Iran to bury Khamenei in hometown as US ramps up strikes Iranians were preparing on Thursday to bury their slain leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran, as new US strikes threatened to trigger a fresh escalation in the Middle East war. But the ceasefire looked increasingly threatened as US Central Command said it had carried out strikes to degrade the ability of Iranian forces "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz -- a key bone of contention in US-Iran talks. Agence France-Presse
Iran plays with fire, but calculates Trump will hold back With its defiant strikes on ships, Iran is making a paradoxical and explosively high-risk calculation -- that it can boost its long-term deterrence through actions that invite new US attacks. "Iran's calculation is that calibrated, limited escalation can restore deterrence without crossing the threshold into all-out war." Agence France-Presse
US to remove Syria from terror blacklist, in new boost to Sharaa The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The United States has listed Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979. Agence France-Presse
US to remove Syria from terror blacklist, in new boost to Sharaa The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The United States listed Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979. Agence France-Presse
Analysis As Trump declares deal 'over,' IRGC takes lead in shaping Iran's response While President Donald Trump has declared the US-Iran memorandum over, Tehran's response suggests it is recalibrating — not abandoning — its strategy as military pressure increasingly eclipses diplomacy. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
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
