An oil tanker was hit with a projectile off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report on Tuesday that underscored the ongoing dangers for shipping companies attempting to use the waterway while it's under Iranian control.
The attack came as a high-level delegation from Pakistan, which has been a main mediator between the United States and Iran, was wrapping up meetings in Tehran aimed at bringing a negotiated end to the nearly six-month war.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Tanker hit and disabled off Oman's eastern coast
The oil tanker was hit on Monday night a few miles off Oman, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization reported.
The strike disabled the ship's engine, but all crew were reported safe, the UKMTO said. There were no immediate reports of any environmental impact.
About a fifth of the world's traded oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran periodically fires at vessels attempting to transit the strait to enforce its stranglehold on the waterway, though there was no immediate claim for Monday's attack. The U.S. has also fired on vessels while imposing a blockade of Iranian ports.
Pakistani officials say ‘highly positive’ talks held with Iran
A delegation from Pakistan led by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir departed from Tehran on Tuesday after talks with Iran’s president and other senior officials on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving negotiations to end the Iran-U.S. conflict, the Pakistani military said.
Pakistan has sought to mediate a resolution between Iran and the U.S., maintaining contacts with officials in both countries. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had been “very positive and productive.”
Iran and Oman, located on the opposite side of the strait from Iran, are finalizing their own proposal for managing the waterway. Oman’s foreign minister was to meet with Iranian authorities Tuesday.
No answers a year after Israeli soldiers kill 22 Palestinians, including journalists and rescuers
Tuesday marked one year since Israeli soldiers killed 22 Palestinians, including journalists and rescue workers, in a double strike on a hospital in Gaza that provoked global outrage. No one has been held accountable.
Israeli officials said the target was a suspected Hamas camera on the roof of Nasser Hospital. Among those killed were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked for The Associated Press and other news organizations.
Despite repeated requests by the AP, the army has not provided details about the investigation or a timeline for when it could be completed. Rights groups say Israel rarely holds troops accountable for killing Palestinians, pointing to long investigations that rarely lead to prosecution.
China warns about US sanctions threat disrupting Iran cooperation
China's Foreign Ministry says it is closely following plans announced by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to expand sanctions to entities and individuals linked to Iran, including some based in China.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China-Iran cooperation “should not be disrupted or undermined,” noting that it has conformed with international law.
China is one of Iran's biggest trading partners and purchases the majority of its total oil exports.
The Treasury Department on Monday said it was imposing sanctions on nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, including several based in China. It stopped short of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Iran.
Deadly Israeli strike hits southern Gaza
An Israeli airstrike on Tuesday killed at least one Palestinian and wounded four others in southern Gaza, hospital officials said.
The strike hit a group of people northwest of the city of Khan Younis, according to the city’s Nasser hospital. The Israeli military said it struck a suspected militant in the area.
The death was the latest among Palestinians in Gaza since an October ceasefire attempted to halt more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli forces seize vocational school run by UN agency
Israel on Tuesday seized a U.N.-run facility housing a vocational school on the outskirts of Jerusalem, advancing its campaign against the U.N. agency that provides humanitarian services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the Mideast.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the agency, known as UNRWA, does not own the land. Israel cited similar reasoning when its forces demolished the agency’s former East Jerusalem headquarters in January.
The U.N. interim Mideast coordinator, Ramiz Alakbarov, called the seizure unlawful and said it deprived 340 Palestinian refugees of educational services.
Israel has accused UNRWA of anti-Israel bias and at times of employing Palestinian militants. The United Nations and UNRWA have denied the accusations and say they investigate credible allegations and act quickly to purge suspected militants among staff.
Video shows Israeli lawmaker destroying Palestinian monument
A far-right Israeli lawmaker smashed a Palestinian memorial in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday after entering the village of Madama with an Israeli military escort.
Video showed Tzvi Succot, a Knesset member from the Religious Zionism party, destroying the monument with a hammer while Israeli soldiers stood nearby. Succot said the monument glorified terrorism.
The Israeli military said it authorized and provided security for Succot’s trip, but did not grant him permission to demolish the monument.
