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Belgium Seizes Russian 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker

The seized 'Ethera' vessel is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, on March 1, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Belga / AFP)
The seized 'Ethera' vessel is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, on March 1, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Belga / AFP)
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Belgium Seizes Russian 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker

The seized 'Ethera' vessel is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, on March 1, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Belga / AFP)
The seized 'Ethera' vessel is docked at the naval base in Zeebrugge, on March 1, 2026. (Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Belga / AFP)

Belgium's special forces boarded and seized an oil tanker from the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the government said on Sunday.

Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot said the vessel was intercepted in the North Sea during an overnight operation, AFP reported.

"Today, a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet was intercepted in the North Sea," Prevot wrote on X, thanking Belgian special forces for their "exceptional professionalism and courage".

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the intercepted tanker was "being escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be seized".

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on X that French naval forces assisted in the operation, calling it a "major blow" to Russia's so-called shadow fleet.

Russia has used a flotilla of ageing tankers of opaque ownership to get around restrictions on its lucrative crude exports imposed over its 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine.

The European Union has blacklisted hundreds of vessels in a bid to sap Moscow's war chest.

"Sanctions only matter if they are enforced. Today, we enforced them," Prevot said, suggesting the seized ship might have operated under a false flag.

The operation was carried out alongside Belgium's G7, Nordic and Baltic partners and in coordination with France, he added.

 

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Türkiye’s Trade Minister Says Day-trip Crossings Halted at Iranian Border

Iranian nationals arrive in Türkiye through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran, in the province of Van, eastern Türkiye on March 1, 2026. (Photo by Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP)
Iranian nationals arrive in Türkiye through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran, in the province of Van, eastern Türkiye on March 1, 2026. (Photo by Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP)
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Türkiye’s Trade Minister Says Day-trip Crossings Halted at Iranian Border

Iranian nationals arrive in Türkiye through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran, in the province of Van, eastern Türkiye on March 1, 2026. (Photo by Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP)
Iranian nationals arrive in Türkiye through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran, in the province of Van, eastern Türkiye on March 1, 2026. (Photo by Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP)

Türkiye’s trade minister said on Monday that day-trip passenger crossings at three Turkish customs gates at the Iranian border have been mutually suspended ‌but Türkiye is allowing ‌its ⁠own citizens and third-country ⁠nationals to enter from Iran.

Minister Omer Bolat said in a statement ⁠on X that ‌Iran ‌was permitting its own ‌citizens to enter ‌Iran via Türkiye, adding that commercial cargo transits at all three ‌gates continued under controlled conditions.

"All our ⁠units ⁠continue to perform their duties on high alert to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of Türkiye’s border crossing services and trade flows," Bolat said.

World

Iran's Larijani Says 'Will Not Negotiate' with US

13 August 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, speaks during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri in Beirut. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 August 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, speaks during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri in Beirut. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Iran's Larijani Says 'Will Not Negotiate' with US

13 August 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, speaks during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri in Beirut. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
13 August 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, speaks during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri in Beirut. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Iran "will not negotiate with the United States", Ali Larijani, the head of Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said on Monday.

In a post on X, Larijani denied media reports that Iranian officials had sought to initiate talks with the Trump administration following a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which came after Tehran and Washington held nuclear negotiations.

US President Donald Trump's "delusional fantasies" have plunged the Middle East into chaos, he said.

"Trump plunged the region into chaos with his 'delusional fantasies' and now fears more American troop casualties," Larijani wrote on X.

World

Argentina's Milei Wants 'Strategic Alliance' with US to be State Policy

Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks during the opening of the 144th Ordinary Session of the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 01 March 2026. EPA/JUAN IGNACIO RONCORONI
Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks during the opening of the 144th Ordinary Session of the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 01 March 2026. EPA/JUAN IGNACIO RONCORONI
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Argentina's Milei Wants 'Strategic Alliance' with US to be State Policy

Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks during the opening of the 144th Ordinary Session of the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 01 March 2026. EPA/JUAN IGNACIO RONCORONI
Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks during the opening of the 144th Ordinary Session of the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 01 March 2026. EPA/JUAN IGNACIO RONCORONI

Argentina President Javier Milei said Sunday that he wants to make the "strategic alliance" with the United States led by ally President Donald Trump a "state policy."

In a state of the nation address to parliament, the Argentine leader said "the South Atlantic is the strategic battleground of the coming decades," arguing Argentina must be a "player" in the region.

"We must create the century of the Americas: Make Americas Great Again, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego," he added, according to AFP.

Devoting the majority of his speech to his government's macroeconomic successes over the past two years, particularly in combating inflation, Milei said he wanted to press his reforms further.

He announced an ambitious package of 90 reforms in an address to parliament on Sunday, which he said would "redesign" Argentina "for the next 50 years."

The reforms are expected to address the economy, taxes, the criminal code, the electoral system, education, justice and defense, Milei said in his address, which was marked by verbal clashes with opposition lawmakers.

There will be "nine uninterrupted months of structural reforms that will reshape the institutional architecture of the New Argentina," he said.

President since 2023, Milei begins this parliamentary year in a position of political strength, bolstered by his electoral success in the midterm elections in October.