The ongoing war in the Middle East is entering an increasingly\ncomplex phase, marked by a combination of military actions, diplomatic\npressures, and economic manoeuvres from various involved parties.<\/p>\n
The United States, Iran, and Israel continue to act with several\nlatest developments that show both escalation and efforts to ease\ntensions.<\/p>\n
Amid this situation, strategic decisions continue to be made, from\narms sales to troop withdrawals and the imposition of new sanctions. In\naddition, the impact of the conflict is beginning to spread to the\nglobal economy, including oil prices and the distribution of\nhumanitarian aid.<\/p>\n
Here is a series of the latest developments in the war in the Middle\nEast as reported by AFP on Sunday (3\/5\/2026).<\/p>\n
US Approves Arms Sales to Qatar and Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n The United States has stated that it has approved the sale of Patriot\nmissiles worth US$4 billion to its Gulf ally, Qatar, as well as the sale\nof precision weaponry systems to Israel worth nearly US$1 billion.<\/p>\n Both sales are deemed to support the goals of \u201cUS foreign policy and\nnational security\u201d, according to the State Department in a series of\nnotifications to Congress, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle\nEast.<\/p>\n US Withdraws Troops from Germany<\/strong><\/p>\n The Pentagon stated that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has\nordered the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany over the next\nyear.<\/p>\n This announcement comes after President Donald Trump this week\nthreatened to withdraw troops from the NATO ally amid a dispute with its\nchancellor, Friedrich Merz, regarding the US-Israel war against\nIran.<\/p>\n Trump Says Hostilities in Iran Have \u201cEnded\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump told senior US lawmakers that hostilities in Iran have ended,\nafter facing pressure from Congress to seek authorisation for the\nconflict entering its third month.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has been no exchange of fire between US forces and Iran since\n7 April 2026. The hostilities that began on 28 February 2026 have\nended,\u201d he wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Acting\nSenate President Chuck Grassley.<\/p>\n Lebanon Says 13 Killed in Israeli Strikes<\/strong><\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry stated that 13 people were killed on Friday\ndue to Israeli strikes in the south of the country, including in a town\nthat had previously received an evacuation order from the Israeli\nmilitary despite a ceasefire.<\/p>\n The strike in Habboush, a location that received an evacuation\nwarning, killed eight people and injured 21 others. Another strike in\nZrariyeh killed four people and injured four others, according to the\nministry.<\/p>\n The ministry also reported a strike in Ain Baal, near the coastal\ncity of Tyre, which killed one person and injured seven others.<\/p>\n 14 Iranian Soldiers Killed in Bomb Disposal\nOperation<\/strong><\/p>\n As many as 14 soldiers were killed on Friday while carrying out a\nbomb disposal operation for unexploded ordnance in Zanjan province,\nnorthwest Iran, according to local media reports.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces\nfell and two others were injured,\u201d reported Fars News Agency, quoting\nthe Revolutionary Guard.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Leader Calls for \u201cEconomic War\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, urged his people\nto wage an economic war and \u201cdisappoint\u201d the country\u2019s enemies, as the\nimpact of the war with the US and Israel and years of sanctions takes\nhold.<\/p>\n In a written statement, Khamenei also called for \u201cprioritising the\nconsumption of domestically produced goods\u201d, and said that \u201cbusiness\nowners affected should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and\nseparation of their workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump \u201cDissatisfied\u201d with Iran\u2019s Proposal<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump said he is dissatisfied with Iran\u2019s latest proposal for peace\ntalks, which according to Iran\u2019s state news agency IRNA was conveyed\nthrough Pakistani mediators.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, I\u2019m not satisfied with what they\u2019re offering,\u201d he told\nreporters. \u201cThey\u2019re asking for things I can\u2019t agree to.\u201d<\/p>\n Details of the proposal have not been published.<\/p>\n New US Sanctions<\/strong><\/p>\n The US Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions on three Iranian\nforeign exchange companies in an effort to stem the flow of Tehran\u2019s\n\u201cfinancial lifelines\u201d.<\/p>\n US Aircraft Carrier Leaves the Gulf<\/strong><\/p>\n The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has left the Middle East\nafter participating in operations against Iran, said a US official.<\/p>\n Two other aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W.\nBush, are among the 20 US ships still in the region.<\/p>\n Aid for Affected Refugees<\/strong><\/p>\n The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, stated that the war has caused a surge\nin shipping costs for aid to refugees in the Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n Costs have increased by nearly 18% because shipments must be rerouted\ndue to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and port congestion, leading\nto delays in aid distribution.<\/p>\n Iran Open to Dialogue with US<\/strong><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said Tehran is\nopen to talks with the United States but will not accept what he called\nthe \u201cimposition\u201d of policies under threat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Islamic Republic has never shied away from negotiations\u2026 but we\ncertainly do not accept imposition,\u201d Ejei said in a video broadcast by\nthe judiciary\u2019s Mizan Online website.<\/p>",
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