Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in court on Thursday to plead not guilty to new charges of conspiracy to commit torture.

The US government initially accused Maduro of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses, before adding new charges against him and Flores last week.

Maduro and Flores were captured in January during a US military raid, after which they were taken to New York, where they remain in jail.

The couple has pleaded not guilty to the allegations and both have argued to have the case thrown out on the grounds that they qualify for sovereign immunity. Their trial is scheduled for June 2027.

In a new indictment last week, government prosecutors alleged Maduro and Flores « created and maintained a violent system of repression » that saw « thousands of Venezuelans » killed, harassed, and tortured.

Nicolas Maduro denied the new charges brought against him by the US government, telling a court on Thursday he denied the « false accusations and false testimony behind him. »

« I reject this document entirely, » Maduro said in Spanish through a translator.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein interrupted Maduro, and declared the court would enter a plea of not guilty for Maduro.

« I am completely innocent. I am not guilty, » Flores said through a translator.

Maduro and Flores wore beige jail uniforms and both appear to have lost weight during their detention in Brooklyn.

The alleged torture methods included « electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture », the indictment states.

The US also accused Maduro of authorising the use of torture « against specific individuals » and alleges US citizens were tortured under this system.

Prosecutors already have accused Maduro, his wife and son, and their accomplices of engaging in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and partnering with cartels designated as terrorist groups.

Maduro previously called such charges a tool to further « imperial » plans for getting access to Venezuela’s rich oil reserves.

He and his wife’s lawyers have argued that Maduro is the leader of a sovereign country and therefore immune from prosecution. They contend the US taking him by force is illegal.

Flores unsuccessfully petitioned a judge to allow her to be released on bond while she awaited trial, arguing she had heart problems and other health issues while detained at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Analysis. Maduro pleads not guilty to new torture-related charges in New York est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

War has devastated Gaza’s economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure and public services, transforming how Palestinians live, work, learn and survive.

Three years after Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the Palestinian enclave has been transformed beyond recognition.

Israel’s sustained aerial and ground assault has devastated vast parts of the Gaza Strip, destroying homes and neighbourhoods and severely damaging its infrastructure and essential services.

The war has shattered the lives of a population of around two million people. Repeated displacement and evacuation orders have uprooted families and communities, while more than 74,245 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Although a “ceasefire” was announced in October 2025, it has not brought an end to the suffering. The Ministry of Health says 1,462 Palestinians have been killed since the “ceasefire” took effect, while Israeli attacks and other military activity have continued across the Strip.

Years of war have brought the collapse of education, healthcare and the economy, while access to food, water, shelter and other basic necessities has become a daily struggle.

Surviving daily life

For people in Gaza, the war has changed not only where they live, but how they carry out the most ordinary parts of daily life.

A home, running water, electricity and a mode of transport – the basic infrastructure of everyday life – no longer exist for many Palestinians in Gaza.

In September, according to the UN, 94 percent of Gaza’s population remained in urgent need of shelter and basic household assistance, while 65 percent of households were living in tents or makeshift shelters offering little protection from the elements, having been forced from their homes by Israeli attacks or forced evacuation orders.

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Many families also lacked adequate bedding, lighting, kitchen equipment and sanitation facilities, according to the United Nations.

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Water has become another daily challenge. Ninety-one percent of assessed households experienced moderate-to-high water insecurity in early August, up from 84 percent in June, according to the UN.

Electricity is similarly unreliable. Gaza has remained without a functioning electricity grid, leaving essential services and households dependent on generators and increasingly scarce fuel, engine oil and spare parts.

Damaged roads and communications networks have also made transport, phone and internet access and access to basic services more difficult.

The result is a daily life reorganised around survival: collecting water, charging a phone, cooking, washing and moving between services all require resources and planning that were once unnecessary.

Economic grief

Gaza’s economy has been devastated by the war, with the destruction of businesses and local industries leaving families with little income and sharply reduced purchasing power.

In September, the UN Conference on Trade and Development estimated that 92 percent of Gaza’s economic establishments had been damaged or destroyed since October 2023, while unemployment had reached 78 percent.

GDP per capita stood at just $212 in 2025, around 17 percent of its 2022 level. Agriculture and industry were each operating at just 6 percent of their 2022 output, while construction had fallen to 1 percent.

The economic collapse has also made basic goods increasingly unaffordable. Restrictions on the movement of goods have deepened the damage to Gaza’s economy, where most goods traded with the outside world have historically passed through Israeli-controlled crossings.

The impact has been felt directly by consumers. In September, prices remained around 200 percent above pre-October 2023 levels, according to the UN.

As jobs and incomes have disappeared, economic activity has increasingly centred on aid, debt and small-scale informal work. Economic researcher Rami al-Zaygh told Al Jazeera that the war had “pushed society back decades”, reviving old professions and creating new types of work using basic tools and whatever resources are available.

Many families in Gaza now rely on cash assistance from humanitarian groups. Physical cash itself has become increasingly scarce, with people using digital payments and e-wallets instead.

Struggle to study

The war has drastically changed education in Gaza. For nearly three years, hundreds of thousands of children had no regular access to in-person schooling as schools were damaged or destroyed, while many of those still standing are used as shelters.

Nearly 98 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed, according to UNICEF. As of April 2026, around 700,000 children aged 4 to 17 had missed almost three consecutive years of in-person education.

Instead of returning to classrooms, many children have been learning in tents and temporary learning spaces. Around 200,000 children have no access to education.

The disruption has also widened the gap in children’s learning. The Palestinian Ministry of Education has warned of a serious loss of basic skills and a growing academic gap, with nearly three years of interrupted education threatening the long-term educational prospects of an entire generation.

Healthcare decimated

Gaza’s health system has been pushed close to collapse.

All 36 of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged, and only 19 are currently functioning, according to the World Health Organization. None is operating at full capacity.

The few facilities still operating are struggling with severe shortages of essential medicines, medical equipment, diagnostic supplies and fuel. These shortages have disrupted cancer treatment, dialysis and care for people with chronic diseases.

Access to treatment outside Gaza has also remained limited. Since October 2023, about 12,400 patients have been medically evacuated, but the WHO says tens of thousands more still require specialised care unavailable inside the Strip.

The collapse of the health system, combined with deteriorating living conditions, has also created increasingly dangerous public health conditions.

The WHO warned in September that overcrowding, inadequate shelter, water and sanitation were increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

It said the health system was not equipped to cope with these growing risks and called for sustained humanitarian access, essential medicines and equipment, rehabilitation of health facilities and expanded medical evacuations.

A shrinking space

Gaza’s geography has been transformed by the war. Israeli military control and access restrictions have divided the territory, pushing Palestinians into an increasingly smaller area while cutting them off from homes, farmland and vital facilities.

The so-called Yellow Line is a military demarcation inside Gaza marking areas of Israeli military deployment and restricted access. Since it was established under the October 2025 “ceasefire”, Israel has moved it deeper into populated areas, forcing families to leave.

In September, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said Israeli military control and access restrictions covered around 70 percent of Gaza, leaving more than two million Palestinians concentrated in less than 30 percent of the Strip.

Rafah is one of the clearest examples of this transformation. Located in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt, the city became a refuge for more than one million Palestinians displaced from across the Strip during the war.

In May 2024, Israel’s military operation in Rafah displaced more than 800,000 people, according to the UN. Today, almost all of Rafah, except for the western area, Mawasi Rafah, is under Israeli control, leaving Palestinians displaced from the city unable to return to their homes.

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Euro-Med warned on September 29 that the expansion of Israeli-controlled areas was entrenching forced displacement, denying Palestinians access to their homes and land and leaving them without guarantees of return.

Security and governance

Before the war, Hamas had governed Gaza since 2007, running its civilian administration and security services. The war has disrupted that system, leaving Gaza with a severely degraded civilian administration.

In July, Hamas announced that it would hand administrative powers to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic body established under the post-war plan. But the transition has yet to take place.

The war has also weakened the systems responsible for maintaining public order.

Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked police officers and security posts. The UN Human Rights Office recorded at least 12 attacks on police between January and May 2026, killing 53 people, including 35 police officers. The targeting of public governance institutions had contributed to chaos and undermined civilian protection, the UN said.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has similarly warned that attacks on police and security personnel have weakened Gaza’s civilian protection system, contributing to a security vacuum, kidnappings, attacks on property and looting of humanitarian aid.

For people in Gaza, three years of war have left behind a sense of uncertainty with no clear path forward.

World Opinion + Aljazeera

L’article How three years of Israel’s genocidal war have changed Gaza est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced a ban on online gambling, just days before an election in which he is seeking a fourth term as the country’s leader.

The left-wing leader, who is running against the son of the incarcerated former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, signed a provisional order on Friday that « prohibits all sports betting and online casinos ».

The online gambling industry in Brazil was legalised in 2018 and has since been blamed for widespread household income losses due to addiction.

Flávio Bolsonaro accused his rival of playing politics, while Brazilian football teams said the ban could lose them income due to betting firms pulling their sponsorships.

Lula described the industry as a « cancer » in his announcement, adding that « either we remove the tumour, or it kills us ».

The move comes just over a week before the first round of Brazil’s presidential election. Recent polls have the 80-year-old leader almost neck-and-neck with the younger Bolsonaro.

Lula also separately signed a bill to establish criminal offences related to fixed-odds betting – the most common type of online sports betting.

Punters and bookies will have until 5 October to withdraw any existing funds from online betting accounts, while new deposits have been barred.

The new measures must receive congressional approval within 120 days to remain in force.

Lula acknowledged online betting was allowed under the former President Michel Temer’s administration but said that it had grown « without regulation under Bolsonaro’s management ».

He said in a statement on X that there were « no restrictions » particularly for preventing children and teenagers from accessing online betting.

« We won’t allow betting companies to profit at the expense of Brazilian families’ income and lives, » the president added.

Lula described how he had heard from families who had sold everything in their houses because of their gambling addictions.

Earlier this week at the UN General Assembly, Lula accused the industry of « transforming addiction into profit ».

But Flávio Bolsonaro called the gambling crackdown « populist, hypocritical and politically motivated » during a campaign rally in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, according to Reuters.

Grêmio, one of the so-called « big twelve » Brazilian football teams, noted ahead of Lula’s announcement that sports betting firms had become « one of the main sources of revenue for sports » since they were made legal.

It said a change in the law « will not only be an open door for illegal betting, but a fatal blow to Brazilian football, leading many clubs to insolvency ».

The main clubs were paid 1.1bn Brazilian reais ($212m; £160m) by sports betting firms in 2025, while the industry took in 62.5bn reais at the same time, broadcaster Globo reports.

Most types of gambling, such as casinos and slot machines, are illegal in Brazil, but ever since online betting was legalised in 2018, it has exploded in popularity.

About 59.9% of Brazilian adults support banning internet betting, a survey by Atlas and Bloomberg published this week has found.

The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR), a trade body representing around 75% of the domestic betting sector, said a total ban on fixed-odds betting jeopardised the industry as a whole – and potentially 58-73bn real in revenue.

« The ban also doesn’t eliminate existing demand, » it said in a statement, adding that anyone turning to illicit betting would no longer have « access to protection mechanisms provided in the regulated environment ».

It urged the federal government to strengthen betting regulations rather than outlaw online and fixed-odds betting entirely.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Brazil’s Lula bans online gambling ahead of presidential election est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Ursula von der Leyen brought a new mascot to her annual State of the Union address to the European parliament: the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney.

The leader of a plucky, like-minded liberal democracy, locked in an unsought trade war with its much bigger bully of a neighbour, Carney crossed the Atlantic and attended this flagship event of Europe’s political calendar to demonstrate his country’s shared values and desire to get closer to the EU. He was rewarded with a standing ovation and the first ever offer of an (invented) status of “associate member” of the EU.

The grand-sounding title is more a gesture of political support and reciprocal affection than any sort of binding engagement. The EU doesn’t have associate membership in its founding treaties. It does make association agreements with close countries, some of which eventually join the bloc. It also has partnership, trade and cooperation agreements with more distant friends – it had one with Russia, in happier times.

But using the “m” word in connection with Canada, which fails the geographical test for membership, may create an ambivalent precedent for the many Balkan and eastern European countries that are actually negotiating to join the bloc – and for the UK, which stormed out a decade ago but is now eager to get closer again.

Ukraine railed against any such “associate” status in May, when the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, floated the idea as a stepping stone towards eventual full EU membership. Western Balkan states that have been waiting more than two decades for accession want nothing to do with such a halfway house.

For Canada, though, the honorific title conveys a sense of European solidarity in its struggle with Donald Trump’s US, and a degree of closeness on fundamental values that responds to Carney’s seminal call at Davos in January for an alliance of like-minded “middle powers” to uphold as much as possible of the rules-based international order.

Carney’s presence in Strasbourg, and his applause for EU free trade, tech regulation and defence initiatives, made the EU look more desirable globally than it sometimes appears to angry European electorates tempted to vote for Eurosceptic populists in national elections next year. Von der Leyen must be hoping that a little of the Canadian prime minister’s stardust will rub off on the embattled European integration project, which faces headwinds not only from predatory great powers and hostile big tech but also from recalcitrant governments loth to share power and pool sovereignty in sensitive fields such as defence.

Closer cooperation with Canada and other like-minded powers such as India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand can amplify the EU’s global influence and help build alliances in defence of democracy, open rules-based trade and security of supply for critical raw materials. However, it cannot mitigate the urgent threats that Europe faces from increasingly reckless Russian aggression, nor be a substitute for a vengeful US that under Trump seems hell-bent on disengagement from European security.

Von der Leyen offered three initiatives to address these challenges. She proposed a new EU mechanism, aligned with Nato’s article 4 security consultations, to enable countries to trigger urgent EU consultations if they fall victim to so-called hybrid warfare – cyber-attacks, drone incursions, undersea cable cutting, railway sabotage, energy grid disruption and disinformation campaigns. It was time for a “counter-hybrid playbook”, she said, in which the EU moved beyond just boosting resilience and took a more robust approach to responding to covert warfare.

Whether all member states have the stomach to risk escalation by hitting back at Russia, even if such hybrid attacks start causing casualties, remains to be seen. EU and Nato members that have offensive cyberwarfare capabilities could and should be striking back now to set red lines for Moscow, for instance by putting Russian energy grids or airports out of action as a warning. But these are national measures unlikely to be aired or jointly approved in Nato or EU councils.

European countries have gone beyond sanctions to put Russia’s shadow fleet of rust-bucket oil tankers out of action – impounding them on safety or insurance grounds, as France and the UK have done episodically, and denying them passage through sensitive straits. But each action must be thought through, to achieve a deterrent effect rather than inviting ever bolder defiance by Vladimir Putin that could spiral into a wider war.

Von der Leyen’s other initiative, to be detailed in an updated European security strategy due next month, was to call for a European security council – including Ukraine, the UK and Canada alongside EU powers – to steer the continent’s expanding defence effort. Such a coalition of the willing, as I have advocated, could indeed provide top-level leadership and a crisis-management forum. The challenge will be to give it real levers of power, and avoid it becoming a talking shop.

Von der Leyen’s Canadian caper is welcome because it shows we have friends willing to link their destiny to ours in troubled times. But it is not in itself a solution to the continent’s urgent security problems.

By Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre – Theguardian.com

L’article Opening the EU door for Canada is a harmless gesture. But it won’t fix Europe’s security crisis est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Sanders continues his speech, warning that if AI were to surpass human intelligence, as experts predict, it would bring “potentially catastrophic consequences”.

He says he will introduce a bill next week to “permanently ban the development of artificial super intelligence”.

“Further, this legislation will put an immediate pause on advanced AI development until we have clear safety rules in place developed by the most knowledgeable scientists in our country,” Sanders says.

He then calls on President Trump to negotiate a treaty on AI safety with China’s President Xi Jinping during their meeting in Washington next week “to establish a pause on advanced AI development and a ban on superintelligence”.

“A super intelligent AI that escapes human control will not simply be an American problem. It will not be a Chinese problem, » he says. « It will be humanity’s problem.”

I’m here at the AI summit in Washington where Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has been raising the alarm about AI risks to the highest level.

He is among the progressive US lawmakers, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, calling for a complete moratorium on AI data centres.

“Let us be clear: artificial intelligence and robotics are the most transformational technologies in the history of humanity,” Sanders tells the crowd. “And they will impact the lives of every man, woman, and child in our country.”

“The economic impact of that is that AI has the potential to eliminate tens of millions of jobs, wiping out entire professions and making it harder for our young people to enter the workforce,” he continues.

“Civil libertarians warn us that AI is in the process of eviscerating our privacy rights by making it easier to collect and analyse every email that we send, every text, every website visit, and every trip that we make in our call, resulting in the creation of a mass surveillance state.”

Over in San Francisco, Anthropic boss Dario Amodei has been speaking at an annual Salesforce conference, days after calling for the development of AI to slow down.

Asked about his remarks, Amodei says it is tempting to « attack » competitors but that it is more responsible to try and establish industry-wide standards.

« Let’s make our practices better, let’s recommit to transparency, let’s invest more in safety, then let’s organise the rest of the industry and say what can we do to set standards for everyone, » he says, adding that there should be an « international component » to any such development.

« I think that’s the way to lead the industry forward, to set an example, to say that everyone can always be better, » he adds.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Analysis. Sanders calls on US and China to work together on AI regulation est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

US President Donald Trump has offered every adult American $5,000 (£3,700) if Republicans win November’s midterm elections, but it is unclear how such a plan would be funded and whether it is legal.

His remarks prompted raucous applause from supporters at a party convention on Wednesday night, although Democrats labelled it an « empty promise ».

Trump also told the Republican conference that the money would have to be spent in the US, but it is unclear how that would be monitored.

US Vice-President JD Vance suggested it might be paid for by tariff revenue and that such cheques would not go to wealthy Americans.

Is Trump’s offer legal?

Under US federal law, it is illegal to give payments that are intended to influence the way a person is voting.

However, some experts have said the offer made by Trump in Texas on Wednesday could be seen as a pledge to cut taxes, which is legal.

Dr Joan Mahoney, lecturer in law at the University of Southampton, told the BBC she thought the offer would be legal, though she said politicians « don’t usually do it quite this explicitly ».

« On the one hand it sounds a bit like a bribe, vote for the Republicans and you’ll get money, which would be decidedly illegal, » she said.

« But on the other hand it would go to everyone, regardless of how they voted so it isn’t in that sense a bribe.

« I think it would be legal. It’s the same kind of campaign pledge as saying ‘if my party wins we’ll reduce taxes’. Every party does that all the time… and that’s obviously perfectly legal. »

However, Laurel Rapp, director of the US and North America programme at Chatham House, told the BBC that Trump’s offer seemed to be « a very different, very transactional agreement » from the kind of promise usually made by candidates in an election period.

How much would it cost?

Aside from the question of legality, some have also asked whether Trump’s offer would be feasible financially in the context of increasing US debt, partially as a result of the war in Iran.

There are nearly 270 million American adults, meaning a $5,000 payout would cost the US government some $1.3 trillion.

Trump gave no details on how such cheques would be funded.

Congress authorises spending in the US, but the president did not say whether he planned to ask for legislative approval for any payments.

And legal experts said it was unlikely he could approve such a vast sum via a presidential executive order.

Erica York, a senior economist at the Washington DC-based Tax Foundation, told the BBC she would be « extremely surprised » if Congress approved any proposal.

« This would be one of the worst ways to use $1.3 trillion, » she said.

« We’re on a very unsustainable track, with deficits only projected to grow and grow, » York added.

Could tariff revenue fund it?

Speaking to Fox News after Trump’s speech, Vice-President Vance indicated that the payments could be funded by money raised by the president from tariffs.

However, such revenue to date falls far short of the money that would be needed to account for Trump’s $5,000 cheques offer.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the US has brought in around $475bn in tariff and excise tax revenue since the beginning of 2025.

But more than $100bn has been refunded after the Supreme Court struck down many tariffs earlier this year.

When asked how the payouts could work, the White House said in a statement to the BBC: « The doomers and naysayers have consistently doubted President Trump. »

« With the continued support of the American people, President Trump will keep delivering real results, » added spokesman Davis Ingle.

Why has Trump made the offer?

One former Republican strategist and pollster said Trump’s latest offer should be firmly seen in the context of an election that is now less than two months away.

« It is an extraordinary promise, and I’m not sure where that money is going to come from – but it is campaign season, » Robert Moran told the BBC.

Chatham House’s Rapp said Trump was thinking short term to try to keep hold of Congress as he enters the final two years of his term in office.

« Money is something that he is now resorting to because the polling is not looking good for Republicans and the polling is not looking good for him, » she continued.

Has anything similar happened before?

Trump has previously proposed $2,000 cheques to be funded by tariff revenues, but those payouts have not materialised.

Former President Joe Biden was accused of buying votes when he promised $2,000 Covid stimulus cheques for Americans if Democrats won Senate elections in Georgia in January 2021.

A similar controversy arose ahead of the 2024 presidential election, during which billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk offered cash incentives to registered voters in seven swing states who signed a certain petition.

Additional reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr, White House reporter – BBC News

L’article Debate. Can Trump really pay $5,000 to every American adult? est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

A residential building and a telecommunications tower were struck overnight, as Iran and the US launched more strikes over the control of Strait of Hormuz.

Evidence of the US crime of targeting a wedding ceremony in residential areas of Sirik. The Hormozgan Red Crescent reports that most of those injured were women and children. https://t.co/cHqxc4P3Sh

— جمعیت هلال‌احمر ایران (@Iranian_RCS) September 2, 2026

The city of Kuhestak, located in southern Iran’s Sirik County in Hormozgan province, close to the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of multiple overnight attacks by the United States military, with local sources and authorities saying a wedding ceremony was struck.

The Hormozgan governor’s office on Wednesday identified four victims as four-year-old Amir Ali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Malahi, 43-year-old Kolsoum Malahi and 43-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri. More than 60 others were wounded, some seriously.

Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said they were aware of reports of civilian casualties “originated from Iranian state media”.

“The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” he said, in reference to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

But while the operational details behind the strikes remain unclear, numerous videos and images from the area, witness accounts and official reports indicate that multiple projectiles hit Kuhestak, some to deadly effect.

Footage showed that several projectiles struck a telecommunications tower located near the city’s shoreline and destroyed it, with some locals saying they believed drones were among the weapons used. Based on fragments found in Kuhestak, defence experts say it might be a variant of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER, which manufacturer Boeing describes as an advanced precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile with “surgical strike capability”.

Wednesday morning’s footage, taken from some distance from the telecom tower, shows at least one direct hit to the roof of the building where the wedding was taking place.

More videos, released by locals and state media, showed partial destruction and debris inside the building, and electricity going out in the area. Women’s and children’s slippers could be seen scattered around. Several other adjacent residential buildings also sustained damage.

A state television reporter said three US missiles were used in the attack, with one penetrating through the roof and creating a 1.5-metre (5-foot) hole in the ground.

A man identified as Ali Malahi, the owner of the targeted building where his daughter’s wedding was taking place, told state television that people inside were all civilians.

State TV footage from a hospital in the area showed several wounded children and their families receiving medical care.

A young local man wounded in the attack said he and others were heading towards the house when they heard jets flying above, and the bombs caused massive explosions while they were arriving.

“Many young children and women were horribly wounded,” he said from the hospital bed.

A woman with bloodied hands said in a video released by state-linked SNN that she was there at the scene and could confirm that people present at the scene were civilians.

“This house was by no means close to any military site,” she said, adding that it appeared the munitions were directly targeting the building.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the incident was thoroughly documented, as it released several images from the site of the attack and the children who were injured.

It wrote to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, seeking legal action against the perpetrators of the “grave” attack.

Geolocation of a building in a residential area in Kuhestak, Iran, said to have been struck by the US while it was hosting a wedding. The building is 430 feet from a comms tower, which was also struck.

Building: 26.80297, 57.02492
Tower: 26.80231, 57.02377
cc: @GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/QLzMGczb7W

— Thomas Bordeaux (@ThomasBordeaux7) September 1, 2026

Other prominent attacks on civilians

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the strikes in Kuhestak complete the “catalogue of atrocities against the nation of Iran” by the US.

“This cruelty cannot be separated from the chain of atrocities that preceded it in Minab, Lamerd, Qeshm and elsewhere nor from the strikes on military targets that were dressed in deceptive justifications,” spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X.

“More dangerous than the bomb itself is the normalisation of bombing; and more dangerous than silence is the conversion of silence into legitimacy,” he said.

In Minab, also located in Hormozgan province, the deadliest strike of the war in terms of civilian casualties largely destroyed an elementary school packed with children on the first day of the war on February 28. The attack killed about 156 people, mostly schoolchildren, as well as teachers, parents and others.

Despite evidence that its Tomahawk missiles were used in the attack, the US military has refused to release findings from its investigation. CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper claimed the school was located “on an active IRGC cruise missile base”.

In the southern Fars province’s city of Lamerd, evidence and witness accounts pointed to a missile strike on a sports hall being used by a women’s volleyball team on the first day of the war, killing 21 people, including four children.

While CENTCOM denied responsibility and accused Iran, investigations by The New York Times, BBC and independent analysts concluded that a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was responsible for the destruction.

The munition was designed to explode midair, scattering thousands of tungsten pellets that could claim casualties and deal damage to buildings and vehicles in a large area.

During over six months of war on Iran, the US and Israel have also struck critical infrastructure like oil and gas facilities, fuel depots, steel and petrochemical factories, airports, ports and bridges, as well as power installations, medical centres and water facilities.

More than 3,500 Iranians have been killed since the start of the war, including more than 50 during the 60-day truce amid renewed fighting in July, according to authorities.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article What do we know about the fatal US bombing of a wedding in Iran’s Sirik?.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman – a US ally – if it « gets in the way » of his administration’s own talks with Iran, Fox News reports.

The US and Oman have been negotiating separately with Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is vital to the global economy. It has been largely closed for nearly six months during the US-Iran war.

A reporter for Fox said the US president made the threat to Oman while using an expletive during a phone interview.

Earlier in the day, Iranian officials said they were close to finalising a deal with Oman. Meanwhile, the future of talks between the US and Iran is unclear as a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two sides is expiring.

Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Tehran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz – through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. Reopening it has been a key point of discussion.

Oman borders the southern side of the Strait and says it is a neutral country in this conflict. However it has suffered a number of strikes from Iran and is now playing a key role in negotiating with Tehran to reopen the waterway.

Washington has pursued its own efforts to secure the reopening. Fox reporter Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying: « If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them. »

During the same interview with Fox, Trump also said the US had a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is a major military, economic and political force in Iran.

An IRGC spokesman denied Trump’s claim.

A spokesman told semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim News: « There are no talks taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans, and this lie by Trump is merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares he has suffered as a result of defeat and desperation in the war. »

Trump made his threat to Oman a few hours after Iran had said the two countries had reached an agreement for ships to travel through the Strait.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters « an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route ».

He added that both sides would finalise the details before issuing a joint statement. Oman has previously described these talks as positive.

Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a full reopening was dependant on Iran receiving compensation from the US for what Tehran described as violations of the MoU.

Reuters – citing an Iranian official – previously reported that Tehran was seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the price of cargoes from vessels who travel through the Strait.

While Trump said in his call with Fox that he had a direct backchannel with the IRGC, he said he was in no hurry to bring the war to a close.

« They’re good poker players, but they’re dying, » he was quoted as saying. « I have no time schedule. I’m not in a hurry. »

The Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran, signed on 18 June, was designed to bring about a ceasefire and at least partly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But it fell apart a short time later when both sides resumed strikes.

On 8 July, Trump said the ceasefire was « over » and blasted Iran’s leadership as « scum » and « cuckoo » after fresh exchanges of fire.

As the MoU neared its formal expiry on Monday, Trump posted on his Truth Social network: « The number one goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a nuclear weapon. »

World Opinion + BBC News

L’article Analysis. Trump threatens to bomb US ally Oman if it ‘gets in the way’ over Iran deal est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

Iran confirms it has reached a deal with the US to end fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump announces an end to Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports and says the Strait of Hormuz will reopen on Friday when the agreement is signed in Switzerland.

Trump slams Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for nearly derailing the deal and says the Israeli leader “should be very thankful” for the US diplomatic efforts.

World leaders welcome the agreement as oil prices drop and markets rally in Asia.

Israeli defence chief vows to occupy southern Lebanon despite deal

⁠Israel will not withdraw ⁠from territory it ⁠seized in Lebanon and if ‌Iran attacks it over events in Lebanon Israel ⁠will retaliate, says Israel’s ⁠Defence Minister Israel Katz. ⁠

Lebanon was drawn into the conflict when fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2. An April ceasefire in Lebanon was never observed, and the fighting has continued despite a new conditional truce deal announced last week after Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir says ‘Trump’s agreement does not bind us’

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says Israel is not a “subordinate of the United States”.

“We are an independent and sovereign nation,” he said on X, adding: “We are not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way.”

“We must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah, we must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have captured and cleared of terror infrastructure, we must not return to a situation where thousands of terrorists sit on the fences of northern settlements, and certainly we must not remain silent for a moment in the face of fire directed at the State of Israel,” the minister added.

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Analysis. Tehran says ‘peace deal’ ends US blockade, war on all fronts est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.

A total of 3,666 people have been killed and 11,321 have been injured since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports, citing figures from the country’s Ministry of Public Health.

This latest figure, which covers the period from 2 March to 9 June, rose from 3,637 deaths and 11,188 injuries reported by the health ministry on Monday.

Israeli forces kill nine people in Tyre city after issuing forced displacement orders, as it continues deadly attacks on southern Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump says he’s in the “final throes” of a deal with Iran after a dangerous escalation with Israel and suggests an agreement will be done in days.

Iran warns fighting will resume if Israel continues its “aggression”, including bombing Lebanon.

US Vice President JD Vance says any deal with Iran would be good for people in the US, whether Israel likes it or not.

China calls for ‘concrete actions to cool down situation’ in Middle East

Beijing has urged all sides to avoid escalating the US-Israel war on Iran stressing military action cannot resolve disputes among nations.

“The three-month-long US-Israel-Iran conflict has hit countries in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region hard,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian in a statement.

“At this critical juncture of Iran-US negotiations, no one should reignite military conflict. Regional countries’ sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected and upheld.”

The three-month-long U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict has hit countries in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region hard. Facts have proven that military means provide no solution, and arbitrary use of force will only complicate the issue.

At this critical juncture of Iran-U.S.… pic.twitter.com/UV210yrrc8

— Lin Jian 林剑 (@SpoxCHN_LinJian) June 9, 2026

Iran ‘unwilling to let go of’ Hezbollah security role in Lebanon

Ronnie Chatah, host of the Beirut Banyan podcast, says continued Iranian influence over Lebanon through its ally Hezbollah – a relationship Iran appears unwilling to relinquish – remains a major obstacle to stability in Lebanon.

“Lebanon cannot function, Lebanon cannot be governable so long as this security arrangement exists,” Chatah told Al Jazeera. “Lebanon is a battlefield for the Iranian regime.”

He argued that Hezbollah’s popularity “has diminished significantly” during Israel’s attacks on the country.

“The Lebanese government has made gestures towards sovereignty, it has delegitimised Hezbollah’s weapons, it deems all IRGC activity in this country illegal. Yet until now, Iran is unwilling to let go of this country,” said Chatah.

“I think the Iranian regime can negotiate on everything else – it can negotiate on the Strait of Hormuz, it can negotiate on nuclear technology, but up until now it is refusing to negotiate on Hezbollah.”

World Opinion + Agencies

L’article Analysis . Israel pounds Lebanon; Trump says deal may come within days.. Video est apparu en premier sur World Opinion | Alternative Média.