President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will impose fees in the Strait of Hormuz “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped,” after declaring America the “guardian” of the major oil shipping route.
Archiv: Völkerrecht / internationales Recht / international law
U.S. military to enforce new Iran blockade starting 4pm Tuesday
President Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. is reinstating the naval blockade on Iran and will prevent any ships from leaving or entering Iranian ports. The blockade will go into effect on July 14 at 4pm ET.
Trump also claimed the U.S. would be „reimbursed“ at a rate of 20% for securing safe passage for cargo ships, though the details and seriousness of the initiative were not immediately clear.
Oman summons Iran‘s ambassador, hands over a protest note
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman has summoned Mousa Farhang, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Sultanate of Oman, to hand him a formal note of protest following the targeting of sites in the Governorates of Musandam and Al Wusta by unmanned aerial vehicles.
The note of protest was handed over by Shaikh Khalid bin Hashil al Musalhi, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Administrative and Financial Affairs, when he received the Iranian Ambassador in Muscat today.
UKMTO issues warning after report of fire on board container ship
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an incident some nine nautical miles (about 17km) east of the Omani coast.
“Military authorities have reported that a container ship has sustained damage to the rear of the vessel, which has caused a fire on board,” it said.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution,” it added.
The alert came moments after CENTCOM announced the start of a third round of strikes on Iran, citing an Iranian attack on a Cyprus-flagged ship in the strait.
Iran, Oman discuss Hormuz safe passage
Published: 11:01 PM, Jul 11, 2026
MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman and the Islamic Republic of Iran held talks in Muscat on Saturday regarding navigation on the Strait of Hormuz to ensure its safety and freedom in light of recent developments and their repercussions.
The two sides agreed to carry on with the talks at both the technical and political levels to reach agreements in accordance with international law.
The discussions were held by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, and Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran UN envoy warns country won’t be bound by MoU if US violations continue
In a statement to reporters outside the UN Security Council on Friday, Ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani said the United States has repeatedly breached the MoU, including through large-scale military attacks on Iranian islands and southern cities on July 7 and 8.
These renewed attacks, he said, constitute a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter and a material breach of the MoU’s first clause, which commits the US to ceasing all military action against Iran.
Iran privately told Trump advisers „they made a mistake“ in shooting at ships in Strait of Hormuz
Iranian officials privately told Trump advisers that they made a mistake in shooting at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, that the attacks stemmed from an „errant“ sect of hardliners who are trying to undermine negotiations, and that they want to keep talking, senior U.S. officials said on Friday.
The White House wants the regime to publicly acknowledge its mistake, which the Trump administration views as a violation of the ceasefire.
President Trump has directed his team — led by Vice President JD Vance, the president‘s son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — to continue negotiations.
The talks are to take place in Oman on Saturday.
More LNG, Japan-linked vessels transit Hormuz despite renewed Mideast tensions
“What’s different now, compared to the start of the conflict, is that Iran is striking vessels using the ’Omani route’ rather than targeting all vessels, which means vessels will increasingly turn towards the ’Iranian route’ or transit dark when transiting through the strait,” said Xavier Tang, a senior market analyst at Vortexa.
Meanwhile, 22 Japan-linked vessels, including six large crude oil tankers, transited the strait to exit between July 7 and 9, leaving only four vessels in the Gulf, Japan transport minister Yasushi Kaneko told a news conference on Friday.
Responsibility to Protect Begins at Home, Speakers Tell General Assembly, amid Calls to ‘Act Before Warning Signs Become Mass Graves’
As conflicts proliferate and risks to civilians mount around the globe, embracing the “responsibility to protect” — an international norm aimed at preventing mass atrocity crimes, such as genocide — is more crucial today than ever before, the General Assembly heard today, in its annual debate on the topic.
“Twenty-one years ago, world leaders made a milestone commitment to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,” said Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of Secretary-General António Guterres, who delivered opening remarks on his behalf.
Referring to the outcome of the 2005 World Summit, where Member States agreed to unprecedented new parameters for atrocity prevention, he said States remain primarily responsible for the protection of their populations. “However, in cases where national authorities have failed to do so, Member States undertook a promise — a promise to take collective, decisive and timely action in line with the UN Charter.”
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Presidency warns of dangerous escalation amid colonist attacks, calls for international protection
RAMALLAH, July 4, 2026 (WAFA) – Presidential Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh affirmed that the organized terrorism carried out by colonist gangs against Palestinian villages and towns in Jenin, Nablus, Jerusalem, and Hebron in the occupied West Bank is a dangerous escalation of violence.
In a statement, Abu Rudeineh said the attacks have included assaults on homes and residents, the burning of agricultural land, the uprooting and destruction of olive trees, damage to private property, and the seizure of water sources.
He said the escalation, carried out with the direct protection and support of the Israeli army, which continues its daily policy of killing in the Gaza Strip, necessitates immediate international intervention to provide international protection for the Palestinian people before the situation spirals out of control.
Exclusive: ICC prosecutors shelved RSF arrest warrant as Sudan atrocities mounted
The International Criminal Court‘s prosecutor’s office has not applied for a single arrest warrant over crimes committed in Sudan‘s Darfur region since the country‘s devastating war began in April 2023, despite more than three years of investigation and repeated public assurances that charges were imminent, Middle East Eye can reveal.
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For more than a year after Khan‘s leave of absence in May 2025, the prosecution did not provide any explanation to the pretrial chamber regarding the late application.
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The deputy prosecutor, who is currently in charge of the Darfur investigation, has yet to provide a timeline for any other arrest warrants, MEE understands.
Exclusive: ICC bureau changes rules to lower threshold for Khan‘s removal
Previously, the procedure was expected to consist of a two-stage vote in which members would first vote on whether misconduct had occurred and its gravity, with a second vote on removal triggered only if they found „serious misconduct.“
The ASP, which is made up of diplomatic representatives from the international court‘s 125 member states, is due to vote on Khan‘s future at the United Nations‘ headquarters in New York City on 24 July.
It comes after the bureau, a body of diplomats from 21 member states, determined by a two-thirds majority last month that Khan had committed „serious misconduct.“
This was despite a judicial panel, appointed by the bureau to review the findings of a United Nations investigation into complaints against Khan, concluding that the evidence against him was insufficient to establish any level of misconduct.
Fedorov asks 40 countries to provide Ukraine with Patriot missiles this month, contribute to PURL, JUMPSTART
As the minister recalled, to provide the country with anti-ballistic missiles, in April the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense signed a record-breaking contract for hundreds of PAC-2 missiles for the Patriot system, with Germany‘s support. Deliveries will begin over the next few years.
A first step has also been taken toward purchasing about a hundred missiles for the Patriot system for $1 billion using an EU loan. This year, Ukraine also began receiving missiles from the stockpiles of its European partners for the first time.
CITY UNDER SIEGE, CHILDREN UNDER FIRE: RAPID SUPPORT FORCES’ CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN NORTH DARFUR
During nearly three years of brutal conflict, civilians in North Darfur have been unlawfully detained, tortured and killed on a massive scale. Women and girls have been raped and forced into sexual slavery. Children have not just been the collateral damage of this violence: very often, they are deliberate targets.
This report documents the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF’s) slow and violent takeover of North Darfur and its capital, El Fasher, after it began fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in April 2023. The abuses, which amount to crimes against humanity under international law, displaced hundreds of thousands of children, exposing them to death and injury during attacks or while fleeing. Countless children have been orphaned.
Sudan’s current crisis erupted against the backdrop of decades of armed conflict. When major violence escalated in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF (a former government force), fighting was first concentrated in the capital, Khartoum. But it soon spread to other parts of the country, including Darfur, a region on the western border with Chad that has been wracked by cycles of conflict since the early 2000s. By November 2023, the RSF controlled four of the five state capitals in Darfur.
El Fasher was the lone holdout and last major stronghold in Darfur for the SAF and the allied Joint Forces (a coalition of local armed groups that draws heavily from the Zaghawa ethnic group). The area is of particular strategic importance due to its sizeable gold reserves and its position as a geographical hub linking Darfur to Libya and Chad along trans-Saharan trade routes. It became a prize the RSF seemed willing to take at any price – something made possible by the steady flow of weapons and other equipment from its foreign backers, most notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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TO THE AFRICAN UNION PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
– Apply sustained political pressure on the RSF, SAF and all other parties to the conflict in Sudan to immediately agree to and implement a nationwide ceasefire accompanied by a sustainable framework for longer-term security and stability, human rights protection, justice and accountability. Regardless of progress towards a ceasefire, use all available leverage to urge all parties to immediately end attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensure safe and unfettered humanitarian access into North Darfur, and urgently facilitate the scaling up of humanitarian funding and response commensurate with the scale of civilian need.
– In line with the recommendation of the ACHPR’s Joint Fact-Finding Mission on the Human Rights Situation in the Republic of the Sudan, and given the ongoing risk to civilians, urgently establish and deploy a protection force to Sudan with a mandate to protect and deter attacks against civilians, prevent atrocities, create the security conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and monitor and publicly report on attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Ensure the protection force is adequately resourced, equipped and supported to operate effectively, including through predictable and sustainable financing.
Sudan: RSF atrocities in El Fasher ‘a stain on the conscience of humanity’ – new report
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to seize El Fasher in North Darfur state in Sudan, Amnesty International concluded in a major new report. The organization is now calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, and for the urgent deployment of an international force to protect civilians.
President Abbas sends letters to world leaders warning of Israeli measures targeting churches in occupied Jerusalem
In his messages, President Abbas warned against Israel‘s attempt to impose the municipal property tax known as „Arnona“ on churches, describing the move as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of the historic and legal status quo governing the holy sites, as well as a direct attack on the Christian presence and religious institutions in occupied East Jerusalem.
He stressed that Jerusalem enjoys a special legal status under international law, supported by the international community since the 1947 UN Partition Plan, and reiterated that the international community recognizes East Jerusalem as an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
President Abbas also referred to relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including 242, 252, 267, 338, 476, 478, and 2334, which affirm that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible and that all unilateral Israeli measures aimed at altering the character, legal status, demographic composition, or institutions of Jerusalem are null and void and without legal effect.
He emphasized that no measure taken by the occupying power can be interpreted as granting Israel sovereignty or legal jurisdiction over occupied East Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites and endowments.
Red lines not red carpets: Why Italy & Germany must support suspending EU-Israel Agreement
(May 11, 2026)
Millions of people around the world are demanding that their leaders act to stop Israel’s violations. Humanity must win.
Suez & Panama Canals Charging Tolls, But Iran‘s Demand For Hormuz Fee Is Raising Questions. Here‘s Why
(April 10, 2026)
Egypt and Panama charge fees to allow vessels to pass through Suez Canal and Panama Canal, respectively. This is because the international laws are different for straits and canals.
While straits occur naturally, canals are dug up manually. Hence, the countries controlling the canals take transit fee from vessels for allowing them to pass through.
Egypt welcomes agreement reached between US, Iran
The ministry stressed that resolving differences through dialogue and negotiation remains a fundamental approach to achieving peace and consolidating stability, in accordance with the principles of international law and the Charter of the UN.
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Egypt also reiterated hope that the end of the war would enable the international community to refocus attention on the dire humanitarian and security conditions facing the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the statement added.
EU fails to agree on sanctions on Israel’s far-right minister Ben-Gvir
EU foreign ministers have failed to agree on sanctions against Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says.
“Many member states have also proposed to sanction Minister Ben-Gvir, but no consensus on that was reached,” Kallas said.
Norway: International law is worth defending, even when allies break it
In an interview with Middle East Eye‘s Expert Witness podcast in Oslo, four months into the devastating war, Andreas Kravik said the war on Iran, launched on 28 February, had no basis in law.
„In our interpretation of the law, it is not a legal operation,“ Kravik said. „We think that is a violation of the UN Charter, and we have said so in no unclear terms.“
Kravik, a public international lawyer and the foreign ministry‘s former chief of legal affairs, said a state could lawfully use force against another only with authorisation from the UN Security Council, in self-defence against an immediate threat, or with the consent of the state concerned. None applied in Iran‘s case.
„There is no authorisation here from the UN Security Council… and there was no consent from Iranian authorities,“ he said. Norway had carried out its own legal assessment, he added.
Iran‘s Foreign Ministry issues statement after US aggression
Iran‘s Foreign Ministry has issued a formal statement condemning US military strikes carried out against areas in southern Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, June 10, describing them as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and confirming that Iran‘s armed forces struck US bases and assets in the region in response.
According to the statement, the United States carried out savage attacks against locations in southern Iran, using as a pretext the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night.
The Foreign Ministry said the attacks constituted a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the fundamental prohibition on the use of force in international relations, and described the action as a further demonstration of the criminal and warmongering nature of the American ruling establishment.
Suspend EU-Israel Trade Agreement
Israel is committing heinous violations of international law against Palestinians and in Lebanon with impunity, and has just adopted a death penalty law targeting Palestinians. The European Union (EU) is Israel’s biggest trading partner, and must take concrete action. Italy and Germany can sway the decision to suspend the EU-Israel trade agreement. Send a message and demand Giorgia Meloni and Friedrich Merz stop greenlighting Israel’s genocide, unlawful occupation and apartheid.
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Send a message and demand the leaders of Germany and Italy support suspending the EU’s trade agreement with Israel. There is no time to lose.
EU deploys new sanctions on Iran over Hormuz restrictions
“Ministers were clear today that Iran‘s actions are unacceptable,” said Kaja Kallas, high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission. “In response, EU Member States in Brussels today approved sanctions against the Iranian individuals and entities involved in disrupting transit through the Strait of Hormuz. This is the first time the EU has applied its new freedom of navigation sanctions regime, and where necessary [it] will apply it again.”
Red lines not red carpets: Why Italy & Germany must support suspending EU-Israel Agreement
(May 11, 2026)
Millions of people around the world are demanding that their leaders act to stop Israel’s violations. Humanity must win.