The United States has authorized the sale of advanced weaponry to Qatar worth nearly one billion dollars (about 920 million euros) as part of its strategy to strengthen key allies in the Middle East amid escalating tensions. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that he is not “happy” with negotiations with Iran after the Persian country sent a new peace proposal through Pakistani mediators on Friday, which the Republican stated does not “satisfy” him. The president also reiterated his “discontent” with Spain and Italy because, according to him, both governments agree that Iran might eventually acquire a nuclear weapon. Washington will withdraw 5,000 of the troops it has deployed in Germany as a protest against the German government’s position on the war, the Pentagon has confirmed, marking an increase in tensions between the White House and its allies. The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked: two months after the conflict began, the vital maritime channel remains closed, disrupting the global supply of oil and gas and threatening to impact economies worldwide.
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Trump says the US Navy acts “like pirates” to carry out the naval blockade of Iranian ports
President Donald Trump has stated that the US Navy acts “like pirates” when carrying out the “naval blockade.” The president described the seizure by US forces of an Iranian “ship” a few days ago in this way. “We took the ship, we took the cargo, we took the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump explained in remarks on Friday night. “We are like pirates. We are kind of like pirates, but we are not playing.” Iran has blocked almost all ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, except its own, since the start of the war. Trump has imposed a separate blockade on Iranian ports. (Reuters)
US approves urgent sale of precision missiles to Qatar worth nearly one billion amid conflict escalation
The United States has authorized the sale of advanced weaponry to Qatar worth nearly one billion dollars (about 920 million euros), as part of its strategy to strengthen key allies in the Middle East in a context marked by regional instability, which has only increased since the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran on February 28.
According to the State Department in a notification sent to Congress, the operation includes the supply of advanced precision weapon systems (APKWS), along with various military equipment and logistical support, with an estimated cost of 992.4 million dollars (around 923 million euros). The US administration emphasized that this transaction responds to “foreign policy and national security” objectives, while noting that the measure aims to strengthen the defensive capacity of a partner considered key in the region.
Specifically, Qatar has requested the acquisition of 10,000 units of the APKWS II system, as well as air-to-air launchers, rocket engines, high-explosive and practice warheads, proximity fuzes, as well as technical documentation and logistical and engineering support services provided by both the US government and contractors. The State Department also indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked an emergency clause to immediately authorize the sale, considering it in the interest of US national security, which allowed bypassing the ordinary congressional review process.
Similarly, Washington insisted that this operation “will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic regional partner” and highlighted that Qatar “has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.” It also stressed that supplying this material will allow Doha to face current and future threats, strengthen its defense, and act as a deterrent in the region, without altering “the basic military balance.” (Agencies)
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WAR AGAINST IRAN
The Israeli activist who pushed for the Lebanon withdrawal in 2000: “We are doing the same. The occupation didn’t work then and it won’t now”
In 1997, the Israeli army had been occupying southern Lebanon for 15 years — with little national debate despite the steady flow of military deaths — when the mother of a soldier stationed there, Rachel Madpis Ben Dor, read a newspaper article that moved her. It questioned why Israeli mothers had abandoned the basic instinct to protect their children and accepted without protest their sending to Lebanon as cannon fodder. She called the author, who insisted on visiting her. Not wanting to be alone, she invited two friends, also with children at the front, and another who basically needed a ride. Since there were four of them, like the biblical matriarchs, one named Rachel, and the Jewish Passover was beginning, the journalist titled the article “Four Mothers.”
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War against Iran
Life under the fragile ceasefire in Tehran: “The war was terrifying, but what worries me today is surviving”
Afra experiences a feeling of relief and appreciation for life every morning when she wakes up in Tehran and sees that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, in effect since April 8, still holds. “Thank God, the war has not restarted,” is the first thought of this 31-year-old woman. When the US and Israeli airstrikes began on February 28, Afra was still traumatized by the repression and deaths from the January protests, originally motivated by the difficult economic situation. Those financial difficulties remain today, further worsened by the war. What this woman most longs for now is to stop suffering daily from rampant inflation.
You can read the full information here.
WAR AGAINST IRAN
Trump deepens his rift with NATO and withdraws 5,000 soldiers from Germany
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has sharply deepened his rift with European allies. After weeks, and months, of threatening to take measures to reduce his country’s role within NATO, his Department of Defense confirmed late Friday afternoon that it will withdraw 5,000 of the troops it has deployed in Germany.
You can read the full information here.
Good morning. We begin the live narration of the situation in the Middle East. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again distanced the possibility of a peace agreement with Iran after its leaders launched a new proposal this Friday. “What they propose does not satisfy me, so we will see what happens,” the president reacted to the announcement from the Islamic Republic, whom he threatened to “annihilate” if a truce is not achieved.
The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. Two months after the start of the war, the maritime channel remains closed, disrupting the global supply of oil and gas and threatening to impact economies worldwide. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have gone from making money hand over fist to barely being able to place a single barrel of oil or a megawatt-hour of natural gas.
Read more Trump deepens his rift with NATO and withdraws 5,000 soldiers from Germany
