden told Times Radio: “There’s a lot of rhetoric, always, in this presidency.
“Underneath that, there is a good and close relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. I’m confident that will continue. We speak to one another all the time.
“But that doesn’t mean that we will always have to support every intervention and every action that the United States chooses to take.”
EU member states will discuss what can be done from the European side to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
“It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that’s why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side,” she said, speaking to journalists ahead of a EU foreign affairs meeting in Brussels.
Summary
Here’s a snapshot of the latest key developments in the US-Israel war on Iran to bring you up to speed.
-
The Israeli army said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It said that before the troops’ entry into the area, it conducted air force and artillery strikes against “numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats”.
-
Donald Trump warned that Nato faced a “very bad” future if US allies failed to assist in opening up the strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported. Trump has urged a string of countries to send warships to the region but the response has been muted. Japan and Australia have declined to send ships.
-
Flights are “gradually” resuming at Dubai international airport, according to its operator, after a “drone-related incident” earlier sparked a fuel tank fire nearby. No injuries were reported, the city’s media office said.
-
The US has started moving more than 2,000 marines from the Japanese island of Okinawa to the Middle East, according to news reports.
-
Japan said it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.
-
Oil prices climbed again amid mounting supply fears, with brent crude – the international benchmark – rosing 1.8% to $104.98 a barrel during early trading on Monday.
-
British prime minister Keir Starmer discussed with Trump the need to reopen the strait of Hormuz, a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Sunday. Starmer also spoke with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney about the impact of the strait’s continued closure on international shipping.
-
Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but that all its personnel were safe.
-
A rocket attack on Baghdad international airport in Iraq wounded five people, Iraqi authorities said. The airport houses a US diplomatic facility.
Dubai ‘gradually’ resumes flights after nearby drone incident
Flights are resuming at Dubai International Airport, according to its operator, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fuel tank fire nearby earlier.
The airport announced on X: “Flights to and from DXB are gradually resuming to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure.”
It advised passengers to check with their respective airlines for updates on specific flights.
Dubai International Airport is usually the world’s busiest airport for international flights. It has faced heavy disruption since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Israel military says it has begun ‘limited’ ground operations in Lebanon
The Israeli army said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The military said in a statement quoted by AFP:
double quotation mark In recent days, IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area.This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel.
The Israeli military said that before the troops’ entry into the area, the Israel Defence Forces conducted air force and artillery strikes against “numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats in the operational environment”.
Three foreign residents who were in a building in Dubai struck by a drone were taken into custody after sending photographs or messages to family members confirming they were safe, according to a campaign organisation.
The Detained in Dubai group said the residents were at home when a drone hit and caused an explosion, and immediately after they photographed the damage and sent the image privately to family to reassure them that they had survived.
The organisation, which provides legal assistance to people in the United Arab Emirates, claimed in a statement:
double quotation mark Instead of receiving support as victims of the incident, the residents were detained by Dubai police after authorities requested to see their phones.
The chief executive of Detained in Dubai, Radha Stirling, said authorities should take a measured and compassionate approach towards residents who were reacting instinctively during a traumatic moment.
The group’s claims and the arrests could not immediately be independently verified.
Peter Beaumont reported last week that a 60-year-old British man – understood to be a tourist – was among 20 people who had been charged in the UAE under cybercrime laws in connection with filming and posting material related to Iranian attacks on the country.
As mentioned earlier, Dubai authorities temporarily suspended flights at the city’s international airport on Monday after a “drone incident” caused a fire in the vicinity, with no injuries reported.
Here are some of the latest images coming in from the widening war in the Middle East.
Air defences in the United Arab Emirates are responding to missile and drone attacks from Iran, the ministry of defence has said.
“… The sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, as well as fighter jets intercepting drones and loitering munitions,” the ministry said in a post on X.
Pictures have come in after Dubai authorities announced a temporary suspension of flights at the city’s international airport after a fire in the area.
A “drone-related incident” incident impacted a fuel tank, the media office in the Gulf financial hub said on Monday. It later added that authorities had extinguished the blaze that broke out.
The office also said no injuries had been reported.
