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US rushes $16bn arms to Gulf after Iran warns of ‘zero restraint’

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SMOKE rises after an Iranian retaliatory salvo damaged an Israeli oil refinery in Haifa.—Reuters • Tehran strikes Qatari LNG plant, Saudi and Kuwaiti refineries • Trump warns of ‘furious response’ if attacks on Qatar continue • Rules out troop deployment, but officials say reinforcements under review • Hegseth sets no timeline for war; White House to seek $200bn more from Congress • Global energy markets shaken; Brent jumps to $119, gas prices up 35pc • Riyadh asserts it reserves right to retaliate after refinery drone strike • Netanyahu says Israel ‘acted alone’ in striking Iran gas field • Claims Tehran no longer able to enrich uranium or build missiles DOHA: As Washington rushed to arm its Gulf allies with a $16.46 billion military package, Iran issued its starkest warning yet, vowing “zero restraint” if its energy infrastructure is targeted again, pushing the Middle East closer to a regional war. The developments came after Iranian attacks on the world’s largest LNG p...
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Iran says it struck US F-35 over central Iran, with fighter jet’s fate unclear

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that it had struck and “seriously damaged” a US F-35 fighter jet over central Iran. In a statement, the IRGC said the aircraft was hit by its air defence systems at around 2:50am (local time) on Thursday (2320GMT Wednesday night), adding that “a US F-35 fighter jet was struck and seriously damaged” over central Iran. It added that “the fate of the aircraft remains unknown and is under investigation,” noting there is a “high possibility” that the jet may have crashed. The IRGC also said the operation came “following the successful interception of more than 125 US-Israeli drones,” adding that the incident “reflects significant and targeted improvements in the country’s integrated air defence systems.” The US military, meanwhile, said in a statement that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran. The military said the pilot was in stable condition. A US official, speaking ...
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European countries, Japan express ‘readiness’ to safeguard shipping through Strait of Hormuz

Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan have signalled their readiness to support efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait. We welcome the commitment of nations that are engaging in preparatory planning,” the leaders said in a joint statement. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route, has been virtually paralysed by the Middle East war. The war erupted on February 28 when the US and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting it to retaliate with strikes targeting US assets and bases in the Gulf and restricting access to the strait. Since March 1, 2026, at least 21 commercial vessels, including 10 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, according to the British naval maritime security agency UKMTO. Across all types of vesse...
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US efforts against terrorism in the spotlight after Kent’s exit

• Ex-counterterrorism chief lost his wife — a naval officer — in Syria in 2019, completed 11 combat tours • Represents MAGA’s anti-war faction THE top US counterterrorism official, who resigned from his role to protest the war against Iran, is under the spotlight for his anti-war stance and anti-Semitic remarks in the past, while his letter saying Iran was not a threat did not gain much traction in the intelligence or political community. Joseph Kent, who headed the Nat­i­onal Counterterrorism Centre, was a Green Beret and a former CIA official who also ran for Congress in 2022 and 2024, endorsed by Donald Trump, but lost the election both times. As a soldier, he completed 11 combat deployments, including in the Iraq war, before joining the CIA. In 2019, he lost his first wife Shannon Kent, who was a US Navy cryptologic technician, in a suicide bombing in Syria, leaving two children behind. Mr Kent also mentioned the loss of his wife in his letter, saying that “as a Gold Star hus...
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Pakistan halts Afghanistan operation for Eid, Kabul follows suit

• Decision taken on requests from S. Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye • Tarar warns action to resume promptly if attacks occur • DG ISPR insists Afghan soil being used for attacks against Pakistan • FO rejects Indian statement ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday announced that Pakistan had decided on a “temporary pause” in the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban in view of Eidul Fitr and “at the request of brotherly Islamic countries”. In his post on X, Mr Tarar said: “In view of the upcoming Islamic festival of Eidul Fitr, upon its own initiative as well as on the request from the brotherly Islamic countries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye, the government of Pakistan has decided to announce a temporary pause amidst ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against terrorists and their support infrastructure in Afghanistan.” Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was launched on the night of Feb 26 following cr...
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Body formed to probe Gilgit-Baltistan unrest

GILGIT: The federal Ministry of Interior has constituted a high-level committee to investigate recent incidents in Gilgit-Baltistan, where deadly clashes erupted between protesters and security forces. Earlier, the Gilgit-Baltistan government had also formed a three-member judicial commission to conduct a fact-finding inquiry into the situation. At least 20 people, including two security officials, were killed in clashes following protests in Gilgit and Skardu after reports of the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US and Israeli attacks on Iran. During the unrest, protesters torched several installations, inc­luding security offices, a school, the AKRSP building, an IT Park, the SP office, residences of police officers and UN offices in Skardu. A curfew was later imposed in Gilgit and Skardu for several days to restore law and order. According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, the committee has been tasked with probing the Marc...
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After Ali Larijani, what comes next?

DURING the Al Quds Day rally in Tehran on Friday, as bombs fell around them, a number of top Iranian leaders took to the streets. Shortly thereafter, CNN broadcast a Pentagon briefing by Pete Hegseth, who boasted that the US-Israeli onslaught had forced Iran’s leadership to cower underground, ‘like rats’. Any impact these words could have, however, evaporated when the broadcaster used a picture-in-picture overlay and showed visuals of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials mingling with people on the streets of Iran’s capital. Among the crowd, one man stood out from the rest. Clad in a zipped-up black jacket, he mingled freely with participants of the rally, exchanged greetings with senior citizens, and walked around with general nonchalance. This was Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and a close confidant of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The political and military veteran wa...
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