Links to EIGHT reports: from the Cradle, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, and National Public Radio; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for GAZA, LEBANON and WEST BANK, and for IRAN 5-14-26.) — MCM

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Iranian FM says ‘no trust’ in talks with US, declares Hormuz open to all nations ‘except those waging war’ on Tehran. From the Cradle. Today Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to vessels except those “at war” with Tehran, and stressed that Iran has “no trust” in the U.S. regarding negotiations. READ MORE . . .

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UAE pours billions to fast-track new oil pipeline in bid to bypass Hormuz. From the Cradle. ABU DHABI — Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates has ordered the state-owned ADNOC to fast-track the West–East Pipeline project, with the project expected to begin operating in 2027. READ MORE . . .

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Saudi Arabia ‘raises possibility’ of non-aggression pact with Iran to quell regional tensions: report. From the Cradle. Saudi Arabia has “floated” the possibility of reaching a “non-aggression pact” between Iran and neighboring states modeled on the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which eased tensions during the Cold War in Europe, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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BRICS talks end without joint statement, exposing divisions over war in Iran. From Reuters. NEW DELHI — Top diplomats from BRICS nations, including rivals Iran and the United Arab Emirates, failed to issue a joint statement today after a two-day meeting in Delhi, leaving host India to release only a chair’s statement that exposed their differences. READ MORE . . .

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Trump says U.S. and China are aligned on Iran, Tehran must make a deal soon, by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jana Choukeir | Reuters  ABOARD AIR FORCE / DUBAI ― U.S. President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out and that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed during their talks in Beijing that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM MAY 14  Dozens of China-linked vessels cross Hormuz under Iranian supervision. From the Cradle. Several Chinese-linked vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz under Iran’s newly established “management protocol” over the past day, Fars News Agency reported on Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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Is the U.S. running out of weapons in the Iran war? Reported by Lauren Hodges, Ailsa Chang and Tinbete Ermvas | NPR  Ailsa Chang speaks with former CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr about the status of America’s weapons stockpile amid the war with Iran. Click HERE to listen and read.

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A link to a report from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up for IRAN and WEST BANK, and down for GAZA 5-14-26.) — MCM

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Mainstream U.S. media complicit in selling Gaza genocide, sweeping new analysis finds. From Middle East Monitor U.S. media is systematically biased in favour of Israel, an analysis by the Intercept has uncovered. Investigation of more than 12,000 articles and 5,000 TV segments found mainstream U.S. coverage was “one-sided, racist and dehumanising,” helping Israel justify its genocide in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, GAZA and WEST BANK, and down for LEBANON 5-14-26.) — MCM

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War worsens Lebanon’s economic crisis, with job losses, price gouging and slow business, by Malak Harb and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have sent economic shock waves across the Mideast. In Lebanon, those woes have been compounded by the country’s existing economic problems and by largely unregulated markets that are vulnerable to price gouging. Click HERE for report including video and photos.

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Israel confirms 19th soldier killed by Hezbollah as FPV drone attacks intensify. From the Cradle. The Israeli army released a statement today announcing the killing of a new soldier by the Lebanese resistance, bringing the number of troops killed by Hezbollah to 19 since the start of the war and ground invasion in south Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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For now, links to reports from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, GAZA and LEBANON, and down for WEST  BANK 5-13-26.) — MCM

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How the West Bank is being ethnically cleansed, by Peter Osborne | Middle East Eye  Armed, funded and openly endorsed by Israel’s far-right government, settlers are terrorising Palestinians with impunity. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 14  Israel begins illegal settlement construction atop historic Hebron municipality building in West Bank. From Middle East Monitor. Israel began illegal settlement construction works atop the historic Hebron municipality building in the southern West Bank, municipal authorities said Thursday, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Links to TEN reports, commentaries and analyses: from the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Middle East Monitor, Indian Punchline, and Declassified Australia (the last via Consortium News) others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for UKRAINE, LEBANON and GAZA, and for IRAN 5-13-26.) — MCM

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Ship reported seized off UAE coast heads to Iranian waters, by Adam Schreck and  Melanie Lidman | AP  DUBAI — A ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran and another was attacked and sank, authorities said today, in a renewed escalation on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . .

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Iranian FM blasts UAE at BRICS summit over ‘direct involvement’ in U.S.-Israeli war. From the Cradle. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the UAE of being an “active partner” in the U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic during a BRICS meeting in New Delhi. READ MORE . . .

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Iran urges BRICS nations to condemn war, Indian-flagged vessel sunk. From Reuters. NEW DELHI — Iran’s foreign minister urged BRICS nations today to condemn what he called violations of international law by the United States and Israel, as diplomats from emerging economies met for talks in Delhi in the shadow of war in the Middle East. READ MORE . . .

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Iran implements new system to collect fees from ships in Strait of Hormuz. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  Iran has set up a new agency to collect tolls from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.  Click HERE for May 13 report from Middle East Monitor.

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Israeli premier made secret trip to UAE to meet President bin Zayed. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed Wednesday that he made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates to sit down with that country’s leader amid the war against Iran, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 13  In Hormuz deadlock, U.S. and Iran refuse to back down. Reported by Tom Bowman and Aya Batrawy | NPR  The U.S. and Iran remain deadlocked in the Strait of Hormuz, with no clear way forward. Click HERE to listen and read.

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India’s quasi-alliance with Israel and UAE won’t have happy ending, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  When U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee disclosed on Monday that Israel secretly deployed Iron Dome missile-defence batteries and highly trained special forces to operate it to the United Arab Emirates in order to shield the Persian Gulf monarchy during the war against Iran, one could tell with fair certainty that it was . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM MAY 11  Unasked questions about the war on Iran, by Alison Broinowski | Declassified Australia / Consortium News  Most of the Western media refuse to join the dots and explain Israel’s decades-long obsession with defanging Tehran. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, and to an interview from the Glenn Diesen Show via ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, LEBANON and GAZA, and down for UKRAINE 5-13-26.) — MCM

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FROM MAY 12  A new European military bloc for war against Russia. Glenn Diesen of the Glen Diesen Show talks with economist and diplomat Jeffrey Sachs of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University about the history of European-Russian relations — especially since 1990 — and what seems to be in store. Click HERE for video and partial print outline by Joshua Scheer of SheerPost.

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Links to reports from the Associated Press, the Cradle, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, UKRAINE and GAZA, and down for LEBANON 5-13-26.) — MCM

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Israeli officials say Hezbollah drone wounds 3 civilians. From AP. JERUSALEM — A Hezbollah drone exploded inside Israel today, injuring three civilians, two of them severely, according to the Israeli military and hospitals. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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Israel and Lebanon meet in D.C. again for peace talks. Reported by Jane Arraf | NPR  Representatives for Israel and Lebanon meet in Washington, D.C., for a second time to end the war, as their ceasefire frays. Click HERE to listen and, later, read. 

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A link to a report from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s IRAN, UKRAINE and LEBANON, and for GAZA 5-13-26.) — MCM

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Israel’s Oct. 7 narrative under fresh scrutiny after army accused of deleting footage. From Middle East Monitor. The Israeli army secretly seized and deleted parts of the Oct. 7 security camera footage, according to a report published by Israel Hayom on May 13, in the latest revelation to deepen suspicion over the official Israeli account of the events of that day. READ MORE . . .

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A link to an interview from Middle East Monitor; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for LEBANON, WEST BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT, and for GAZA 5-11-26.) — MCM

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Israeli genocide and Palestinian statehood. Jasim Al-Azzawi of Al-Jazeera and Middle East Monitor talks with journalist Gideon Levi of Hararetz about aspects of some of Israel’s current wars. Click HERE for video.

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and the Cradle; click on their names or initials for others. (Scroll up or down for GAZA, WEST  BANK, IRAN, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT, and down for LEBANON 5-11-26.) — MCM

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Israeli drone strikes hit highway south of Beirut, killing 8 including 2 children. From AP. BEIRUT — Israeli drones struck three vehicles on the main highway south of Beirut today, killing eight people, including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Click HERE for report including photos. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.