Israel has encouraged the US president to attack the Islamic Republic during both of his terms, John Bolton has said
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has encouraged President Donald Trump to carry out a regime change operation in Iran for many years, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has told Afshin Rattansi, host of ‘New World’.
West Jerusalem wanted Trump to launch an attack on Tehran already during his first presidential
Israel has encouraged the US president to attack the Islamic Republic during both of his terms, John Bolton has said
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has encouraged President Donald Trump to carry out a regime change operation in Iran for many years, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has told Afshin Rattansi, host of ‘New World’.
West Jerusalem wanted Trump to launch an attack on Tehran already during his first presidential term and continued lobbying for it during his second one, Bolton said, who served between 2018 and 2019.
“I urged that our objective be regime change, so did Netanyahu,” he told Rattansi, explaining that “There is no change in what Trump has been hearing from” the Israeli prime minister over the years. He nevertheless denied that Trump’s decision to launch the attack in late February was influenced by Israel.
Bolton criticized the president for what he called the lack of a clear goal in his campaign against the Islamic Republic and said Trump had failed to “make the case to the American people” about “why the regime change in Iran is necessary” – despite it supposedly being a “very compelling one.”
Known for his hawkish foreign policy views, Bolton maintained that the US should continue to pursue regime change in Iran and claimed that the government in Tehran is “crumbling” from within. However, the former White House official came up short on any specific strategy the US could use to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping remains severely disrupted by the Iran conflict.
The US president has vowed to reduce the American military footprint on the continent after feuding with European leaders over the Iran war
The Pentagon has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany, with US President Donald Trump warning that the pullout could only be the beginning.
The move comes amid a sharp divide between the Trump administration and European NATO members over the Iran war, Washington’s calls to increa
The US president has vowed to reduce the American military footprint on the continent after feuding with European leaders over the Iran war
The Pentagon has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany, with US President Donald Trump warning that the pullout could only be the beginning.
The move comes amid a sharp divide between the Trump administration and European NATO members over the Iran war, Washington’s calls to increase defense spending, and a bitter aftertaste from the dispute over Greenland.
‘Cutting a lot further’
The withdrawal was announced on Friday, with the Pentagon signaling that the process would be over within the next six to 12 months. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”
However, Trump – who has for years been toying with the idea of a US withdrawal from the bloc – signaled that the figure could be even higher. “We're going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he said on Saturday. He also suggested that he could pull troops out of Spain and Italy – nations he said were unhelpful in the Iran war.
In addition, Reuters reported that the US dropped a Biden-era plan to deploy a US battalion with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany.
Germany is home to America’s largest military presence in Europe, currently hosting more than 36,000 active-duty US personnel. It is also home to critical training, logistics, and medical infrastructure, including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest US military hospital abroad. In total, there are over 80,000 US troops in Europe, with many having been redeployed to the continent by the Biden administration after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Iran war looms over the decision
The announcement came days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz once again criticized the US-Israel war on Iran, saying that Washington “obviously has no strategy,” adding, referring to the US, that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”
It did not take Trump long to fire a broadside in response. He declared that Merz “doesn't know what he’s talking about,” advising the chancellor to “spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine” and “fixing his broken Country.” He also suggested that Merz was “doing a terrible job. He’s got immigration problems, he’s got energy problems, he’s got problems of all kind[s].”
According to Reuters, the current transatlantic rift has also been exacerbated by Trump’s simmering anger over European pushback to his attempt to annex Greenland this winter.
US ‘schizophrenic’
According to an AP source, the US military was not been warned of the decision to pull troops from Germany and learned about it “in real time,” though the Pentagon disagreed, saying that the move “follows a comprehensive, multilayered process” with input from the European command and other top officials.
In addition, an unnamed European insider told Reuters that Trump’s decision was another sign of an “increasingly unpredictable and sometimes ‘schizophrenic’ dynamic.” He noted that Trump’s shock announcement came as uninformed US military commanders in Europe had been talking up commitment and cooperation, just as their counterparts in Washington were doing the opposite.
US lawmakers have also protested the withdrawal announcement, with Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees saying they were “very concerned” by the drawdown.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama urged the Pentagon to redeploy the troops eastward rather than send them home – to countries that “have made substantial investments to host US troops” on NATO’s front line – warning the decision risked “undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal” to Russia.
Military buildup as planned
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius played down the news, calling the drawdown “foreseeable.” The Defense Ministry spokesperson also said the development showed “we must strengthen the European pillar within NATO.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was blunter, saying that the greatest threat to NATO is not its external enemies, but rather its “ongoing disintegration[...] We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend.”
Still, the overall trend of the US detachment from Europe barely comes as a shock, with European NATO members looking to ramp up military spending. The rearmament drive was partly driven by Trump himself, who pushed other NATO members to invest 5% of GDP annually in core defense and defense-related spending by 2035.
On top of that, the European Commission unveiled its Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to provide more than €800 billion ($938 billion) in defense spending across the EU. Germany alone has embarked on a historic military buildup, committing to spend more than €500 billion on defense by 2029.
Moscow has consistently rejected speculation that it could attack NATO as “nonsense,” suggesting that European nations are using “propaganda” to portray Russia as an enemy to mask its own crises.
One screenwriter has called the series of gatherings with creatives a case of “clear propaganda”
NATO is holding closed-door consultations with TV and film industry professionals across Europe and the US, The Guardian reported on Sunday. The move has prompted accusations that the bloc is working to leverage the arts for “fear mongering” and “propaganda,” it added.
The military bloc has held three private meetings with directors, producers and scr
One screenwriter has called the series of gatherings with creatives a case of “clear propaganda”
NATO is holding closed-door consultations with TV and film industry professionals across Europe and the US, The Guardian reported on Sunday. The move has prompted accusations that the bloc is working to leverage the arts for “fear mongering” and “propaganda,” it added.
The military bloc has held three private meetings with directors, producers and screenwriters in Los Angeles, Brussels and Paris, and is planning to convene with members of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) in London next month, the newspaper wrote.
The upcoming meeting will be overseen by the British think tank Chatham House and will discuss the “evolving security situation in Europe and beyond,” according to the report. NATO cyber and innovation technology deputy head James Appathurai is expected to attend, among other officials, the newspaper added.
So far, the conversations have partly “inspired” at least “three separate projects,” The Guardian wrote, citing an internal WGGB e-mail.
The military bloc’s move has reportedly sparked concern in the film and TV industry. The planned meeting is “clearly propaganda,” Irish film writer Alan O’Gorman said, as cited by The Guardian.
“I think there’s fearmongering throughout Europe at the moment that our defenses are down,” he reportedly said, adding that he has seen a media and government push in Ireland “to present NATO in a positive light and align ourselves with them.”
Other screenwriters were “pretty offended that art would be used in a way that was supporting war” and believed they were being asked to “contribute towards propaganda for NATO,” he said, according to the newspaper.
The Washington-led military bloc has been undergoing a growing internal rift, with US President Donald Trump again describing NATO as a “paper tiger” after multiple member states refused to join his war on Iran in recent months. Tensions between European NATO countries and the US had already been heightened by Trump’s threats in preceding months to annex Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland.
The greatest threat the bloc currently faces emanates not from “external enemies,” but rather its “ongoing disintegration,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday.
Spirit Airlines announced it was shutting down immediately following a failed Washington bailout bid and a surge in oil prices
Spirit Airlines, a US-based low-cost carrier, has succumbed to the unprecedented energy crisis, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said, commenting on the company’s recent shutdown.
The airline announced on Saturday that it has begun an orderly suspension of operations, effective immediately, citing the recent surge in fue
Spirit Airlines announced it was shutting down immediately following a failed Washington bailout bid and a surge in oil prices
Spirit Airlines, a US-based low-cost carrier, has succumbed to the unprecedented energy crisis, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said, commenting on the company’s recent shutdown.
The airline announced on Saturday that it has begun an orderly suspension of operations, effective immediately, citing the recent surge in fuel costs and other pressures that have significantly impacted its financial outlook.
“Spirit Airlines collapsed – the first airline victim of the historic energy crisis, as jet fuel prices jumped from $2.5 to $4 per gallon. 17,000 laid off,” Dmitriev, who serves as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said later that day in a post on X.
Spirit’s bondholders reportedly turned down a last-minute rescue proposal from the Trump administration that could have provided up to $500 million to sustain the struggling airline. The plan would have placed the government ahead of other creditors and granted it a stake of up to 90% in the company.
The shutdown is set to leave around 17,000 people without work, including about 14,000 Spirit employees as well as thousands of contractors and others whose jobs rely on the airline. The elimination of the flights is also expected to result in higher fares across the industry.
The sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately left the company with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down despite a restructuring plan agreed upon with bondholders in March, Spirit’s President and CEO, Dave Davis, said in a statement.
A mounting jet fuel crunch is hitting airlines worldwide as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz – a key energy chokepoint handling nearly a fifth of the global oil supply – amid the US-Israeli war on Iran has sharply reduced tanker traffic, delaying shipments and raising fears of the worst energy crisis in history, the International Energy Agency has warned.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly downplayed the impact of the Strait of Hormuz energy shock, arguing that the American economy would remain strong, and that energy disruptions would be temporary rather than economically damaging.
The participants of the procession through the US capital carried photos of relatives who fought Nazi Germany in WWII
Several hundred people have taken part in an ‘Immortal Regiment’ march in Washington, commemorating those who fought for the Soviet Union in the Second World War, the Russian Embassy in DC has said.
The marches were first held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in 2012. In the past, WWII veterans had been honored guests at Victory Day
The participants of the procession through the US capital carried photos of relatives who fought Nazi Germany in WWII
Several hundred people have taken part in an ‘Immortal Regiment’ march in Washington, commemorating those who fought for the Soviet Union in the Second World War, the Russian Embassy in DC has said.
The marches were first held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in 2012. In the past, WWII veterans had been honored guests at Victory Day parades commemorating Hitler’s defeat, but their numbers had dwindled, so local organizers came up with the idea of inviting their loved ones to march instead, holding their portraits. Since then, the idea has spread across Russia and to other nations.
The marches are traditionally held on May 9 in Russia, when the country celebrates Victory Day. In Washington, however, it was staged on Saturday, a week before the 81st anniversary of the end of the bloodiest conflict in history.
The demonstrators walked past the White House carrying portraits and red Victory Banners, and made their way towards the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, where they laid flowers, the embassy said in a statement.
The Russian diplomats thanked the organizers of the ‘Immortal Regiment’ march and all those who participated in what they described as an “important initiative, aimed at countering attempts to rewrite history and whitewash the Nazis and their collaborators, who are now being honored in some countries.”
Last year’s procession in the US capitol was marred by provocations from pro-Ukrainian activists. No incidents have been reported during the current event.
An ‘Immortal Regiment’ march also took place in New York City on Saturday, with several dozen people gathering outside the office of the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN.
The previous administration of US President Joe Biden had refused to permit the processions, citing coronavirus restrictions and a difficult political situation. But the ‘Immortal Regiment’ marches resumed after Donald Trump’s return to office.
A UAV has hit a radiation control laboratory at Russia’s Zaporozhye facility, its press service has said
The Ukrainian military has targeted an external radiation control laboratory at Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the facility’s press service has said in a statement on Telegram.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked Europe’s largest nuclear facility since it came under Russian control in 2022, soon after the escalation of t
A UAV has hit a radiation control laboratory at Russia’s Zaporozhye facility, its press service has said
The Ukrainian military has targeted an external radiation control laboratory at Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the facility’s press service has said in a statement on Telegram.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked Europe’s largest nuclear facility since it came under Russian control in 2022, soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The power plant is located in Zaporozhye Region, which officially voted to join Russia in a fall 2022 referendum.
The laboratory targeted in the Sunday attack facilitates the round-the-clock monitoring of the radiological environment at the plant and is vital for planning any emergency response operations, the press service said.
“Such actions pose a threat not only for the nuclear security but also the for the radiological environment control system,” it added, warning that any damage to the laboratory could affect the timely assessment of the situation and response in case of emergency.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitoring team working at the station have been promptly alerted about the incident, the press service said. According to the statement, the strike did not result in any “critical” material damage or casualties and did not disrupt the operation of the power plant.
The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed receiving the report from the ZNPP and requested access to the lab for further inspection, the IAEA said in a post on X. Its Director General Rafael Grossi also condemned the strike by saying that “any attacks near nuclear sites can pose nuclear safety risks.”
The Monday attack came a day after Grossi visited Kiev for talks with Vladimir Zelensky, during which the Ukrainian leader urged the IAEA to pressure Russia to hand over control of the plant.
Ukraine has also repeatedly sought to interject proposals to take control of the plant into US-mediated peace talks with Russia.
Moscow has firmly rejected the idea of handing over the plant or allowing for its joint ownership with Ukraine or any NATO nations, citing a high risk of sabotage.
The private security contractor in question, MVM, is being sued over the separation of two young Guatemalans from their fathers in 2017
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a contract with a private security firm to locate migrant children who arrived in the US without their parents, although the company is facing accusations of ‘torture,’ The Guardian has reported.
The agency, which is part of the US Department of Homeland Sec
The private security contractor in question, MVM, is being sued over the separation of two young Guatemalans from their fathers in 2017
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a contract with a private security firm to locate migrant children who arrived in the US without their parents, although the company is facing accusations of ‘torture,’ The Guardian has reported.
The agency, which is part of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), hired the Virginia-based company MVM in mid-April to assist with its expanding effort to track down minors who had been released into communities pending immigration court proceedings, the paper said in an article on Saturday.
A one-year deal was signed between ICE and the contractor, which provides detention and transport services to federal immigration agencies, it added.
MVM is currently being sued over the separation of two Guatemalan fathers from their respective children in 2017. The lawsuit, which had been filed in a California court two years ago, alleges “torture, enforced disappearance and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” on the part of the company.
Its employees “physically took thousands of children away from their parents” before transporting them “using unmarked vehicles, commercial airlines, and makeshift detention centers,” the document read.
A DHS spokesperson said that MVM has “zero immigration enforcement authority” and that the partnership with the firm represents the agency’s “commitment to protect vulnerable children from sexual abuse and exploitation.”
“The primary focus of this initiative is to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure thaat they are safe and not being exploited or abused,” the spokesperson stressed.
The Guardian said that it had reviewed an internal ICE document last year, which suggested that it actually runs an operation aimed at deporting the children or pursuing criminal cases against them or the adults providing for them.
"Accusations that ICE is ‘targeting’ and arresting children are false and an attempt to demonize law enforcement,” the DHS spokesperson insisted.
Democratic lawmaker Delia Ramirez, who is of Guatemalan descent, has called upon Congress to monitor the arrangement between ICE and MVM.
"DHS continues to be a threat to our collective safety. It is beyond reckless to hire a company of dangerous bounty hunters, with a concerning track record of abuse, to ‘track’ immigrant children,” she wrote on X on Sunday.
Trump says Tehran has not yet ‘paid a big enough price’ as he reviews the 14-point plan
Iran is seeking a decisive and permanent end to the conflict with the US, rather than a previously proposed two-month ceasefire, RT correspondent Saman Kojouri has reported from Tehran regarding a 14-point peace plan put forward by the Islamic Republic.
Tehran has submitted a new peace proposal to Washington via Pakistani mediators in response to a US offer,
Trump says Tehran has not yet ‘paid a big enough price’ as he reviews the 14-point plan
Iran is seeking a decisive and permanent end to the conflict with the US, rather than a previously proposed two-month ceasefire, RT correspondent Saman Kojouri has reported from Tehran regarding a 14-point peace plan put forward by the Islamic Republic.
Tehran has submitted a new peace proposal to Washington via Pakistani mediators in response to a US offer, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed on Saturday, adding that “the ball is in the US court.”
RT’s Saman Kojouri said key provisions of the plan include guarantees against future attacks by Israel and the US, the lifting of sanctions, the withdrawal of American forces from areas surrounding Iran, and a new mechanism to govern the Strait of Hormuz. “The plan includes a demand to resolve all issues and end the war within 30 days,” says Kojouri, adding that “the space for compromise between Tehran and Washington is narrowing.”
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would review the offer but cast doubt on its prospects. Trump posted later on social media that he “can’t imagine” the proposal will be acceptable and said that Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity and the world over the last 47 years.”
Watch the full report of by RT’s Saman Kojouri on the latest peace efforts to end the war in Iran:
Ben Gvir has championed legislation which would introduce the death penalty against Palestinians in military courts
Israel’s ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday this weekend, treating guests to slices of a cake featuring a noose. Attendees included several top law enforcement officials.
The cake was an apparent allusion to Ben Gvir’s advocacy for legislation that would introduce the death penal
Ben Gvir has championed legislation which would introduce the death penalty against Palestinians in military courts
Israel’s ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday this weekend, treating guests to slices of a cake featuring a noose. Attendees included several top law enforcement officials.
The cake was an apparent allusion to Ben Gvir’s advocacy for legislation that would introduce the death penalty for Palestinians found guilty of “terrorism.”
At the Saturday night celebration at Villa Space in Moshav Emunim in southern Israel, Ben Gvir’s wife, Ayala, presented him with a cake featuring a noose and the words: “Mazel tov to Minister Ben Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.”
The celebration featured another tall birthday cake bearing the image of Israel, Ben Gvir’s portrait, two guns, and a golden noose.
ניצב בדימוס סיגל בר צבי, לשעבר ראש אגף המבצעים במשטרה, על חגיגות יום ההולדת של השר בן גביר בהשתתפות שוטרים רבים: "לא כזה נוח, זה אירוע די חריג. בין דרג ממונה שהוא פוליטי ובין המבצע צריך שיהיה מרחק שהדרג המבצע הוא יוכל לעשות את העבודה שלו באופן נקי ובלי השפעה זו סיטואציה בעייתית,… pic.twitter.com/IQoI79Vs2o
The noose paraphernalia was an apparent allusion to the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, which was passed by the Knesset in March by 62 votes to 47. The legislation mandates that Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks in military courts be sentenced to hanging — a provision that critics say effectively exempts Jewish Israelis.
Sentences are to be carried out within 90 days of the ruling, with no right of appeal. The sentence could be mitigated to life imprisonment only under some unspecified “special circumstances.”
Ben Gvir and his party members had worn noose-shaped lapel pins for several months as a symbol of their commitment to the legislation, while the minister himself argued last year that “there is no such thing as ‘Palestinian people.’”
The law has sparked international condemnation, with Germany, France, the UK, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia expressing “deep concern” over the legislation and urging Israel to abandon it. UN experts also warned that the new rule violates international law, contend that it “effectively singles out Palestinians for execution.”
The guest list stirred nearly as much controversy as the cakes. Senior commanders in attendance included Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled, Judea and Samaria District Commander Moshe Pinchi, and Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi. Cabinet ministers, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana were also present.
Police Commissioner Danny Levy permitted only the most senior command staff to attend, warning all lower-ranking officers to stay away. The directive came despite widespread fears that Ben Gvir could put pressure on law enforcement and undermine police independence.
Ben Gvir is known for his inflammatory views regarding Palestinians, and once boasted that he would do his best so that “the terrorists [in prison] receive the minimum of the minimum” in food. The minister has been sanctioned in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain.
Seven major exporters of crude reportedly agreed to add 188,000 barrels a day in June
Seven OPEC+ countries have agreed to raise oil output targets by about 188,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two sources familiar with the group’s plans. The report comes as the US-Israel war with Iran continues to disrupt Gulf oil supplies and follows days after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quit the cartel.
The UAE, one o
Seven major exporters of crude reportedly agreed to add 188,000 barrels a day in June
Seven OPEC+ countries have agreed to raise oil output targets by about 188,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two sources familiar with the group’s plans. The report comes as the US-Israel war with Iran continues to disrupt Gulf oil supplies and follows days after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quit the cartel.
The UAE, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, withdrew from OPEC and the wider OPEC+ on May 1. According to Abu Dhabi, the decision is driven by national interests and forms part of a long-term strategy – a “sovereign, strategic choice” aimed at giving it greater flexibility over oil output. The country’s share in the organization stood at about 13.5%.
OPEC currently includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and Venezuela. It coordinates oil production policies in an effort to stabilize supply in global energy markets. The wider OPEC+ format also includes a group of allied oil-producing countries, most notably Russia, as well as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Malaysia, Oman, Bahrain, Brunei, Sudan, South Sudan and Brazil.
One source told Reuters that the decision to raise output signals that OPEC+ continues to take a business-as-usual approach despite Abu Dhabi’s decision, adding that the move will be similar to last month’s hike of 206,000 bpd minus the share of the UAE.
The rise in output is largely symbolic at this stage, Reuters noted, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted by the Iran conflict.
The US-Israel bombing campaign on the Islamic Republic and the subsequent closure of the waterway that commonly handles about one-fifth of global energy trade, have sharply reduced exports from key OPEC+ members – Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE – which were previously the only countries in the group capable of increasing oil output.
In March, total oil production across all members averaged 35.06 million bpd, down by 7.7 million bpd from February levels, according to OPEC.
Commenting on the Emirates’ exit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow respects the country’s “sovereign” decision. Peskov stressed that Russia has no intention of leaving the group and dismissed suggestions that the UAE’s move could spell the end of OPEC+.
The halt is due to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s only export route, with crude accounting for roughly 50% of GDP
Kuwait exported zero barrels of crude oil last month, according to data from a shipping monitor, marking the first such halt since the 1991 Gulf War.
A major US ally hosting around 13,500 American troops and serving as a key regional logistics hub, Kuwait previously produced about 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd)
The halt is due to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s only export route, with crude accounting for roughly 50% of GDP
Kuwait exported zero barrels of crude oil last month, according to data from a shipping monitor, marking the first such halt since the 1991 Gulf War.
A major US ally hosting around 13,500 American troops and serving as a key regional logistics hub, Kuwait previously produced about 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) and exported roughly 1.85 million bpd, with most shipments going to Asian markets including China, India, and South Korea.
On April 17, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation declared force majeure, suspending exports after traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was effectively halted amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran. Oil accounts for roughly 50% of Kuwait’s total GDP. Petroleum exports generate about 90% of the government’s budget.
As of early May 2026, Kuwait’s oil output has fallen to around 1.2 million barrels per day, CNBC reported.
Data from Tanker Trackers showed that while Kuwait continued producing crude, it did not export any in April, the first such halt since the 1990-1991 Gulf War. During that conflict, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, prompting a US-led coalition to launch a military campaign that forced their withdrawal in early 1991.
Oil prices have surged since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, prompting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint handling about one-fifth of global oil and LNG flows. While Iran has kept the vital waterway closed to “hostile ships,” the US Navy has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.
With negotiations ongoing and no clear solution, crude has climbed above $120 per barrel in recent days, reaching its highest levels since 2022.
Social media is to blame for making anti-Semitism “more and more mainstreamed,” Mark Rowley has said
The Jewish community in the UK is facing its greatest threat, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley has said in the aftermath of a recent stabbing in London.
On Wednesday, two Jewish men were wounded in a knife attack by a British national of Somali origin in the city’s Golders Green area. The suspect, who was subsequently detained, had al
Social media is to blame for making anti-Semitism “more and more mainstreamed,” Mark Rowley has said
The Jewish community in the UK is facing its greatest threat, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley has said in the aftermath of a recent stabbing in London.
On Wednesday, two Jewish men were wounded in a knife attack by a British national of Somali origin in the city’s Golders Green area. The suspect, who was subsequently detained, had also attempted to kill his friend of 20 years the same day. Police say he has a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
In his interview with the Times on Saturday, Rowley said that “every racist or extremist or terrorist group has a list of people they hate, because they all create an ‘other’ who they want to blame everything on,” invoking a concept developed by 20th century French psychologist Jaques Lacan.
According to the police chief, the British Jews “are on everybody’s list, all of those hateful groups, whether you’re extreme right, whether you’re extreme left, whether you’re Islamist terrorist, whether you’re right-wing terrorist, and some hostile states as well now, with some sort of Iranian-related threats.”
“There’s a ghastly Venn diagram that they’re at the middle of,” he added.
The reason for anti-Semitism “becoming more and more mainstreamed” is social media, which allows an increasing number of people to consume information that reinforces their views from “non-traditional sources,” Rowley claimed.
The commissioner said he intends to recruit 300 more officers to protect the Jewish sites in London.
Following the Golders Green incident, the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe,” which means that an attack is “highly likely.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier that the stabbing was “not a one-off” and that Jewish people in the UK are “scared to show who they are.” He vowed to do everything to “stamp this hatred out.”
The UK has seen an increase in anti-Semitic incidents since Israel began its military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly incursion by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Last month, a group of young men torched four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green, the same neighborhood where Wednesday’s stabbings occurred.
Over 72,600 people have been killed and over 172,400 wounded by Israel’s airstrikes and ground campaign in Gaza so far, according to figures from the Palestinian health authorities.
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