Israel Signs $5.2 Bln Deal to F-15 Fighter Jets from Boeing

FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
TT

Israel Signs $5.2 Bln Deal to F-15 Fighter Jets from Boeing

FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A F-15 fighter jet takes off during a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots at Hatzerim Airbase, in southern Israel, June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

The Israeli defense ministry said on Thursday it had signed an agreement to acquire 25 next generation F-15 fighter jets from Boeing Co.

It said the $5.2 billion agreement was part of a broader package of US aid approved by the US administration and Congress earlier this year and included an option for 25 additional aircraft.

The United States has provided crucial military support to Israel as it has battled Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and traded fire with Iran.
The Biden administration recently warned Israel that if it did not facilitate the delivery of more aid to Gaza, US laws may force the administration to curb some of its military support.
The State Department said this week that Israel had yet to sufficiently improve aid deliveries ahead of a mid-November deadline.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the wars in the Middle East without saying how he plans to do it.

Delivery of the new F-15IA aircraft will begin in 2031, with 4-6 aircraft to be supplied annually, said the Israeli defense ministry.

The aircraft will be equipped with weapons systems integrated with existing Israeli weapons as well as having increased range and payloads.

"These advantages will enable the Israeli Air Force to maintain its strategic superiority in addressing current and future challenges in the Middle East," the ministry said in a statement.

"This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach - capabilities that proved crucial during the current war," the director general of the defense ministry, Eyal Zamir, said in the statement.

Zamir said that the government has secured procurement agreements worth nearly $40 billion since the onset of the war in Gaza that began Oct. 7, 2023.

"While focusing on immediate needs for advanced weaponry and ammunition at unprecedented levels, we're simultaneously investing in long-term strategic capabilities," he said.

For Boeing, the F-15 agreement is the second major deal this year. In August, flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines, signed a deal with Boeing for the purchase of up to 31 737 MAX aircraft worth as much as $2.5 billion, beating out rival Airbus.

Ido Nehushtan, president of Boeing Israel, said the company's relationship dates back to Israel's establishment and "will continue working with the US and Israeli governments to deliver the advanced F-15IA aircraft through standard military procurement channels."



UK Detains Sanctioned Oil Tanker Believed to be Linked to Russia’s Shadow Fleet

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and his wife Victoria (R) attend the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and his wife Victoria (R) attend the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)
TT

UK Detains Sanctioned Oil Tanker Believed to be Linked to Russia’s Shadow Fleet

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and his wife Victoria (R) attend the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and his wife Victoria (R) attend the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London on June 13, 2026. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP)

Britain is investigating a sanctioned tanker that is suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet,” shipping oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday.

British armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s Defense Ministry called “the first UK-led operation of its kind.”

The vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry.

The operation was carried out “in close coordination” with French authorities, who have previously intercepted a number of vessels linked to the “shadow fleet.”

Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine.

“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” The Associated Press quoted Starmer as saying.

UK authorities said that such operations were “directly bearing down on the resources sustaining Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and reducing its capacity to threaten security across Europe and beyond."


Qatari Delegation in Tehran for Middle East War Talks

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran June 7, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran June 7, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
TT

Qatari Delegation in Tehran for Middle East War Talks

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran June 7, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran June 7, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian media and a diplomat said, as part of the mediation process to end the war between Iran and the United States.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported an adviser to Qatar's foreign minister had been dispatched to Iran.

Another Iranian news agency Tasnim said the purpose of the visit was to "go over the latest developments regarding the diplomatic process.”

A diplomat with knowledge of the situation told AFP on Sunday that "Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran this morning.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, the diplomat said the delegation travelled "to help facilitate the finalization of the agreement.”

Pakistan, which has led mediation to end the months-long Middle East war, and the US have indicated an agreement to end the fighting would be signed on Sunday.

But Tehran has cast doubt on that timing, and Iranian media has reported a final decision on the framework is yet to be made.


Iran Media: Tehran Has 'Not Yet' Taken Final Decision on US Peace Deal

Iranians drive past a billboard featuring Iran's national flag at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 14 June 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians drive past a billboard featuring Iran's national flag at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 14 June 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
TT

Iran Media: Tehran Has 'Not Yet' Taken Final Decision on US Peace Deal

Iranians drive past a billboard featuring Iran's national flag at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 14 June 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians drive past a billboard featuring Iran's national flag at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 14 June 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran's Fars news agency said on Sunday that Tehran has not made a final decision on signing the agreement under discussion with the United States to end the Middle East war.

"Iran has not yet taken or announced its final decision concerning the memorandum of understanding proposed during negotiations," reported Fars, which is close to Iranian conservative circles, citing "a well-informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team.”

The prospective agreement has faced opposition from hardline Iranian figures, who argue that it does not serve Iran's interests and would deprive Tehran of leverage over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump and mediator Pakistan said on Saturday an initial deal to end the war in the Middle East would be signed on Sunday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing on Sunday, to be followed by technical-level talks next week.

Trump also said in a social media post that the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies which Iran has blocked, would be immediately "open to all" after it was signed.