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Iran Threatens Mediterranean Closure over Gaza, without Saying How

The cargo ship “Galaxy Leader” after being hijacked by Houthi boats in the Red Sea (Reuters)
The cargo ship “Galaxy Leader” after being hijacked by Houthi boats in the Red Sea (Reuters)
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Iran Threatens Mediterranean Closure over Gaza, without Saying How

The cargo ship “Galaxy Leader” after being hijacked by Houthi boats in the Red Sea (Reuters)
The cargo ship “Galaxy Leader” after being hijacked by Houthi boats in the Red Sea (Reuters)

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said the Mediterranean Sea could be closed if the United States and its allies continued to commit "crimes" in Gaza, Iranian media reported on Saturday, without explaining how that would happen.

Iran backs Hamas against Israel and it accuses the United States of backing what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza, where weeks of bombardment have killed thousands of people and driven most of the population from their homes.

"They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of) Gibraltar and other waterways," Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, coordinating commander of the Guards, as saying.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group has over the past month attacked merchant vessels sailing through the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel's assault on Gaza, leading some shipping companies to switch routes.

The White House on Friday said Iran was "deeply involved" in planning operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Iran has no direct access to the Mediterranean itself and it was not clear how the Guards could attempt to close it off, although Naqdi talked of "the birth of new powers of resistance and the closure of other waterways".

"Yesterday, the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz became a nightmare for them, and today they are trapped ... in the Red Sea," Naqdi was quoted as saying.

The only groups backed by Iran on the Mediterranean are Lebanon's Hezbollah and allied militia in Syria, at the far end of the sea from Gibraltar.

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World

Trump Envoys to Visit Russia and Ukraine at Weekend, TASS Reports

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)
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Trump Envoys to Visit Russia and Ukraine at Weekend, TASS Reports

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (AFP)

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have spearheaded efforts to broker a Ukraine peace agreement, will visit Russia and Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday, Russian news agency TASS reported, citing a source.

There was no immediate confirmation.

Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January, ‌when they held ‌four hours of late-night ‌talks ⁠with President Vladimir Putin in ⁠the Kremlin, Reuters said.

Discussions on US. negotiators going to Ukraine were still ongoing, and the teams have spoken about September 6 as a possible date, a source familiar with the ⁠matter said.

If they come, it ‌would be ‌their first visit to Kyiv.

"The Russians don't ‌want them to visit Kyiv ‌and are trying to make them change the plan," the source added.

A vast gulf remains between Russia and Ukraine on ‌how to end the 4-1/2-year war, the deadliest in Europe ⁠since ⁠World War Two.

Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine give up more territory, while Ukraine rejects terms that it considers tantamount to surrender.

The last US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in February, shortly before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.

World

Denmark Aims to Send Rejected Migrants to ‘Return Hubs’ by 2027

Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)
Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)
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Denmark Aims to Send Rejected Migrants to ‘Return Hubs’ by 2027

Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)
Denmark's then Defense Minister Morten Bodskov speaks ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2022. (Reuters)

Denmark said Friday it was ready to send rejected asylum seekers to 'return hubs' as of 2027, as it hosted talks with four EU countries on the creation of migrant detention centers outside Europe.

"On the Danish side, we expect to be ready to send the first foreigners to a partner country by the end of next year," Danish Migrations Minister Morten Bodskov said in a statement.

He was meeting with his German, Dutch, Austrian and Greek counterparts on Friday in Copenhagen on the creation of deportation centers outside the European Union.

"This is an important step towards a more efficient asylum and migration system," Bodskov said.

"We do not accept that foreigners staying illegally in Denmark should be rewarded because of our difficulties in returning them."

In June, the European Parliament approved tougher migration rules granting authorities much broader detention powers, and allowing for the creation of 'return hubs'.

The idea has been severely criticized by human rights groups.

The partner country or countries have not been disclosed, but Uganda and Rwanda in particular are seen as possibilities.

Britain abandoned a scheme to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda, while Italian-run facilities to process migrants in Albania have faced legal challenges and a slow uptake.

World

Cyprus Ferry Toll Rises to 12 as Two More Bodies Found

Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
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Cyprus Ferry Toll Rises to 12 as Two More Bodies Found

Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)
Motor boats take part in a search operation for people missing two days after a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus, near the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP)

The death toll from a ferry accident off northern Cyprus rose to 12 on Friday after rescuers found the bodies of two women, with another 16 people still missing, officials said.

The FiloJet ferry was carrying 267 people when it capsized shortly after departing from Kyrenia port on the northern shore of the divided island around midday on Sunday.

Rescuers managed to pull 239 people to safety, giving an initial count of eight dead and 20 missing with officials saying they believed they had gone down with the ship.

Round-the-clock rescue efforts have since recovered the bodies of four more victims, the latest two on Friday morning, raising the toll to 12, according to authorities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognized by Ankara.

"The bodies of two more people have been recovered," TRNC prime minister Unal Ustel wrote on X, indicating both were women.

"Search operations are continuing 24/7 in order to reach our 16 missing people," he said as a team of specialist divers and naval drones probed the wreckage which is lying at a depth of 514 meters (1,686 feet).

Since Wednesday morning, two specialist Turkish naval vessels equipped with underwater drones have been working to find the remaining victims.

Before the latest bodies were found, officials said the eight dead were all Turkish nationals, indicating that 18 of the 20 missing were also Turkish while the last two were from northern Cyprus.

They have not given any further details about the nationalities of the two four bodies recovered since Wednesday night.

So far, investigators have been unable to retrieve the ferry's voyage data recorder (VDR) -- its "black box" -- which should give a clearer indication of what led to the ferry capsizing.

The ferry's captain and eight others were remanded in custody on Monday on charges of negligent homicide, and returned to the court in Kyrenia -- Girne in Turkish -- for a second hearing on Thursday.

At that hearing, police investigators said the catastrophe could have been avoided had the captain reduced speed and carefully turned back to port when the ferry started taking on water, media reports said.