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US, German Defense Ministers Meet as Differences Emerge over Tanks for Ukraine

A Marder armored infantry fighting vehicle of the German army Bundeswehr is pictured at Rukla military base, Lithuania April 22, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ratz
A Marder armored infantry fighting vehicle of the German army Bundeswehr is pictured at Rukla military base, Lithuania April 22, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ratz
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US, German Defense Ministers Meet as Differences Emerge over Tanks for Ukraine

A Marder armored infantry fighting vehicle of the German army Bundeswehr is pictured at Rukla military base, Lithuania April 22, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ratz
A Marder armored infantry fighting vehicle of the German army Bundeswehr is pictured at Rukla military base, Lithuania April 22, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ratz

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will press Germany's new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Thursday to allow for the transfer of German-made tanks to Ukraine, US officials said, as the two countries remained at loggerheads over the issue.

Germany will allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to help its defense against Russia if the United States agrees to send its own tanks, a German government source told Reuters.

But US officials publicly and privately insist that Washington has no plans to send US made tanks to Ukraine for now, arguing that they would be too difficult for Kyiv to maintain and would require a huge logistical effort to simply run.

"The secretary (of defense) will be pressing the Germans on this," one senior US defense official said. The US official said supplying Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks made the most sense as a number of countries already had them and were willing to transfer them quickly.

The United States has committed roughly $24 billion to help Ukraine to defend itself against Russian forces.

A second US official said President Joe Biden's administration was set to approve a new aid package to Ukraine, worth more than $2 billion.

The package, which could be announced as early as Friday during a meeting of defense leaders at an airbase in Germany, would likely include Stryker armored vehicles for Kyiv, but not M1 Abrams tanks.

The United States aims to break the dynamic of grinding warfare and near-frozen front lines in Ukraine with newly announced military capabilities that it hopes will breath fresh momentum into Kyiv's battle against Russian forces, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

But Colin Kahl, the Pentagon's top policy adviser, said the Pentagon still wasn't prepared to meet Kyiv's calls for gas-guzzling M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

Some Eastern European officials have publicly called on Germany to allow the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Monday urged Germany to send Ukraine the weaponry it needed to take the fight to invading Russian soldiers, lacing a speech in Berlin with implicit criticisms of Scholz’s government.

Britain has said that it would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks, its main battle tanks, along with additional artillery support to Ukraine, a step officials hope will open the door for Germany to make similar moves.

Some US officials remain hopeful that they can convince Germany to allow the transfer of third party tanks to Ukraine.

"We are very optimistic that we will make progress on this requirement by the end of the week," a second US official said.

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World

Iran Warns Oil Tankers to Use Approved Routes in Strait of Hormuz or Face a 'Forceful Response'

Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
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Iran Warns Oil Tankers to Use Approved Routes in Strait of Hormuz or Face a 'Forceful Response'

Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
Two boys stand in shallow water with foam floats as cargo ships and other vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.

The strait, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations to reach a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both US and Iranian diplomats met with mediators on Wednesday in Qatar, The Associated Press said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran. However, the US military's Central Command had put out a statement about having a meeting with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Iranian statement said.

It also said the continued presence of US fighter jets over the strait “causes insecurity in this waterway and threatens regional security.”

“Any attempt by the United States to interfere in security matters or any disruptive action in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a threat to Iran’s national sovereignty and will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction,” the Iranian warning added.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.

An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions.

World

Iran Warns US against Interference in Strait of Hormuz

Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
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Iran Warns US against Interference in Strait of Hormuz

Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
Cargo vessel anchored in the Strait of Hormuz (AP)

Iran said on Thursday that any US interference in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a "decisive and ‌rapid" ‌response, adding ‌that ⁠the continued presence of US ⁠air assets across the waterway endangered regional security, state media ⁠reported.

Khatam al-Anbiya ‌Central ‌Headquarters, which coordinates Iran's ‌armed forces ‌operations, said all tanker and commercial vessels must follow ‌routes designated by Tehran for ⁠safe ⁠passage through the strait, adding that deviations or failure to comply with navigation protocols would face an immediate response.

World

8 Thai Monks Killed after Boy Drives Truck into Procession

(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
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8 Thai Monks Killed after Boy Drives Truck into Procession

(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)
(FILES) In this photograph taken on January 10, 2024, Buddhist monks stand outside a shop at a market area in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP)

An 11-year-old drove his parents' truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand on Thursday, killing eight monks and injuring 10 others, police said.

The group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in the northeastern Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when the incident occurred.

"The suspect is a child. The vehicle has been taken for forensic examination to determine the cause," Police Major General Pairoj Thaiphutsa, commander of the Mukdahan Provincial Police, told reporters.

"We've asked the child's parents to come in so we can determine who is responsible for the child's care, so we can go on with legal process," he added.

Police said the boy had taken his parents' pickup truck without permission before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the monks.

Five monks died at the scene and three more later died in hospital, while more than 10 others are being treated.

Prayut Ruanthongkam, chief of Mukdahan City Police, told AFP by telephone that the child was a boy aged 11.

Emergency medical and rescue teams were deployed to the scene and the injured were taken to Mukdahan Hospital.

Mukdahan provincial governor Worayan Bunnarat said the case should serve as a wider warning on road safety.

"We've been very strict on road safety in recent years. This case should be a lesson not just for our province, but for the public in general when it comes to preventing road accidents," he said.

"I think everyone involved, especially parents, needs to help, because no one wants something like this to happen."