At 8:24 a.m. – A South Korean oil tanker has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a passage facilitated by Tehran, Seoul announced, while traffic in this strategic passageway is still almost paralyzed.
“Now, even our oil tanker is exiting the Strait of Hormuz, in coordination with Iran,” said South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Huyn to Parliament, without providing further details. South Korea heavily relies on the Middle East for its oil supplies.
At 7:14 a.m. – Chinese President Xi Jinping stated during a meeting with Vladimir Putin that a resumption of hostilities in the Middle East would be “inopportune,” as Donald Trump had threatened the day before to resume strikes on Iran.
“The situation in the Gulf region is at a pivotal moment between war and peace. It is urgent to achieve a complete cessation of war. A resumption of hostilities would be inopportune, and continuing negotiations is more essential than ever,” said Xi Jinping, as reported by the official news agency China News.
At 6:45 a.m. – The 430 members of the Gaza Flotilla intercepted on Monday off Cyprus by the Israeli navy are en route to Israel, announced the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “All 430 activists have been transferred aboard Israeli ships and are heading to Israel, where they can meet their consular representatives,” said a ministry spokesperson.
Recap of the news at 6 a.m.: – At least ten people, including three women and three children, were killed by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the health ministry announced, as a ceasefire is in effect in the war between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement and Israel. – Hezbollah reported clashes between its fighters and Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
