The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that , stripping the oil cartel of one of its largest producers. While the announcement won’t have an immediate impact on world oil supplies that are constrained by the war in Iran and the closure of the , it if the UAE increases its production capacity. On Tuesday, Brent crude oil traded above $111 a barrel, over 50% higher than its prewar price.
on the if the U.S. lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic鈥檚 nuclear program, two regional officials said Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to rule out any deal that excludes Iran鈥檚 nuclear program.
Here is the latest:
Bahrain minister says it鈥檚 time to find solutions to restore peace after Iran strikes
Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani urged the international community at this critical time 鈥渢o shift from crisis management to finding solutions鈥� to the Iranian crisis.
This should include constructive dialogue that ensures Iran鈥檚 compliance with principles of good neighborliness and international law, respect for the sovereignty of states and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and other vital waterways, he said.
Al-Zaysni, who chaired a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council, told diplomats Iran must also halt its nuclear, missile and drone programs, refrain from arming or financing proxies and armed militias, and stop attacking Bahrain and other Gulf countries and Jordan.
An Israeli military contractor is killed by drone strike in Lebanon
A brief statement by the Israeli army said the civilian employee of an engineering company was working with the military on projects in southern Lebanon.
An Israeli military official confirmed the contractor was a civilian and died in a drone attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules.
Despite a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been intermittently attacking each other in the south, where Israeli soldiers are occupying a slice of territory along the border. 鈥� By Josef Federman
Israeli strike on a Lebanese army patrol killed 5, including 3 paramedics, and wounds 2 soldiers
That鈥檚 according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, which said the toll is still preliminary. The Israeli strike was in the southern town of Majdal Zoun, near the coastal city of Tyre.
Israeli forces hit an army patrol that was accompanying Civil Defense medical teams and bulldozers during a rescue operation at the site of a previous Israeli strike, the Lebanese army and Civil Defense said. Some of the responders were trapped under rubble by the second strike, they said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike, saying it was part of a pattern of Israeli attacks on rescue and emergency workers in violation of international law.
The Western-backed Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines during the recent rounds of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, although dozens of its soldiers have been killed.
Israeli president invites Netanyahu and prosecutors for talks on settling corruption charges
President Isaac Herzog鈥檚 office asked for a response by Sunday to his invitation, which came days after he announced he would not decide on Netanyahu鈥檚 request for a pardon and instead urge the sides to reach a settlement.
Netanyahu asked Herzog last November to cancel his trial, saying that dropping the charges would help unify the country. Trump has made multiple to end the trial.
Herzog鈥檚 invitation says he believes that efforts to reach a settlement 鈥渕ust be exhausted first鈥� before he can consider the pardon request. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu鈥檚 office or the attorney general鈥檚 office.
Netanyahu is charged with breach of trust, fraud and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy associates. He denies all charges.
The trial has dragged on for in a case that has bitterly divided the Israeli public. Netanyahu and his supporters claim he is the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt by the media, police and prosecutors.
Gulf Arab countries jointly condemn Iran鈥檚 actions in the Strait of Hormuz
The leaders of several wealthy Gulf nations rejected Iran鈥檚 鈥渋llegal actions鈥� to close the strait and threaten navigation, warning against any disruption to shipping or charging fees for safe passage.
The statement followed a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and attended by leaders from Qatar and Bahrain, Kuwait鈥檚 crown prince, and the United Arab Emirates鈥� foreign minister.
They called for restoring 鈥渟ecurity and freedom of navigation鈥� to prewar levels and urged deeper military integration, including joint infrastructure projects and a ballistic missile early warning system.
US budget airlines seek billions in aid amid soaring fuel costs
Their trade group is asking the Trump administration for $2.5 billion to offset rising jet fuel costs and keep ticket prices affordable. The Association of Value Airlines said smaller carriers are being hit hardest by the jump in fuel prices, despite carrying more than 90 million passengers last year.
鈥淭emporary government support鈥� would help 鈥減reserve vital industry competition,鈥� the association said.
The trade group represents Frontier, Allegiant, Avelo and Sun Country. Another member, Spirit, is separately in talks with the U.S. government on a potential financing deal aimed at keeping the struggling carrier flying as it navigates fuel price shocks during its second bankruptcy since 2024.
Protesters urge boycott of Eurovision Song Contest over Israel鈥檚 participation
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Serbian state RTS broadcaster on Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags and while demanding that the Balkan country pull out of the because of Israel鈥檚 participation.
with 35 competing countries is scheduled to be held May 12-16 in Vienna. Serbia, which has close ties with Israel, will be represented by Lavina, a six-member metal band.
The contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its . The decision to allow Israel to compete of Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain.
RTV Slovenia said it will air a Palestinian program at the time of the Eurovision contest.
Israeli ambassador says Lebanese government must disarm Hezbollah
Lebanon鈥檚 government has demanded that Hezbollah disarm, but Israel says this has not happened. A ceasefire in the latest Israeli-Hezbollah conflict was recently extended for three weeks.
Danon said that if the U.N. Security Council wants to help Lebanon, it should ask the government how many Hezbollah weapons it has seized, 鈥渨hich tunnels have been destroyed and what is being done to stop arms smuggling from Iran.鈥�
鈥淚nternational support for Lebanon must depend on results on the ground and not more empty statements,鈥� Danon said.
Israel鈥檚 UN envoy says Hezbollah is ‘Lebanon鈥檚 greatest obstacle to sovereignty鈥�
Ambassador Danny Danon said it鈥檚 impossible to talk about peace in Lebanon without mentioning Hezbollah, the militant group with areas of influence in the south bordering Israel and elsewhere in the country.
鈥淗ezbollah is not just set on Israel鈥檚 destruction. It is Lebanon鈥檚 greatest obstacle to sovereignty. It has weakened the Lebanese government,鈥� he told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
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This item has been updated to correct the quote. The previous quote was in remarks distributed by Israel鈥檚 U.N. Mission but was changed when the ambassador delivered his speech to the U.N. Security Council.
Palestinian minister tells UN that Israel must stop killing civilians
Varsen Aghabekian accused Israel of seeking the collapse of the Palestinian Authority and Israeli settlers of terrorizing Palestinians in the West Bank on a daily basis.
鈥淭his has to stop immediately,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he situation of the Palestinian civilian population must be a top priority.鈥�
Aghabekian said there is no justification for Israel preventing shelter materials from entering Gaza and restricting aid and access for humanitarian workers.
Palestinian minister says ‘Palestine must remain a priority鈥� for action toward an independent state
Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian said the ceasefire in Gaza must be upheld and Israel鈥檚 pursuit of 鈥渇orcible displacement and annexation,鈥� not only in Gaza but in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, must be stopped.
As phase two of the Gaza peace plan gets underway, she said, 鈥淲e reiterate our vision of one state, one government, one law and one gun and the need for full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.鈥�
Aghabekian told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that Gaza鈥檚 transition must be in line with its reunification with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, 鈥渓eading to Palestinian self-determination and independent statehood.鈥�
Gaza hospital director鈥檚 detention is extended
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel says a court in Israel has indefinitely extended the detention of , who became the face of health workers鈥� struggle in Gaza to keep treating patients under Israeli bombardment.
The Israeli military has said Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas. Staff and international aid groups that worked with him have denied the claims.
The rights group in a statement Tuesday says he is held in harsh conditions in Negev Prison. It says the Beersheba District Court approved the extension of his detention without charges having been filed, after his defense had sought his immediate release.
BP earns online backlash as its profit more than doubles during Iran war
The British energy giant reported quarterly earnings Tuesday of $3.84 billion, or $1.47 per share, far exceeding last year鈥檚 $687 million, or 26 cents per share. The huge profits beat analysts鈥� heightened expectations and generated immediate online vitriol.
鈥淔amilies are being pushed to the brink by spiraling energy bills, while fossil fuel companies turn a war into a windfall,鈥� wrote Cl茅mence Dubois, global campaigns director at 350.org.
鈥淭hese astronomical profits are a startling reminder that when conflict drives up the price of oil and gas, energy companies profit and households pay,鈥� wrote Simon Francis, coordinator with End Fuel Poverty Coalition.
BP shares rose more than 1%, close to a 52-week high, as did shares of other major oil producers. It was BP鈥檚 first earnings report since the began, previewing what to expect when Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips report earnings later this week.
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Israeli strike wounds 2 soldiers, traps 3 rescuers in southern Lebanon
Two Lebanese soldiers were wounded and three Civil Defense personnel were trapped under rubble after an Israeli strike targeted an army patrol accompanied by rescue teams and two bulldozers in the southern town of Majdal Zoun, near Tyre, according to the Lebanese Army and Civil Defense.
The Israeli army has not immediately commented on the attack, which came as clashes and intermittent air strikes continue despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
At least seven Lebanese army soldiers have been killed since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2.
Oil prices climb again amid more uncertainty over the Iran war
Another climb in oil prices because of is helping to halt . The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil to be delivered in June climbed 2.7% to $111.18. Brent to be delivered in July, which is where traders are focusing more in the oil market, rose 2.6% to $104.33 Tuesday.
After sitting around $70 in late February, Brent prices are moving closer to their peak of $119, reached when worries about the war were at their heights.
The Trump administration seemed unlikely Tuesday to accept Iran鈥檚 offer to reopen the if the U.S. lifts its blockade. Iran also wants to postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic鈥檚 nuclear program, which Rubio appeared to rule out.
Average U.S. gasoline prices reached $4.18 a gallon on Tuesday, the most since 2022, according to the auto club AAA.
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US envoy says Hamas is the 鈥榦bstacle鈥� to Palestinians in Gaza living in peace and prosperity
Ambassador Mike Waltz urged countries with influence on Hamas to press the militant group to demilitarize and accept that it will not have a direct or indirect role in Gaza 鈥渢hrough weapons and terrorism and violent intimidation.鈥�
鈥淭he moment Hamas agrees to demilitarize, a new chapter in Gaza鈥檚 history will be written,鈥� he told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the Middle East.
鈥淓very day we either move closer to a future where Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank live in freedom and prosperity, at peace with Israel 鈥� or we drift back toward chaos, rockets, hostages and rubble,鈥� Walz said.
He said there is a plan for reconstruction and development of Gaza and financing, and there is a pathway to peace and eased security restrictions, but Hamas is holding Gaza back.
US military boards another ship as it enforces blockade on Iranian ports
The U.S. military said Tuesday in a social media post that it boarded and released another commercial ship that was suspected of heading for Iran.
The post by U.S. Central Command on X included a video showed marines fast-roping from a helicopter onto the vessel, which it said was the Comoros-flagged M/V Blue Star III. It happened in the Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
鈥淯.S. forces released the vessel after conducting a search and confirming the ship鈥檚 voyage would not include an Iranian port call,鈥� the command said.
The command said it has now redirected 39 vessels since start of the blockade on ships going to and from Iranian ports.
Israel destroys alleged Hezbollah tunnel network in southern Lebanon
The military detonated a large explosion late Tuesday in Qantara, and Israel鈥檚 Geological Survey said the blast was so powerful it registered as a 鈥渟eismic event.鈥�
The army said the network included two large tunnels 鈥� one about 800 meters (yards) long and the other 1.2 kilometers (0.7 miles) 鈥� that were equipped with sleeping rooms, toilets, kitchen facilities and launchers aimed at Israel. It released photos and video footage of what it said were the tunnels.
An Israeli military official said the network included large rooms where over 100 Hezbollah fighters could gather at once. He also said it ran underneath and alongside a mosque, school and soccer field.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules.
In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army has been instructed to destroy any Hezbollah infrastructure it finds, 鈥渏ust like in Gaza.鈥�
鈥� By Josef Federman
Amnesty International urges Israel to stop destroying civilian property in southern Lebanon
The human rights organization made the statement Tuesday after a video circulated on social media showing Israeli military excavators destroying solar panels for the Lebanese border village of Debel and its water station.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was investigating the incident after the footage emerged. Debel is the same village where a soldier was filmed earlier this month smashing a statue of Jesus, prompting international condemnation.
鈥淎mnesty International has previously documented extensive destruction by the Israeli military along Lebanon鈥檚 border before and after the November 2024 ceasefire,鈥� the group said, adding it had called for reparations and war crimes investigations. 鈥淪o far, neither has appeared.鈥�
Away from the spotlight, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is 鈥榮teadily worsening,鈥� UN official says
U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said Gaza is facing 鈥渙ngoing and deadly Israeli strikes and dire humanitarian conditions,鈥� with 1.8 million people 鈥� nearly its entire population 鈥� living in camps and dependent on aid.
He told a U.N. Security Council ministerial meeting Tuesday that in the West Bank, 鈥渧iolence, including rampant settler attacks, displacement and accelerating settlement activity, is threatening entire communities and further eroding prospects for a political process鈥� toward a two-state solution.
In Gaza, he said, 鈥渢he ceasefire is increasingly fragile as Israeli strikes and armed activity by Hamas and other groups continue.鈥�
Khiari, whose portfolio includes the Middle East, warned that while diplomatic efforts are underway to consolidate the ceasefire and implement Phase II of the peace plan, 鈥渢alks on the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups have thus far not resulted in an agreement, raising concerns over the potential return to widespread hostilities.鈥�
The UAE鈥檚 exit from OPEC won鈥檛 expand global oil supplies right away
The UAE鈥檚 move appears to be part of an effort to assert themselves as leaders and independent actors in the region, and sell oil and gas when and how they see fit, said Karen Young, senior research scholar at Columbia University鈥檚 Center on Global Energy Policy.
鈥淭his exit of OPEC fits into the UAE need for flexibility with key energy consumers as well 鈥� including a future relationship with China and a more competitive relationship with Saudi Arabia,鈥� she said.
The exit won鈥檛 immediately change export capacity, since the UAE鈥檚 lone pipeline around the Strait of Hormuz to the port at Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman is already running at full capacity, she noted.
Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry raises death toll of Israel-Hezbollah war to 2,534
The ministry added on Tuesday that 7,863 have been wounded since the war broke out on March 2.
The war has displaced more than 1 million people and caused destruction worth billions of dollars.
Peak oil means sell barrels now or leave money on the table
Leon said the approaching peak in global oil demand has shifted the incentive for producers from collective restraint to earning money from their reserves now.
He said the UAE, with its 4.8 million barrels per day of production capacity and potential to increase output, is 鈥減articularly well positioned to pursue such a strategy outside the group.鈥�
An OPEC without the UAE could increase global energy supply volatility, analyst says
The UAE鈥檚 withdrawal removes one of OPEC鈥檚 few members with ability to quickly increase production 鈥� the mechanism through which the cartel manages oil prices, said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy.
鈥淎 structurally weaker OPEC, with less spare capacity concentrated within the group, will find it increasingly difficult to calibrate supply and stabilize prices,鈥� Leon said. 鈥淭he net effect points to a more fragmented supply landscape and a potentially more volatile oil market over time as OPEC鈥檚 capacity to smooth imbalances diminishes.鈥�
Trump claims Iran has 鈥榡ust鈥� informed the US it鈥檚 in a 鈥楽tate of Collapse鈥�
鈥淭hey want us to 鈥極pen the Hormuz Strait,鈥� as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation,鈥� Trump posted on social media.
He added that he believes they will be able to sort out reported divisions within the Islamic Republic government about negotiations with the U.S.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about who on the Iranian side delivered the message, who in the Republican administration received it and whether the communications were conducted directly with the U.S. or through an intermediary.
Israel to investigate ship carrying what Ukraine says is 鈥榮tolen grain鈥�
Israel鈥檚 Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that Israel鈥檚 tax authority has opened an investigation into a ship expected to dock in the Haifa port that Ukraine said carries stolen grain.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukraine is preparing sanctions against companies that profit from grain harvested from areas of Ukraine under Russian control. Saar dismissed Zelenskyy鈥檚 comments as 鈥淭witter diplomacy鈥� and said Ukraine had not provided information about the cargo鈥檚 contents or a request for legal assistance.
鈥淭he vessel has not entered the port and has yet to submit its documents. It is not possible to verify the truth of the Ukrainian claims regarding the forgery of the bill of lading,鈥� Saar said.
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Israel has 鈥榥o territorial ambitions鈥� in Lebanon, Israel鈥檚 foreign minister says
Gideon Saar said the Israeli military-occupied 鈥渂uffer zone鈥� that stretches 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanon is necessary to protect residents in Israel鈥檚 north.
鈥淗ezbollah has transformed the entire front line of southern Lebanon into a network of terrorist infrastructure, and this threat has not been properly addressed by the Lebanese government,鈥� he said during a press conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko 膼uri膰 in Jerusalem.
Saar refused to comment on the fragile ceasefire with Hezbollah, which both sides have violated multiple times since Trump announced it last week, and whether Israel might expand its military operations beyond southern Lebanon. He did note Israel鈥檚 first direct negotiations with Lebanon in decades.
Iran鈥檚 economy has been battered. Its leaders still think Trump will blink first
in Iran, and the economic damage is reverberating 鈥� Iranians could lose their jobs. Most damaging, Israeli strikes knocked out most steel and petrochemical production, causing a surge in prices for metals and plastic. Things could get worse as the U.S. .
Economic woes sparked the before the war and could again push Iranians into the streets. But Iran鈥檚 leaders are betting that economic self-reliance built under decades of sanctions can help them endure the pain longer than Trump.
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