— 🇦🇫/🇺🇿/🇺🇸 NEW: Uzbekistan has begun transferring American military aircraft back to the United States, that were flown to the country by pilots under the previous Afghan government in 2021 as they fled the country during the Taliban takeover.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇱/🇱🇧 The Lebanese state is completely failing in its obligation to force the Israelis to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

The ceasefire has been violated for weeks, in almost every sense of the word, and in any other situation, Hezbollah would have responded by now. But the reality is, they are exhausted after more than a year of war, and in the new political environment in Lebanon their position is even more fragile.

Hezbollah needs to preserve the majority of its capabilities in case of a larger regional war, it needs to focus on rebuilding, it cannot afford to restart the war at this moment, especially with their supply lines uncertain and a threat from Syria simultaneously.

Besides, the entire reason for entering the war against Israel was to be a support front for Gaza, which doesn't apply anymore. But it looks like the Israelis are perhaps looking to continue the war, both in Gaza and in Lebanon, emboldened by Trump.

@Middle_East_Spectator

'Some have told us, leave this battle (for Palestine) and we will give you safety.

You want to give us safety while the oppressed and persecuted have no safety?

Curses be upon you, and upon your safety!'

– Shaheed Hassan Nasrallah

— 🇺🇸/🇻🇪 NEW: The United States has seized a Dassault Falcon 200 jet belonging to Venezuela, marking the second such plane taken from the country in recent months.

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— ❗️🇺🇸 NEW: A Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan plane with 10 people on board has gone missing while en route from Unalakleet to Nome, Alaska.

*Photo for illustrative purposes.

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— 🇺🇸/🇮🇱/🇳🇱 NEW: President Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) in retaliation for its arrest warrants against Israeli war criminals Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant

The order imposes financial and visa restrictions on individuals who assist ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇵🇱 NEW: The head of the Constitutional Court of Poland has accused the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, of treason and has opened a formal investigation

The court has accused Tusk, various government officials, parliament speakers, judges and prosecutors of forming an 'organized criminal group' to take control of the nations media, judiciary and the National Prosecutors Office.

Those leading the investigation are affiliated with the former ruling party, Law and Justice, which lost power after the 2023 elections.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸/🇨🇳 NEW: Republican members of Congress have filed a resolution to encourage President Donald Trump to abandon the 'One China Policy' and recognize the island of Taiwan, as autonomous

Diplomatic relations between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China were established in 1979 on the condition that the U.S. recognizes there is only one China, and that Taiwan is a province, a policy which Beijing has with any country that wishes to have diplomatic and economic ties.

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— 🇺🇸/🇮🇳 NEW: Marko Elez, a 25-year-old staffer at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has resigned after the Wall Street Journal uncovered 'tweets promoting racism and eugenics,' including one that wrote 'normalize Indian hate' and suggested Indian H1B workers would be replaced by 'slightly smarter LLMs.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

He's still going

—❗️🇮🇷/🇺🇸 Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei: 'Negotiations with the United States are useless, and will not benefit the country in any way'

In his speech today, the Supreme Leader once again emphasized that negotiating with the U.S. is not of any benefit to the Iranian nation:

'For some time now, you have been hearing, in newspapers, in cyberspace, and in the words of various people, that there is discussion about negotiations with America.

They mention the word 'negotiation', saying, 'Sir, negotiation is a good thing,' as if someone is opposed to the goodness of negotiation. Today, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the busiest foreign ministries globally. That is its job, after all. It negotiates with countries around the world — Eastern, Western, all kinds — it travels back and forth, speaks, and signs agreements.

The exception that exists is America. Of course, I do not mention the Zionist regime because it is not a real country. The Zionist regime is a gang of criminals who came and occupied a land and are committing crimes. That is not a subject of discussion. The exception is America. Why is it an exception? What is the reason?

Negotiating with America has no effect on solving the country's problems. We must understand this. They should not make it seem as if sitting at the table with that government will solve this or that problem. No, not at all.

No problem is solved through negotiations with America. The reason? Experience. In the 2010's, we sat down and negotiated with America for about two years. A treaty was formed with them (JCPOA).

Our government sat down and negotiated. They went, came, sat, stood, negotiated, talked, laughed, shook hands, became friends — they did everything. A treaty was formed. In this treaty, the Iranian side was very generous. It gave many concessions to the other side. But the Americans did not implement the treaty.

The very person who is now in office [Trump] tore up this treaty. He said, 'I will tear it up,' and he did. Even before he came, those with whom this treaty was signed did not implement it. The treaty was meant to lift U.S. sanctions. The U.S. sanctions were not lifted at all.

We should learn from this experience. We gave concessions, we negotiated, we compromised, but we did not achieve any result. That is what happened. Even this treaty, with all the concessions we gave, was still undermined, violated, and torn apart by the other side.

Negotiating with such a government should not be done. Negotiation with them is neither wise, nor intelligent, nor honorable. We must solve our problems internally, not relying on outside factors.

As for the Americans, they comment on us, they talk, they express their opinions, they issue threats. If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out their threat, we will carry out our threat as well. If they violate the security of our nation, we will undoubtedly violate their security as well. This is our duty.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇷/🇺🇸 NOTE: The Supreme Leader's comments today are quite unequivocal, and honestly unprecedented. In Iran, Khamenei's word is final.

Negotiations with the U.S. are now truly off the table, unless President Pezeshkian and his administration openly challenge the words of the Supreme Leader.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇷🇺/🇺🇦 New: The Russian Ministry of Defense has officially announced the capture of the city of Toretsk (Dzerzhynsk)

This was the last Ukrainian stronghold on the pre-2022 frontline.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸/🌍 NEW: Massive backlash from basically the entire world, after Trump sanctioned the International Criminal Court, with 79 countries issueing a joint statement

The statement reads that the U.S. is 'eroding the international rule of law', and it strongly condemns the U.S. financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC staff.

The statement was signed by: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Jordan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, State of Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu.

@Middle_East_Spectator