UN maritime head urges halt to Hormuz transit to protect seafarers The head of the International Maritime Organization said Wednesday the 6,000 seafarers still stranded in the Gulf must not be put in unnecessary danger by crossing the Strait of Hormuz amid fresh US-Iran attacks. Dominguez said the "attacks further intensify the fear, uncertainty and psychological strain already being endured by the nearly 6,000 seafarers who remain stranded on board vessels unable to depart" the Gulf safely. Agence France-Presse
Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400 Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 system won’t be enough. Turkey
Feature Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan As Yerevan pursues normalization with Turkey and Azerbaijan and backs a US-led transport corridor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is working to reassure an increasingly assertive Iran that its interests won't be threatened. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis-How Iran's 'golden weapon' of Hormuz became a bigger priority than its long-disputed nuclear programme Reuters
IMF cuts 2026 world growth forecast, flags risks from new Mideast fighting The IMF cut its 2026 global growth projection again Wednesday, flagging "uncertainty and risks" to the economic outlook as fighting reignited in the Middle East. "Developments overnight illustrate the uncertainty and risks that surround the outlook," said Petya Koeva Brooks, deputy director at the IMF's research department. Agence France-Presse
US to drop Syria from terror blacklist The terrorism label remained a key obstacle to Syria's postwar reconstruction. Syria
Israeli jails a 'graveyard,' says freed Palestinian journalist A Palestinian journalist said Israeli prisons have become a "graveyard" for the living, following a dramatic decline in his health after being released earlier this year. In late April, Israel released 60-year-old journalist Ali Al-Samoudi from Jenin after a year in detention. Agence France-Presse
