Iran said the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting President Trump’s claim that the U.S. has “total control” over the strategic waterway. Tehran said ships cannot pass safely without Iranian permission, while tensions over shipping, oil prices and an oil spill continued.
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Japan condemned Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the Russian-administered Kuril Islands, which Tokyo claims as its Northern Territories. The long-running dispute has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a post-World War Two peace treaty.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee called a settler siege of Palestinian homes in Qusra a “horrific act of terror.” Families said they were cut off from food, water and supplies before Israeli forces dismantled two nearby illegal outposts.
Israel’s military said it will deploy additional troops to Qusra after settlers trapped Palestinian families in their homes, cutting off water and electricity. The standoff has prompted U.S. criticism and renewed scrutiny of settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to a one-week low as Iran says the waterway will stay closed until the United States meets its demands. The tensions have coincided with attacks in the Gulf of Oman and Bab al-Mandeb and renewed pressure on oil markets.
Hungary’s parliament has elected Andras Baka, a former Supreme Court chief removed under Viktor Orban, as president. His election comes as Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s government moves to dismantle Orban-era institutions and draft a new constitution.
The only total solar eclipse of 2026 will cross northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Spain and part of Portugal on Wednesday. Millions will see totality for about two minutes, while hundreds of millions more may see a partial eclipse.
Lebanon’s parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, a step that would make it the first Middle Eastern country to formally end capital punishment. The measure replaces death sentences with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour, though enforcement details remain unclear.