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Germany's Merz: We Do Not Want NATO to Split over US-Iran War

Commemorative photo of NATO leaders in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency).
Commemorative photo of NATO leaders in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency).
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Germany's Merz: We Do Not Want NATO to Split over US-Iran War

Commemorative photo of NATO leaders in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency).
Commemorative photo of NATO leaders in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency).

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday he did not want US-Iran war to place any further strain on relations between the United States and its European NATO partners.

"We do not want – I do not want – NATO to split. NATO is a guarantor of our security, including and above all in Europe," he said, speaking to journalists.

He added he had encouraged US President Donald Trump in a call to pursue negotiations with Iran with urgency.

Germany was resuming direct talks with Iranian leadership in Tehran, Merz said in Berlin.

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Israel Defense Minister Says ‘Mission Not Complete’ on Iran

Then Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem February 17, 2019. (Reuters)
Then Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem February 17, 2019. (Reuters)
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Israel Defense Minister Says ‘Mission Not Complete’ on Iran

Then Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem February 17, 2019. (Reuters)
Then Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem February 17, 2019. (Reuters)

Israel is not finished with Iran, its defense minister said Sunday, as he renewed charges that Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which the country has long denied.

"With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons -- alongside other grave efforts that place the State of Israel in real danger," Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a ceremony.

World

US Launches Task Force to Disrupt Land Transit Routes into Iran

A banner depicting US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President JD Vance and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is displayed on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A banner depicting US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President JD Vance and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is displayed on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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US Launches Task Force to Disrupt Land Transit Routes into Iran

A banner depicting US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President JD Vance and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is displayed on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A banner depicting US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President JD Vance and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is displayed on a street in Tehran, Iran, November 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The US military has announced it will create a 20-member task force to find ways to disrupt land routes into Iran that it says are used for shipments of weapons and illicit materials.

The restrictions would expand on a US naval blockade of Iranian ports during the two countries' eight-month war, in which Tehran has also restricted passage through the critical Strait of Hormuz trade route, choking global energy supplies, AFP said.

The task force's work "will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military," US Central Command chief Brad Cooper said in a statement posted on X on Saturday.

The team of both civilian and military personnel based in Florida would coordinate with US government agencies on "preventing the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea," the statement added.

The United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ports early in the war in response to Tehran seeking to limit traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where around a fifth of global oil trade normally passes.

That blockade has halted around $25 billion in crude oil exports from Iran, according to the US Central Command.

World

Thick Smoke at Tehran Refinery Caused by Safety Flaring, No Fire Reported

A man uses umbrella while walking under a rain around traditional main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
A man uses umbrella while walking under a rain around traditional main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
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Thick Smoke at Tehran Refinery Caused by Safety Flaring, No Fire Reported

A man uses umbrella while walking under a rain around traditional main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
A man uses umbrella while walking under a rain around traditional main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)

Thick smoke and flames seen rising from Tehran's oil refinery on Sunday were caused by activation of its flare systems ‌after electrical ‌and technical problems, ‌the ⁠refinery's public relations ⁠office was reported as saying by the oil ministry's news outlet, Shana.

The ⁠refinery said the ‌systems ‌had been activated ‌to release excess ‌gases in accordance with industrial safety procedures.

It said no ‌fire had broken out in its ⁠processing ⁠units, the situation was under control and teams were working to restore normal operations.

Fuel production and supply continued without interruption, it added.