Middle East crisis live: Trump increases pressure on allies over strait of Hormuz; flights suspended at Dubai airport

• Chinese President Xi Jinping called for international cooperation and an end to power politics during this month's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. • Xi stated that most countries do not want conflict or confrontation and instead seek an equal place on the world stage through their own development.

• The United Nations is facing severe operational dysfunction as world leaders gather in New York for the annual General Assembly high-level week. • Veto-wielding powers including China, Russia, and the United States have blocked the Security Council from acting on conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, Myanmar, and Sudan.

• President Donald Trump is considering new demands from Iran to end a conflict that has lasted seven months. • Trump returned from Camp David on Saturday before his scheduled address to the General Assembly on Tuesday.

• Iran issued a warning of severe retaliation against the United States and its allies after claiming to have intelligence about an impending attack. • Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated that the country must continue fighting and negotiating to push back enemies and consolidate gains.

• Middle powers are focusing their influence on the United Nations and the prevention of mass atrocities to stabilize a multi-directional world. • Various UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions are currently targeting the revitalization of the UN system to make it more coherent.

• World leaders are returning to the United Nations for an assembly featuring potential high-level Security Council meetings on Ukraine, the Middle East, and artificial intelligence. • AI industry leaders recently called for a coordinated slowdown of technology development to prevent systems from improving on their own and escaping human control.

• Israeli security forces are preparing extensive operations in the West Bank following a deadly shooting attack at a local spring. • National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has demanded that the terrorist responsible for the attack be executed.

• The UAE is advancing international peace and stability efforts through a combination of diplomacy, dialogue, and humanitarian action. • The government is prioritizing conflict prevention and the protection of civilians to resolve existing global crises.

• A UN commission of inquiry recently accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza while the organization struggled to maintain its global influence. • Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has effectively pushed the UN into a bystander role during current international conflicts.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders this Sunday to prioritize peace, dignity, justice, and humanity. • The appeal comes as leaders prepare to gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which will be Guterres' final assembly as Secretary-General.

• World leaders are returning to the United Nations assembly to address ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. • The 80-year-old organization is currently facing a combined crisis of morale and finance alongside questions regarding its next leader.

Thousands of people deported from the US to countries where they have no connections. Plus, European spy chiefs warn of Moscow action against NatoGood morning.After a plane journey in shackles, an Iranian woman found herself in the middle of Africa in a country she did not know existed. She is one of thousands of people deported from the US on the back of shadowy deals made with dozens of countries.At what scale are third-country deportations happening? Since returning to office in 2025, Donald Trump’s administration has deported more than 25,000 people to countries that are not their own.Which countries are people being deported to? The Trump administration has struck 35 deals allowing it to deport migrants and asylum seekers to countries where they often have no connections.Is this legal? A US federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the Trump administration’s third-country removals policy was unlawful. A three-judge panel unanimously agreed that it violated due process. But the government has 90 days to appeal against the court’s decision, and is expected to do so.How imminent is the threat? “Normunds Mežviets, the director general of the VDD, Latvia’s state security service conceded there were signs that Moscow was making preparations for more decisive action in Europe, but said it was not clear whether the plans were simply part of a destabilisation strategy. “It’s still an open question if they have direct and concrete plans or if it’s just within the context of their overall attempts to spread fear and uncertainty in western society,” he said. Continue reading...