„Based on a report I requested from our Consul General in Turkey, who informed me of sexual violence, exposure to the cold, beatings, and repeated humiliation of French nationals, all of these acts are likely to constitute criminal offences (and) I decided yesterday to refer the matter to the public prosecutor,“ Barrot told France Inter radio.
Archiv: Premierminister / prime ministers (PMs)
Iran‘s Pezeshkian thanks Malaysia and Pakistan for support
Following conversation with the prime ministers of Malaysia and Pakistan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has thanked the two countries for their cooperation with Tehran.
„I thanked Malaysia for its humanitarian stance and Pakistan for its initiative and effective efforts to reach an agreement,“ Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
PM Shehbaz Sharif receives Grand Welcome in Beijing as Pak–China Talks enter crucial phase
During his stay in Beijing, Prime Minister Shehbaz is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in further high-level engagements.
Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir in China as Pak pushes Iran war mediation; Xi calls ties with Islamabad ‘unbreakable’
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir are in Beijing, China, on Monday (May 25) for talks with Chinese leaders as part of ongoing mediation efforts to formally end the Iran war. On Friday and Saturday, Munir was also in Iran alongside Pakistan‘s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to mediate to formally end the war.
Islamabad Talks 2.0 on table as PM Shehbaz hints at Fresh Peace Initiative
A major diplomatic breakthrough may be unfolding on global stage as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signals that a second round of the highly anticipated “Islamabad Talks” is expected soon, hinting at an intensifying behind-the-scenes effort to cool down tensions between US, and Iran.
Pakistan’s premier reaffirmed to continue its peace efforts with “utmost sincerity,” adding that Islamabad is ready to host the next round of talks “very soon.”
Iraq officials confirm second alleged Israeli base in desert
– U.S. reportedly knew of at least one Israeli base since June 2025 but likely withheld information from Iraq.
– Iraq was compelled to shut down its radar to protect U.S. aircraft during both the 12-day war and the 2026 conflict.
– The concealment of Israeli operations intensified scrutiny over Iraq’s sovereignty and coalition transparency.
– Iraqi political figures called for full transparency and stronger oversight mechanisms to prevent foreign intrusion.
Malaysia prepares draft resolution to expel Israel from UN
(November 6, 2024)
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced that Malaysia is preparing a draft resolution for the UN General Assembly to expel Israel from the United Nations.
“We are also studying (a proposal)… after the violation of laws, principles and UN decisions, for Israel to be expelled as a member of the UN,” Anwar told parliament in a special address on Monday.
The secret Israeli bases scandal roiling Iraqi politics
In a deeply embarrassing development for Baghdad, Israel established two forward-operating bases (FOBs) for supporting air campaigns against Iran on federal Iraqi territory in a flagrant violation of Iraq’s already fragile sovereignty.
The Wall Street Journal reported the first base’s existence, in the barren Nukhaib desert southwest of the Shia shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, on 9 May. The New York Times further revealed Sunday that Israel also set up a second base somewhere else in the country’s western desert regions that it operated for over a year and even used during the June 2025 12-day war.
Israel‘s secret base in Iraq: what happened in the western desert and why Baghdad couldn‘t respond
(May 16, 2026)
The physical record is not seriously in dispute, and it begins with a shepherd. On March 4, a local herder in the remote desert southwest of Najaf and Karbala reported unusual helicopter activity to military authorities in Najaf. Iraqi forces were dispatched. They came under fire from the air. One soldier was killed, and two were wounded. Baghdad submitted a protest note to the Global Coalition without naming who had fired, and the incident was quietly classified —until the Wall Street Journal named the party responsible on May 9.
Former senior Canadian diplomats urge Ottawa to impose ‚robust‘ sanctions on Israel
It also says a high civilian death toll in Lebanon suggests Israel is violating international law. Israel says the campaign is targeting Hezbollah.
“While Canada recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns regarding Hezbollah, the razing of entire towns and the high civilian death toll is a serious violation of international law,” reads the letter, which was signed by 190 former diplomats who held high-ranking positions.
It follows on a similar letter issued last July that demanded Canada halt all arms trade with Israel.
Trump stops Project Freedom at Hormuz on Pakistan’s request
US President Donald Trump has announced a temporary pause of Project Freedom for safe evacuation of stranded ships at the Strait of Hormuz, stating that the great progress has been made to reach a final agreement with Iran.
Pakistan strongly condemns the missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates last night.
I express full solidarity with His Highness @MohamedBinZayed
. Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as with the Government of the United Arab Emirates at this difficult time. It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region.
Is Israel trying to foment civil war in Lebanon?
On April 14, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States, Nada Hamadeh and Yechiel Leiter, met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The goal is ostensibly to extend the ceasefire while working “on longer term disarming of Hezbollah, along with a peace deal between the countries.” During the two hours in which the meeting took place, Israel bombed at least 23 towns in southern Lebanon; afterward, Leiter said that both Israel and Lebanon were united in “liberating Lebanon” from Hezbollah.
This came less than a week after one of the most violent days in Lebanese history. On April 8, Israeli warplanes ravaged large parts of the country, killing at least 303 people and wounding 1,150.
PM Shehbaz meets Iranian FM Araghchi amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
ISLAMABAD – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in what officials described as a crucial round of regional diplomacy involving sensitive international dialogue.
The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s House, was attended by top national leadership, including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Spanish parliament rejects proposal for new referendum on NATO membership
(April 22, 2026)
The proposal for “holding a referendum on the continuation of Spain’s NATO membership” was voted down by the ruling coalition’s main partner, the Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), as well as opposition parties including the Popular Party (PP), far-right Vox, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), and Junts for Catalonia.
The junior coalition partner Sumar abstained, while only the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and the Basque alliance Bildu supported the initiative alongside Podemos.
Keine Panik
Zwar fällt die Rhetorik von Spaniens Premier Pedro Sánchez tatsächlich recht scharf aus. Sein »Nein zum Krieg« ließ ihn hierzulande als jemanden mit »Cojones«, also Mut, erscheinen. Doch im Grunde geht es dem spanischen Sozialdemokraten bloß darum, seine Wähler zu beeindrucken. Dass er es nicht allzu ernst meint, stellte seine Partei am Mittwoch klar. An diesem Tag stimmte das spanische Parlament auf Vorschlag von Podemos über ein mögliches Referendum zum Austritt aus der NATO ab. Die Partei von Sánchez stimmte geschlossen dagegen und demonstrierte einmal mehr ihre transatlantische Verlässlichkeit: Wir liefern weiter.
Hezbollah’s Raad: Fake Truce Covers Israeli Violations, Lebanese Gov’t Must Undo Sin of Direct Talks with Israeli Enemy
“Any presumed truce that grants the occupying enemy in Lebanon a special exception to open fire or carry out any movement or field action in confrontation areas and within Lebanese territory—whether to secure a position, plant a mine, carry out an assassination, blow up a house or facility, bulldoze land, or the like—is not a truce at all. Rather, it is cunning deception and an insult to others’ intelligence, entailing cover for Israeli aggression and turning a blind eye to the enemy’s continued violations and breaches,” the statement read.
“The authority should be ashamed before its people and withdraw from what has been called direct negotiations with the Zionist enemy. What we fear most from the insistence on this sin is that the country will fall into something worse than what it was dragged into on the ominous May 17 in the early 1980s.”
Lebanon accuses Israel of war crime after drone strike kills journalist
Amal Khalil, 43, a journalist with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, bled to death in the ruins of a building that was hit in an Israeli drone strike after Israeli forces‘ gunfire prevented ambulance crews from reaching her „for nearly four hours,“ according to Lebanon‘s Union of Journalists.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of war crimes in a social media post Wednesday, saying Israel‘s „targeting of media workers in the south while they carry out their professional duties is no longer isolated incidents, but … an established approach that we condemn and reject.“
PM Shehbaz hails Trump for extending Iran ceasefire as Pakistan continues mediation efforts
In a message, PM Sharif, both personally and on behalf of Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, deeply thankful to President Trump for accepting Pakistan’s request to extend the ceasefire. The move, according to the premier, is aimed at keeping diplomatic channels alive and preventing a dangerous return to full-scale conflict.
Sharif stressed that Pakistan, relying on “trust and confidence,” will continue what he described as sincere efforts to support a negotiated settlement to the ongoing regional crisis. He also expressed hope that both conflicting sides will maintain the ceasefire and move constructively toward peace talks.
STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP:
Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal. I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other. President DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump says he will extend ceasefire with Iran until negotiations conclude
President Donald Trump says he will extend a ceasefire with Iran until Iran submits a proposal to end the conflict permanently.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He said he had directed the American military to “continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able.”
He said the truce, which had been due to expire in the coming hours, would “therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
Hungary‘s Magyar: ‚Netanyahu would be arrested if he came to Hungary‘
Speaking on his administration‘s commitment to international law, Magyar confirmed his intention to keep Hungary as an active member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He noted that his legal team has thoroughly reviewed the matter and concluded that Hungary must honor its treaty commitments. „I made it clear that Hungary intends to remain a member of the International Criminal Court,“ Magyar stated, adding that if an individual under an ICC arrest warrant enters a member state’s territory, „they must be taken into custody.“
Ishaq Dar, Iranian FM hold phone call, stress dialogue for regional peace
ISLAMABAD – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, Dar emphasized the need for dialogue to ensure peace and stability in the region and to resolve ongoing issues swiftly. Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact.
The spokesperson also said that the two discussed a planned telephone conversation between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Iranian president later in the day.
Qatar rolls out Red Carpet, Guard of Honor for Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Doha on an official visit that drew a grand welcome from Qatari authorities. The premier was warmly received by Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, along with senior officials and dignitaries.
Shehbaz–MBS meeting focuses on Regional Stability, Pakistan’s Diplomatic engagements to end US-Iran war
The premier highlighted the historic round of negotiations held in Islamabad between Washington and Tehran, signaling a potentially transformative shift in regional geopolitics. Saudi Crown Prince praised the efforts, specifically acknowledging the “constructive role” played by Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Army Chief, Syed Asim Munir, in pushing forward the peace process.
White House confirms Islamabad as Venue for Second Round of US–Iran negotiations
Pakistan suddenly emerged as critical diplomatic epicenter in the escalating crisis. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s simultaneous visit to Saudi Arabia and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s arrival in Iran have drawn global attention, with analysts interpreting the timing as part of a coordinated two-pronged diplomatic push aimed at defusing tensions and reviving stalled U.S.–Iran engagement.
Italy suspends automatic renewal of defense agreement with Israel
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto wrote his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, the letter suspending the Italy–Israel memorandum, which establishes a framework for defense cooperation regarding the exchange of military equipment and technological research within the armed forces.
The memorandum was initially signed in 2016 and was renewable every five years.