Iran and beyond
(Al Arabiya) Saudi Arabia on Monday intercepted two drones targeting the Ras Tanura oil refinery in the country’s east, Defense Ministry Spokesperson Turki al-Maliki told Al Arabiya. Al-Maliki said that falling debris from the intercepted drones caused a “limited” fire but confirmed that no civilians were injured. – Saudi Arabia intercepts two drones targeting Ras Tanura oil refinery
(Al Arabiya) Several US warplanes have crashed in Kuwait, the country’s defense ministry said on Monday, adding that crew members have survived. “Several US warplanes crashed this morning. Confirming that all crew members survived,” a defense ministry spokesman said in a statement posted on state news agency KUNA. – Several US warplanes crash in Kuwait, crew safe: Defense ministry
(Al Arabiya) An Israeli airstrike on Lebanon Monday killed the head of Iranian proxy Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohammad Raad, Al Arabiya reports. The report added that 31 people were killed and 149 injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry. – Israeli strike on Lebanon kills Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc head
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will hold a press conference on Monday morning about the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the first by a senior official since strikes began Saturday. – Pentagon chief to hold first press conference on Iran
(Agencies/Al Arabiya) Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem was now a “target for elimination”, after the Iran-aligned militant group fired at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. – Israeli defense minister says Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief is now ‘target for elimination’
(Al Arabiya) Police in Indian-administered Kashmir fired teargas on Monday during clashes with thousands of demonstrators protesting the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei for a second day in a row. The clashes came a day after tens of thousands of people in the region joined peaceful street demonstrations against strikes by Israel and the United States that killed the Iranian leader. – Indian police clash with pro-Khamenei protesters in Kashmir
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) Iran’s sprawling nuclear facility at Natanz was struck during US and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic, Iran’s ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog said on Monday. – Iran says Natanz nuclear site hit in US-Israeli strikes
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran’s army said on Monday it targeted US Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait as well as vessels in the Indian ocean after the killing of the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader in US and Israeli strikes. – Iran army says targeted US Ali al Salem airbase in Kuwait
(Brad Lendon – CNN) Before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Washington assembled its largest force and some of its most powerful weaponry in the Middle East in decades. President Donald Trump had warned the US was “locked and loaded” – and Saturday’s strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader gave that force a destructive purpose. US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday released a list of the US weaponry that has been used so far in the war with Iran. – Warships, explosive drones and stealth bombers: The high-tech weapons and hardware the US is using to attack Iran | CNN
(Daniel Thomas, Ben Hattonand, Peter Hoskins – BBC) Global oil prices rose as Iran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the US and Israel. Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped by 10% to touch more than $82 a barrel on Monday before easing after at least three ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend. Iran has warned vessels not to pass through the crucial waterway in the south of the country, through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas is shipped. In London, the FTSE 100 stock market index opened nearly 1% down with airlines seeing their shares prices fall after airspace was closed across the Middle East. – Oil prices jump after attack on Iran threatens crucial Strait of Hormuz
(Jamie Dettmer – Politico) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t even pretending there is a master plan for what happens after the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Indeed, chaos and internal strife in Tehran — and beyond — would suit him just fine. For years, Netanyahu has been the driving force behind military action and sabotage against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and its clerical government. Now that Khamenei is dead, Netanyahu is close to realizing his greatest political ambition by neutralizing the Iranian threat. The Israeli day-after plan now leaves a lot to luck, and to the bravery of millions of Iranians. From Tabriz to Zahedan, the people of Iran are supposed to overthrow the brutal security apparatus of their regime in mass street protests, without any clear idea of what type of government could succeed the theocracy. – Chaos in Iran is a good endgame for Israel’s Netanyahu – POLITICO
(Tim Ross – Politico) The exiled “crown prince” of Iran is calling on Europe’s leaders to back Donald Trump’s military campaign and support efforts to replace the religious dictatorship with democracy. Reza Pahlavi, whose father, the last shah, was overthrown in the 1979 revolution, said the ayatollah’s regime is “collapsing” after two days of bombardment from Israeli and American forces, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his top commanders. But the initial European response to the attacks was divided, cautious and muted in any support for the airstrikes. In comments to POLITICO, Pahlavi welcomed recent EU moves to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization but called for more active backing for the U.S.-led assault on the regime. – Iran’s exiled prince tells Europe to get off the fence and back the war – POLITICO
(Nektaria Stamouli – Politico) A drone strike hit Britain’s Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus overnight, the Cypriot and U.K. governments said on Monday, as the Iran conflict continued to escalate. The strike, which caused limited damage and no casualties, came shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would allow the United States to use U.K. military bases to “destroy [Iranian] missiles at source.”. It’s the first time one of the U.K. bases on Cyprus have been hit since a rocket attack by Libyan militants in 1986. While the bases are regarded as British sovereign territory, Cyprus is an EU member, now holding the bloc’s rotating presidency. – British base in Cyprus hit by drone strike – POLITICO
(Laura Kayali – Politico) France will bolster its military presence in the Middle East after an Iranian counterattack hit a French naval base in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking ahead of an emergency security and defense council Sunday evening, said France will “strengthen its [military] position and defensive support to stand alongside those with whom we have defense treaties and be able to adapt our stance to the developments of the last few hours.”. Paris said Saturday it was not informed about or involved in the American and Israeli strikes on Iran. Macron initially called for diplomacy to resume — but his tone shifted after two Iranian drones hit a French naval base in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. – France to bolster military presence in the Middle East – POLITICO
(Sebastian Starcevic and Gerardo Fortuna – Politico) Ursula von der Leyen will on Monday chair an emergency meeting of European commissioners as the conflict with Iran deepens and after the EU’s 27 foreign ministers differed over a joint statement. As missiles rained across the Middle East and with fears of a threat to Cyprus, the EU pivoted to crisis mode, calling emergency Sunday sessions and planning a series of extraordinary meetings. It faces the difficult task of pulling together a coherent foreign policy response for a region where it doesn’t have huge leverage while confronting challenges on several fronts at home and abroad. With the leaders of the so-called E3 — France, Germany and the U.K. — issuing a far tougher statement Sunday night than the EU managed just hours earlier, the episode underscores a broader pattern: As global crises multiply, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to renewed transatlantic strains under U.S. President Donald Trump, the bloc is struggling to speak with one voice. – Iran crisis poses fresh test for divided EU – POLITICO
(Eliza Gkritsi – Politico) Most European leaders have reacted cautiously to the U.S.-Israeli attacks over the weekend that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while condemning Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. Some have openly touted the possibility of a new regime in Iran. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchéz was the only EU leader to openly condemn the strikes on Iran. Among EU officials, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed,” while the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said “there is now an open path to a different Iran.” – How every EU country responded to the strikes on Iran – POLITICO
EU – Mercosur
(Giorgio Leali – Politico) Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to provisionally implement the EU-Mercosur trade deal has unleashed a wave of outrage in Paris. It has also shown the European Commission president is increasingly prepared to take decisions without factoring France into the equation, with the end of French President Emmanuel Macron’s term at the Elysée only 14 months away. Von der Leyen announced Friday that the EU would provisionally implement its trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc, even after the European Parliament voted last month to send the accord for review by the Court of Justice of the European Union, effectively freezing its final ratification for up to two years. –Mercosur gamble shows von der Leyen thinks she can go over France’s head – POLITICO
Kosovo
(Zoja Surroi – Politico) Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s second majority win in Kosovo shows it’s possible to inspire through governance. To understand how he won his second mandate, one has to understand why he won his first — and that is the desire for change. To correct a political course before it becomes irreversible and to move toward something better. At the time, I was filled with such hope, watching the results from the Harvard Kennedy School library, yet to join his cabinet. For decades, Kosovo — like much of the Balkans — had succumbed to the cliches of the region: Corruption was treated as inevitable, stability was prioritized over accountability, and the implicit assumption was that it was naïve to expect more from a post-conflict Balkan state than just free trade. But this felt genuinely new. – Why the center left is succeeding in Kosovo – POLITICO
