Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Analysis-Isolated and under fire: Iran strikes out as Russia and China stand aside

With its supreme leader killed and its war machine under relentless U.S. pressure, Iran now stands largely alone - its longtime partners Russia and China offering nothing more than diplomatic condemnations and expressions of concern. Tehran has responded to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by widening the conflict beyond the Middle East, firing missiles and drones with ​an impact that is reverberating through global energy markets, rattling capitals from Washington to Beijing, and paralyzing the shipping that carries 20% of the world's oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel to attack Iran's underground missile sites in second phase of war, sources say

Israel's war in Iran ​is entering a second phase that will see its fighter jets attacking ballistic missile sites buried deep underground, two sources familiar with Israel's military campaign said. The joint air assault with the U.S. ‌in Iran is nearing the ​end of its first week after opening salvos killed the country's leaders and set off a regional war with Iranian attacks in Israel, the Gulf and Iraq, and Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

Germany says it has no plans to send extra forces to Middle East

Germany said on Thursday it had no plans to send additional military support to the Middle East, after European allies announced plans to move forces to the eastern Mediterranean following a drone strike at a British air base in Cyprus. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament on Thursday that Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands would send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days.

Iceland to propose holding EU referendum during autumn, broadcaster RUV reports

Iceland's government will propose to its parliament to hold a referendum during the autumn on whether to resume European Union accession talks abandoned more than a decade ago, public broadcaster RUV reported on Thursday, citing sources. RUV reported on its website that the ‌government would submit the bill to parliament next week and that the vote, according to sources, looked most likely to take place late September.

Trump: want to finish Iran then Cuba 'question of time'

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants to finish the war in Iran first, but then it "will be just a question of time before you and a lot of unbelievable people are going to be going back to Cuba." Trump, speaking at an event with the Inter Miami soccer team at the White House, said Cuba wants "to make a deal so badly."

US, others express concern over violations of ceasefires in eastern Congo

The United States, European Union and others said in a joint statement on Thursday they were profoundly concerned about "continued and recent" violations of ceasefires in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and called on all parties to recommit to end fighting and return to negotiations.

Analysis-Brazil rocked by probe of central bankers aiding failed Banco Master

Evidence that two senior regulators at Brazil's central bank secretly advised embattled banker Daniel Vorcaro has sent shockwaves through the capital Brasilia, threatening to drag the institution deeper into a snowballing scandal. The revelations add to a widening blast radius surrounding Vorcaro, owner of the liquidated Banco Master, whose downfall has exposed a network of influence and conflicts of interest shaking trust in some of Brazil's most powerful institutions.

Czech parliament ‌votes to shield PM Babis from trial on EU subsidy fraud charges

The lower house of the Czech parliament voted on Thursday to deny a court request for billionaire businessman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis to face trial in long-running prosecution over an alleged fraud in drawing a European Union subsidy. Babis, head of the populist ANO party, returned to power after winning an election in October last year, despite charges in the case involving a 2 million euro subsidy granted in 2008, before he entered politics, for building a hotel and conference centre outside Prague called Stork Nest.

US House rejects war powers resolution, ‌backs Trump on Iran war

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected an effort on Thursday to stop President Donald Trump's air war on Iran and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorized by Congress, backing the Republican president's military campaign on the sixth day of the expanding conflict. The vote was 219 to 212, largely along party lines, in the House, where Trump's fellow Republicans control a narrow majority of seats. Two Republicans voted in favor of the resolution and four Democrats voted against it.

Israel warns people to leave Beirut's southern suburbs

Israel warned residents to leave Beirut's southern suburbs, including Hezbollah-controlled areas, on Thursday, prompting an exodus from a swathe of the capital known as Dahiyeh which a far-right Israeli minister said would soon resemble parts of Gaza. Suggesting a major escalation looms in Israel's offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, an Israeli military spokesperson told residents of the southern suburbs to move east and north, posting a map showing four large districts of the capital he said they must leave.

Oilfield in Iraqi Kurdistan halts production after drone strike, sources say

A drone attack struck an oilfield operated by U.S. firm HKN Energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Thursday, causing a fire and halting production, security sources and an oilfield engineer said. The Sarsang field produces about 30,000 barrels of oil per day and is operated by HKN Energy, which has a 62% stake. HKN is a privately held U.S. oil and gas company owned by Hillwood Energy, part of the Hillwood group founded by Ross Perot Jr.

Exclusive-Trump tells Reuters US must have a role in choosing Iran's next leader

U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Thursday ⁠the United States must be involved in choosing ​the next leader of Iran and said it would be "wonderful" if Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq were to cross into Iran to launch attacks on security forces there. Trump said ⁠in a telephone interview that he thinks the next leader of Iran is unlikely to be the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, who has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed his father, who was killed in a military strike at the start of the war.

Iran calling US about a deal, says Trump

President Donald Trump on Thursday said Tehran was reaching out to the United States about making a deal amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, adding that further action to reduce pressure on oil was imminent. "They're calling, they're saying 'how do we make a deal?' I said you're being a little bit late," said Trump, speaking at an event with the Inter Miami soccer team at the White House.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine will help US to counter Iranian drones

President Volodymyr ⁠Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukraine would provide assistance to the U.S. in response to its request for help in dealing with Iranian drones in the Middle East. Tehran has fired hundreds of drones at U.S. targets in neighboring countries after the U.S. and Israel began a massive campaign of air strikes against Iran on Saturday.

Kosovo's parliament fails to elect president, risking new election

Kosovo's parliament missed the deadline to elect a new president on Thursday, plunging the country into a fresh political crisis that could trigger another snap election. The 120-seat assembly had until midnight to vote for a head of state, but Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling party, Vetevendosje, was unable to bring opposition lawmakers on board and vote for its candidate.

Syria opens ​Mediterranean-Aleppo air corridor that could help ease regional snarl

Syria has opened a newly reactivated air corridor from the northern city of Aleppo toward the Mediterranean Sea for use by foreign airlines as well as its national carrier, the head of the country’s Civil Aviation Authority told Reuters on Thursday, as air traffic gradually resumes through Aleppo International Airport. Civil Aviation Authority director Omar Hosari said the route is intended to provide a safe flight path for aircraft arriving at and departing from Aleppo and will be available to any airline as long as it “meets international safety standards.”

Europol warns ⁠Iran crisis raises threat of terror, extremism and cyberattacks

The Middle East conflict will have "immediate repercussions" for European Union security with an increased threat of terrorism, serious and organised crime as well as violent extremism and cyberattacks, European police body Europol told Spanish news agency EFE on Thursday. Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oorth said he expected to see more cyberattacks against European infrastructure and an increase in online fraud using increasingly sophisticated Artificial Intelligence and exploiting the flurry of information swirling about the conflict online, EFE reported.

EU trade head says US has given assurance it will honor trade deal

European Union Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic said on Thursday he believed the U.S. would respect the terms of the trade deal signed with the EU last year after receiving assurances from his American counterparts. "I believe that the United States will honor ⁠the deal ​because this was the reassurance I got from my American partners," he said.

Trump wants say on Iran's next leader as war intensifies

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the right to join Iran in deciding its next leader as the war escalated on Thursday, with U.S. and Israeli jets hitting areas across the country and Gulf cities coming under renewed bombardment. In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump said Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - a hardliner who has been considered a favorite to succeed his father - was an unlikely choice.

Israel decided to kill Khamenei in November, defence minister says

Israel took the decision to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in November and was planning to carry out the operation around six months later, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday. Khamenei was killed in the first hours of the U.S.-Israeli air campaign that began on Saturday in the first assassination of a country's top ruler by an airstrike.

US suspending operations at embassy in Kuwait

The United States has suspended operations at its embassy in Kuwait City, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday, amid U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

Trump renews Netanyahu pardon call, saying only Iran should be troubling him

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called again on Israel's president to grant Prime ⁠Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon for corruption charges, saying the premier should have nothing on his mind but the war with Iran. Trump, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname, said in an interview with Israel's N12 television news: "President Herzog must give Bibi a pardon today. I don't want there to be anything troubling Bibi other than the war with Iran ... Herzog is a disgrace ... he promised me five times to give Bibi a pardon."

US, Venezuela agree to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations

The United States and interim authorities in Venezuela have agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations, the U.S. State Department said ⁠in a statement on Thursday, adding that it was focused on creating conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government. "This step will facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support ⁠economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela," the State Department said.

More tankers come under attack as US-Iran conflict spreads in the region

More tankers came under attack in Gulf waters on Thursday as the U.S.–Iran war escalated, and Iranian drones entered Azerbaijan, threatening to spread the crisis to more oil producers in the region. A Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker was targeted by an Iranian remote-controlled boat laden with explosives while anchored near Iraq's Khor al Zubair port, according to initial assessments. A second tanker at anchor off Kuwait was taking on water and spilling oil after a large explosion on its port side.

US not expanding military objectives in Iran, Hegseth says

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday the United States was not expanding its military objectives in Iran, after President Donald Trump told Reuters that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran. The Pentagon earlier this week said the military campaign, known as Operation Epic ‌Fury, is focused on destroying Iran's offensive missiles, missile production and Navy, while not allowing Tehran to have a nuclear ‌weapon.

US military says it has sunk over 30 Iranian ships so far

The U.S. military said on Thursday it has sunk over 30 Iranian ships so far during the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, including an Iranian drone ship that is on fire. Ballistic missile attacks by Iran have decreased by 90% since the ​first day of the war, U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. forces in the Middle East as the head of Central Command, told reporters.