South Africa will mediate in Middle East conflict if asked: Ramaphosa
South Africa is willing to play a mediating role in the Middle East conflict if asked, President Cyril Ramaphosa told local media on the sidelines of an energy conference in Cape Town.
“South Africa is always ready to play a contributing role, either in mediation or whatever. And if a gap opens or if we are asked, we always live up to our obligations,” Ramaphosa said, according to comments broadcast on local broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
[ South Africa will mediate in Middle East conflict if asked: RamaphosaOpens in new window ]
Trump seeks to justify Iran war, but stated objectives shift
US President Donald Trump sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran in his most extensive public comments yet on an operation whose stated aims and timeline have shifted since it began over the weekend.
Trump said the US and Israeli air attacks that began on Saturday had been projected to last four to five weeks but could go on longer.
[ Trump seeks to justify Iran war, but stated objectives shiftOpens in new window ]
Trump hosts Germany’s Merz against backdrop of Iran strikes and tariff threats
US President Donald Trump hosts German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Tuesday for talks on sensitive topics ranging from US-Israeli strikes on Iran to Trump’s new tariff threats and the German leader’s recent visit to China.
Merz left Berlin for Washington as Germany and France announced plans to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence, another move by the European neighbours to adapt to changes in the transatlantic relationship amid ongoing threats from Russia and feared instability linked to the Iran conflict.
[ Trump hosts Germany’s Merz against backdrop of Iran strikes and tariff threatsOpens in new window ]
WATCH | US-Israel war on Iran ‘not going to take years’, says Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he expects the war against Iran is “not going to take years”, as the conflict widened with Israel attacking Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and Iran hitting Gulf states that host US bases.
US President Donald Trump initially projected the war to last four to five weeks but has since sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran.
[ WATCH | US-Israel war on Iran ‘not going to take years’, says NetanyahuOpens in new window ]
US attacks do not augur well for World Cup, says Iran soccer chief
Iran’s soccer chief Mehdi Taj said US and Israeli attacks on the country did not augur well for this year’s Fifa World Cup in North America.
He said senior government officials would evaluate the situation before deciding if any action should be taken.
[ US attacks do not augur well for World Cup, says Iran soccer chiefOpens in new window ]
Safa to wait for Fifa’s stance on World Cup amid escalating US-Iran war
Safa president Danny Jordaan says he’ll have to hear Fifa’s stance on the war waged by the US on Iran before commenting on whether the military action compromises this year’s World Cup, to be hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, this winter.
“No, I won’t comment; I want to first speak to Fifa,” was Jordaan’s response when this reporter put the question to him on Monday at Standard Bank offices in Rosebank, where Safa and the financial giant announced a four-year sponsorship deal for all national teams.
[ Safa to wait for Fifa’s stance on World Cup amid escalating US-Iran warOpens in new window ]
Iran strikes spotlight chances for North Korea to resume nuclear talks with Trump
US and Israeli military strikes on Iran will reinforce the nuclear ambitions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, say experts and former officials, as attention focuses on whether he might return to negotiations with President Donald Trump.
Talks to tackle Pyongyang’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, subject to heavy international sanctions, broke down despite summits between Kim and Trump in 2018 and 2019, but the attacks on Iran could spur it to reconsider.
[ Iran strikes spotlight chances for North Korea to resume nuclear talks with TrumpOpens in new window ]
More strikes aimed at Iran after US, Israeli assault kills supreme leader
Israel said it launched another wave of strikes on Iran on Sunday as Iranians grappled with uncertainty after the killing of their supreme leader in US and Israeli attacks that threaten to destabilise the wider Middle East.
Hours after both nations said an air strike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the most ambitious series of attacks on Iran in decades, the country’s state media confirmed the 86-year-old leader’s death on Saturday.
[ More strikes aimed at Iran after US, Israeli assault kills supreme leaderOpens in new window ]
Gulf businesses reel as Iran strikes trigger regional shutdowns
Iran’s retaliatory strikes in the Gulf have triggered the most widespread business disruption in the region since the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing airport closures, halting port operations and sending shockwaves through financial markets.
The attacks, launched in response to a joint US-Israeli assault on Iran, landed in every major state in the Gulf, a region that has spent decades building its reputation as one of the world’s most reliable business hubs. Three people were killed by attacks in the UAE, and loud explosions were heard for a third day in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Monday.
[ Gulf businesses reel as Iran strikes trigger regional shutdownsOpens in new window ]
Middle East flights halted after US-Israel strike on Iran
Airlines kept cancelling flights across the Middle East on Sunday, as much of the region’s airspace remained closed a day after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunging the region into a new conflict.
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar remained virtually empty, maps by flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed, and air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha shut or severely restricted.
[ Middle East flights halted after US-Israel strike on IranOpens in new window ]
Iranian missiles shake Gulf cities after US, Israeli strikes on Iran
Iran fired missiles at several Arab Gulf cities on Saturday, causing waves of blasts, shaking windows and sending people rushing for cover in rare and potentially far-reaching attacks on a region that prides itself on its security.
Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, all of which have a US military presence, said they had intercepted Iranian missiles after Tehran vowed to retaliate for US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Jordan also intercepted missiles.
[ Iranian missiles shake Gulf cities after US, Israeli strikes on IranOpens in new window ]
