Hazel Oliva

A specialist in Iranian geopolitics has refuted comments made by US President Donald Trump claiming that Tehran’s administration is “severely divided.”

Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University Qatar, characterized the President’s social media post as a “significant misunderstanding of the Iranian leadership’s stance and situation.”

Despite the lack of a confirmed mention of the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei after the assassination of his father and former leader Ali Khamenei, Kamrava feels the leadership continues to be tightly connected.

“I believe we have witnessed significant unity among the leadership.” The current supreme leader is not as dominant as his predecessor, his father, yet the leadership has remained fairly united,” he shared with Xenix News Becky Anderson.

President Trump referred to the Iranian government as “seriously fractured” in a Truth Social post following the White House’s submission of a list of points they sought agreement on from the Iranians, yet received no reply.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday that a second French soldier, part of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), has died due to an attack by Hezbollah fighters last week.

The injured soldier, Corporal Anicet Girardin, was brought back to France on Tuesday and succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

“He sacrificed himself for France,” Macron remarked, stating that the country “honors the remarkable dedication of our military in UNIFIL, who are serving with bravery and resolve for France and peace in Lebanon.”

The French government reported that another soldier, Warrant Officer Florian Montorio, was also killed in the same attack on Saturday.

Hezbollah has rejected the claims. In a statement, it urged “care in attributing blame and accountability regarding the incident while awaiting the Lebanese army’s inquiry to thoroughly establish the details.”

UNIFIL stated earlier that its patrol was removing explosive ordnance on a road in the village of Ghanduriyah in southern Lebanon when it “was fired upon with small arms by non-state actors.”

The assault occurs during a 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon, declared by US President Donald Trump last Thursday, following the first direct discussions between Israel and Lebanon in decades that took place in Washington, DC earlier that week.

Xenix News reports that Ivana Kottasová, Ibrahim Dahman, Eugenia Yosef, and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this article.

A United Airlines aircraft taxis at San Francisco International Airport in California on January 20. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The war in Iran is causing jet fuel prices to soar, yet travelers have shown their determination. Customers are ready to spend more on flights – consequently, airlines are transferring more expenses to them.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated Wednesday that robust booking demand this summer has enabled the airline to increase fares by 15% to 20% during the peak travel period.

In remarks made to CNBC on Wednesday, he attributed part of the rise to the doubling of jet fuel prices since before the conflict in Iran. Fuel ranks as the second highest expense for airlines, just after labor.

Despite increased expenses, United reported greater profit last quarter compared to the same period last year.

Kirby stated that in the first quarter, United managed to recover 40% to 50% of the rising fuel expenses. He anticipates that he can increase fares sufficiently to cover all those expenses later this year due to robust demand for its tickets.

“Eventually, that will lead to lower demand,” he stated. “We honestly haven’t observed it in our reservations thus far.” “Reservations are extremely robust.”

A cargo ship associated with Greece was assaulted close to the Strait of Hormuz, although it is still uncertain if Iran has taken control of it, according to Greece’s foreign minister.

In a conversation with Xenix News Becky Anderson on Connect the World earlier today, Giorgos Gerapetritis stated: “I can verify that there was an attack on the Greek cargo ship, but I cannot verify that it has been captured by the Iranians.”

He referred to the circumstances as “rather troubling” and advised all Greek-operated ships to refrain from transiting the crucial waterway.

“It was a ship owned by Greeks and flagged in Liberia, attempting to navigate out of the Strait of Hormuz,” Gerapetritis mentioned. “We have issued a general notice to all vessels under Greek ownership to remain vigilant, practice utmost self-control, and refrain from traversing the strait.”

According to Iranian media, the ship was among three aimed at by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC reported that two additional individuals were captured and brought into Iranian waters.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun participates in a press conference at Baabda, Lebanon, on February 16. Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

Lebanese negotiators are aiming to extend a delicate ceasefire with Israel for at least an additional month as part of efforts to resolve the conflict with Hezbollah, as per a political source familiar with the situation.

“Lebanon will seek to extend the ceasefire by one month or longer,” the source informed Xenix News on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the White House will hold a second round of discussions with the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US, Nada Hamadeh and Yechiel Leiter, respectively.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun urged for “a total cessation of the Israeli assaults.” Aoun posted on X that negotiators are concentrating on “securing the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese lands” and “initiating reconstruction” in Lebanon.

Aoun expressed gratitude to his US counterpart, President Donald Trump, for “an opportunity that should not be squandered.” On Friday, Trump stated he had “banned” Israel from initiating new attacks, cautioning “Enough is enough!!!” in a social media message.

The Israeli operation in Lebanon followed Hezbollah, an Iran-supported group, firing missiles into Israel, resulting in at least 2,294 fatalities, according to Lebanese health authorities.

In the south, the Israeli military has taken control of a strip of border villages and instructed residents “not to cross and go back to” their homes below the Litani River, which divides Lebanon.

UN experts have criticized Israel’s actions, stating “the intentional demolition of homes serves as a weapon of war and a type of collective punishment.”

Ship tracking data indicates that two vessels allegedly captured by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday are currently stationary near the Iranian coast.

The Iranian semi-official outlet Tasnim identified the two ships as MSC Francesca and Epaminodas, which the IRGC has alleged are “operating without proper permission, consistently breaching regulations, and tampering with navigation systems.” MSC refers to Mediterranean Shipping Company, the largest container shipping company globally.

Xenix News has contacted MSC for a response regarding Iran’s assertions.

Information from MarineTraffic, a provider of maritime intelligence, indicates that both ships are located in the same area of the crucial waterway. Epaminodas, a container ship registered in Liberia, was sailing toward India, while MSC Francesca, a container ship registered in Panama, was traveling to Sri Lanka, as reported by MarineTraffic.

Iranian media reported that a third ship, identified as Euphoria, was struck by the IRGC and is “currently immobilized off the coast of Iran.” Current tracking data indicates that Euphoria is heading towards the UAE coastline.

Xenix News cannot confirm the journeys on its own since shipping data may occasionally display irregularities due to signal loss and spoofing, which involves sending false signals to deceive tracking systems.

Reporting by Nadeen Ebrahim of Xenix News 

President Donald Trump intends to provide the Iranians with a specific deadline to present a cohesive proposal aimed at resuming diplomatic negotiations, according to two sources knowledgeable about the internal talks relayed to Xenix News.

It wasn’t obvious right away whether Trump’s message reached the Iranians.

The administration does not aim to prolong the ceasefire indefinitely, the sources indicated, and does not wish to allow Iran additional time to prolong discussions.

The sources indicated that the president was cautious about prolonging the initial ceasefire past the Wednesday cutoff. He seeks to finalize a deal quickly and hoped that the urgency of a deadline would compel the Iranians to negotiate before the ceasefire ended.

Nonetheless, Trump’s senior advisors think there are divisions within the Iranian leadership, and that the Iranians lack agreement on their stance to authorize negotiators to complete a deal, Xenix News reported earlier.

Trump’s choice to allow Tehran additional time to offer a “unified proposal,” as he described it, indicates the administration’s aim to resolve the conflict through diplomacy and its hesitation to restart military actions, the sources noted.

Meanwhile, the president thinks that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will maintain pressure on the Iranians as negotiations unfold. However, Trump’s team also recognizes that the longer the blockade continues, the greater the harm to the global economy, the sources noted.

The Israeli military claimed it shot down a Hezbollah drone as the delicate ceasefire with Lebanon faced additional strain one day prior to the second round of direct discussions between the nations.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the “hostile aircraft” was approaching Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. It was captured prior to entering Israeli land. The IDF stated they regarded the incident as a “clear breach of the ceasefire.”

Hezbollah claimed the target was a new artillery site in the town of Bayyada, located in territory held by Israeli forces, and accused Israel of continually breaching the temporary ceasefire agreement.

“Authorization [to engage in battle] has been granted to those who are battling,” Hezbollah stated in a declaration on Wednesday. For the second day in a row, Hezbollah has fired projectiles at Israeli forces. On Tuesday, the IDF reported that Hezbollah had fired both drones and rockets.

Israeli troops have shot at people who come near soldiers positioned along what they refer to as their “forward defense line” in southern Lebanon. The exact number of casualties remains uncertain, but the IDF indicates numerous incidents occur each day.

The recent drone strike occurs one day prior to the second round of face-to-face discussions between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats in the US. President Donald Trump is advocating for a wider ceasefire agreement and possibly a peace accord between the two countries that have lacked diplomatic ties for many years.

Germany’s Lufthansa Group is axing 20,000 short-haul flights until October as it grapples with rising jet fuel prices and potential shortages in Europe stemming from the conflict with Iran.

The company announced yesterday that the initial 120 daily flights were canceled on Monday, lasting until the end of May. The coalition – which, besides Lufthansa Airlines, consists of SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and other airlines – mentioned that the canceled flights are expected to save around 40,000 metric tons of fuel.

Airlines worldwide are cutting back on their flight schedules that were once profitable due to lower fuel prices but are now losing money since the average price of jet fuel has about doubled since the war began.

Europe, reliant on imports for about 70% of its jet fuel, may encounter shortages and potential rationing in the upcoming weeks. Prior to the war closing the Strait of Hormuz, the majority of imports originated from the Middle East.

The internet shutdown in Iran has now reached its 54th day, as reported by the internet monitoring organization NetBlocks.

NetBlocks stated in a post on X earlier today that “the current measure is fundamentally unequal and persistently hides human rights abuses occurring on the ground.”

Since the US and Israel initially targeted Iran on February 28, the Iranian government has nearly entirely restricted the nation’s internet access.

Prior to that, a distinct internet shutdown occurred during weeks of anti-government demonstrations in the nation at the beginning of this year.

Earlier this month, NetBlocks described the ongoing blackout as the “longest nationwide internet shutdown ever recorded in any country.”

Elias Hazrati, the leader of Iran’s Government Information Council, stated yesterday that internet access will be reinstated only once the war concludes, as reported by the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).