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UN Maritime Agency Urges Help for Seafarers Stranded in Hormuz

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 20, 2026. (Reuters)
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 20, 2026. (Reuters)
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UN Maritime Agency Urges Help for Seafarers Stranded in Hormuz

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 20, 2026. (Reuters)
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 20, 2026. (Reuters)

The head of the UN maritime agency appealed on Tuesday for help for thousands of seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, as the Middle East war paralyzes the vital shipping route.

Around 20,000 seafarers and 2,000 ships have been stranded in the waterway since US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that triggered the war, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Around one-fifth of the world's crude and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez told a maritime conference in Singapore on Tuesday that stranded sailors were suffering from stress and fatigue.

"We need to know everything that they're going through," he said.

Dominguez urged shipping companies to provide remote support to the sailors on areas like mental health.

He said some countries have established round-the-clock helplines for the seafarers, while others have been providing them with food.

But more could be done on a personal level, such as proactively reaching out to sailors to listen to them so they feel less isolated.

Shipping remained curtailed on the strait as the United States and Iran both warned they were ready for war, while the clock ticked down on a ceasefire set to expire Wednesday.

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World

China’s Xi Meets Pakistan PM Sharif as Iran War Looms

Chinese President Xi Jinping (6-L) and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (4-R) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 25 May 2026. (Pool/EPA)
Chinese President Xi Jinping (6-L) and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (4-R) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 25 May 2026. (Pool/EPA)
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China’s Xi Meets Pakistan PM Sharif as Iran War Looms

Chinese President Xi Jinping (6-L) and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (4-R) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 25 May 2026. (Pool/EPA)
Chinese President Xi Jinping (6-L) and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (4-R) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 25 May 2026. (Pool/EPA)

China's leader Xi Jinping met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on Monday, state media reported, as diplomatic efforts by several countries to formally end the Iran war drag on.

The high-level meeting, reported by state news agency Xinhua, followed Sharif's talks earlier in the day with Premier Li Qiang, the country's number-two leader.

Sharif is accompanied on his trip to China by army chief Asim Munir, Islamabad's key negotiator between the United States and Iran, Pakistan television showed Monday.

Details on the discussions were not immediately published by Chinese state media.

Pakistan has emerged as a central mediator between the United States and Iran, hosting historic face-to-face talks last month that failed to yield a lasting agreement.

China has played a quieter role, shepherding phone calls and meetings with officials of affected Gulf countries.

Speaking to Chinese leaders in Beijing alongside Munir, Sharif said "the world is passing through a critical moment", Pakistan's state-run PTV channel showed.

"Pakistan has played a sincere role to mediate between US and Iran. Field marshal was in Tehran and did not want to miss this great visit," Sharif said.

"Things are moving in the right direction. I would like to thank China's support to promote peace."

Sharif kicked off his four-day official visit to China in Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday.

It follows a visit by Munir to Tehran on Friday and Saturday alongside Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of ongoing mediation efforts to end the war.

China has said it would work with Pakistan to "make positive contributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East".

Pakistan hosted in April the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials to take place since the war began.

Munir was at the center of the action during that round of talks, greeting both delegations on their arrival and displaying bonhomie with US Vice President JD Vance.

But the talks ultimately failed, with Iran accusing the United States of making "excessive demands".

World

Iran Executes Man Over Links to Nationwide Protests

A woman rides a bicycle as others cross a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP)
A woman rides a bicycle as others cross a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Executes Man Over Links to Nationwide Protests

A woman rides a bicycle as others cross a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP)
A woman rides a bicycle as others cross a street in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP)

Iran on Monday executed a man convicted of carrying out armed attacks during the nationwide anti-government protests that peaked in January, the judiciary said.

Abbas Akbari's is the latest in a string of executions by the authorities after it ramped up hangings in security-related cases after the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on February 28.

"Abbas Akbari... was hanged this morning," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported, describing him as "one of the armed leaders" during protests in the central province of Isfahan.

According to the report, Akbari "opened fire in the street at security forces" and "was one of the armed leaders of the riots in Nain town in Isfahan province" while carrying a handgun.

He was also accused of attacking the governorate building, security establishments and health centers in Nain.

The judiciary said Akbari had been sentenced to death on charges including "moharebeh" -- waging war against God -- as well as deliberate destruction of public property "with the intent of confronting the system, disrupting public order and security, and assembly and collusion against national security".

The Supreme Court upheld the sentence following his appeal, and he was executed on Monday morning, Mizan said.

On Sunday, Iran executed a man convicted of espionage in the first reported execution linked to spying accusations during the war.

Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

World

Australian Activists Return After Gaza Flotilla Incident, Allege Israeli Abuse

Members of a Gaza-bound flotilla, that were detained by Israeli security forces last week, speak during a press conference after arriving at Sydney International Airport on May 25, 2026. (AFP)
Members of a Gaza-bound flotilla, that were detained by Israeli security forces last week, speak during a press conference after arriving at Sydney International Airport on May 25, 2026. (AFP)
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Australian Activists Return After Gaza Flotilla Incident, Allege Israeli Abuse

Members of a Gaza-bound flotilla, that were detained by Israeli security forces last week, speak during a press conference after arriving at Sydney International Airport on May 25, 2026. (AFP)
Members of a Gaza-bound flotilla, that were detained by Israeli security forces last week, speak during a press conference after arriving at Sydney International Airport on May 25, 2026. (AFP)

Australian activists detained by Israel while on a flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza have returned home, with organizers alleging abuse, sexual assault, and beatings, that left some detainees in hospital.

Israel's prison service has denied the allegations, which Reuters could not independently verify.

Eleven Australians were among the 430 volunteers on 50 boats intercepted in international waters last week by Israeli forces aiming to stop the flotilla delivering aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. The flotilla ‌included people ‌from 40 countries.

One activist reached Melbourne on ‌Sunday ⁠evening, while others arrived ⁠in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Monday.

Juliet Lamont, an Australian activist and documentary filmmaker, told Reuters on Monday she was dragged, sexually assaulted and beaten when she was detained.

"That was just the beginning of four days of absolute hell. I've looked into the eyes of the most ⁠soulless people in the universe, and nothing came ‌back. These people need ‌to be stopped," Lamont said.

Another Australian activist, Sam Woripa Watson, said he sustained ‌a fractured rib along with bruises and cuts ‌across his body. Watson also said he had witnessed activists being tasered and shot with rubber bullets, with stun grenades thrown at them.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, the organizers of the aid shipment, ‌said it had documented at least 15 cases of sexual abuse, with the worst occurring on ⁠one Israeli ⁠landing craft which had been converted into a makeshift prison with barbed wire and shipping containers.

The statement was released after the Israeli prison service's blanket denial of mistreatment, rape and sexual assault allegations.

The allegations of mistreatment have increased international pressure on Israel, following a video posted by far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in which he taunted activists restrained on the ground, sparking widespread condemnation.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the footage as "shocking and unacceptable."

Australia imposed a travel ban and financial sanctions on Ben-Gvir last year for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.