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London, July 13 (IANS) The British government said Monday it was moving to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and two other organisations as national security threats.

The other two are the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), which Britain says is linked to Iran, and the Volunteer Corps, overseen by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, commonly known as the GRU Volunteer Corps.

If approved by parliament, they will become the first organisations designated under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026, according to a written statement by Security Minister Angela Eagle, Xinhua news agency reported.

The designation would make it a criminal offence to support or assist the organisations in activities linked to Britain, or knowingly receive a material benefit from them. Certain offences could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The IRGC has already been sanctioned in its entirety by Britain. The new designation regime is separate from the system for proscribing terrorist organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000.

There was no immediate response from the organisations.

In May, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) summoned Iran's ambassador in response to a diplomatic tension following charges against three Iranian nationals under the National Security Act.

The summons followed an announcement that three Iranian nationals had been charged with engaging in activities likely to benefit a foreign intelligence service.

The three men - Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55 - appeared at the Westminster Magistrates' Court

According to police, they allegedly conducted activities in assisting Iran's intelligence service between Aug. 14, 2024, and February 16, 2025. Sepahvand faces an additional charge of carrying out "surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research" with the intent to commit serious violence against a person in the UK.

In response, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the British charge d'affaires on Sunday, protesting what it described as "suspicious and unjustified" arrests of several Iranians in Britain. Iran rejected the allegations as "false" and the charges as "unrealistic."

–IANS

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Mogadishu, July 13 (IANS) The United Nations (UN) relief agency has appealed for urgent assistance for hundreds of thousands of Somalis, particularly in the northern regions, who face escalating hardship amid severe drought conditions.

In its latest humanitarian report released on Sunday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that cumulative crises, including severe drought, flooding, dwindling aid, and protracted conflict, have systematically undermined the resilience of millions of Somali households.

The OCHA estimated that severe drought conditions have affected roughly 250,000 people, with coastal and remote communities hit the hardest, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Authorities are appealing for urgent assistance, warning that hundreds of thousands of people are facing increasing hardship, including more than 570,000 people who require water assistance and 1.5 million who require food assistance," the OCHA said.

The OCHA said the Somalia Humanitarian Fund has stepped up support to the famine-risk Buurhakaba district in the Bay region, providing 4.7 million US dollars, including a recent two-million-dollar reserve allocation.

The UN agency said that malnutrition is rising, with over 400,730 children experiencing acute malnutrition, including 97,150 severe and 303,580 moderate cases.

"Reproductive health services and emergency obstetric care remain severely limited, particularly for nomadic communities. Drought has also disrupted education, with more than 820 schools reportedly closed," the OCHA added.

Last month, the World Food Program (WFP) warned that emergency-level hunger (IPC Phase 4) now affects two million people, a sharp twofold increase from last year's figure, indicating a significant deterioration in food insecurity.

It warned that current humanitarian food assistance reaches only 450,000 people, leaving a staggering 76 per cent of those in IPC Phase 4 without support through August.

"This gap will have severe consequences for the most vulnerable populations. Urgent funding is needed to scale up assistance and prevent further deterioration," the UN agency said.

According to the WFP, Somalia remains trapped in one of the world's most severe malnutrition crises, with 1.9 million children suffering from acute malnutrition.

–IANS

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Washington, July 13 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Monday said that the United States would take control of the Strait of Hormuz and could permanently oversee its security after accusing Iran of breaking a military agreement and continuing to send drones into the strategic waterway.

"We’re taking over the Strait. They have nothing. They’ve got nothing," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

Trump said the US had struck Iranian military assets overnight and would continue to respond forcefully to any new drone activity.

"We hit them very hard last night. Every time they send a drone, we hit them very hard," he said.

"Most of their equipment is gone. Their anti-aircraft gun, we hit them very hard last night," Trump added.

The president said Washington and Tehran had reached what he described as a completed agreement before Iran sought changes after lengthy negotiations.

"But we had a deal. What nobody knows, we had a deal. It was a done deal. And then they broke it," Trump said.

He said Iranian negotiators had held an 11-hour meeting and initially agreed to everything under discussion. But they later called back seeking revisions.

"I said, changes? They got to make changes? We’re not going to make changes. Always changes," Trump said. "You know, they’re professional negotiators. That’s all they are. I don’t even call them good at it."

Trump said the United States would now keep control of the Strait and could assume a permanent role in safeguarding the vital shipping passage.

"They always break it. We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard. And we’re going to keep the Strait, and we’ll probably run it," he said.

"We’ll become the guardian of the Strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the Strait," Trump said.

The president also said other countries benefiting from secure passage through the Strait should reimburse the United States for protecting it.

"And we should be reimbursed for that. When we do that, we’re going to be reimbursed because the other nations are very wealthy," he said.

Trump argued that the United States had guarded the waterway for decades without receiving payment. He said Washington should no longer be expected to shoulder the cost alone.

"Now we’re going to guard it, and we’re going to get paid for guarding it,” he said. “It’s a lot of money. But we just want to be reimbursed for doing all of this, for putting our people in danger."

The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, carrying oil and liquefied natural gas exports from major Gulf producers to international markets, including India and other Asian economies.

--IANS

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Islamabad, July 13 (IANS) Ranked first in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index, Pakistan remains mired in a massive, never-ending war within its borders. According to the figures released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) in April, the country witnessed 1,045 incidents and 1,139 deaths in 2025 alone, the highest fatality level in over 10 years. A major reason behind the bloodshed is the resurgence of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which accounted for over half of these deaths. The violence is majorly occurring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and the root cause of this endless unrest is the dominance of Punjab, a report has highlighted.

Pakistan has four provinces: Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, over the years, critics and local residents have started calling Pakistan as “Punjab-istan” due to the dominance of the province over the rest of Pakistan. The centralised control of Punjab has resulted in other provinces feeling marginalised, a report in Asian News Post stated.

For decades, people of Balochistan have claimed that Pakistan annexed their land illegally and have demanded independence, control over their own natural resource and the protection of their distinct culture. Balochistan is the richest province in Pakistan in terms of natural gas, coal, copper, and gold and serves as the central hub for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, Balochistan’s contribution to the national GDP is only five per cent.

Local residents have said that foreign investments, particularly Chinese megaprojects, have been planned to grab wealth of Balochistan to serve the country's Punjabi elite. This anger has resulted in formation of militant separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) which boasts around 6,000 fighters along with the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), United Baloch Army (UBA) and Baloch Republican Army (BRA), the Asian News Post report mentioned.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also remained a hotspot, witnessing a sharp rise in violence since Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. The unrest in the province is largely due to Islamist militancy, spearheaded by the TTP, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group.

Currently, poverty in Sindh, which earlier used to be prosperous hub of trade and agriculture, stands at 45 per cent. Sindh is facing a 62 per cent water shortage. A canal project has become a point of difference between the provinces of Pakistan. In 2024, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari approved the construction of “six strategic canals”. However, protests erupted in Sindh after the Cholistan Canal was inaugurated in 2025, fearing the project would divert its essential water to upstream Punjab. The project was ultimately put on hold after the government faced backlash from public.

Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan does not have full constitutional status and people of the region lack representation in Pakistan’s parliament. Locals face unemployment and prolonged power outages in PoGB as federal government exploits the region’s hydropower and mineral resources for national benefit. Frustrated by the situation, massive protests led by local activists have been held in PoGB recently.

“Instead of addressing these deep-rooted issues of economic disparity and political exclusion, Islamabad has largely relied on military crackdowns. The most disturbing outcome of this is the epidemic of 'enforced disappearances'. Activists, especially from Balochistan and KP who speak out against resource exploitation, frequently go missing. According to the government’s own Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), over 10,500 cases were reported between 2016 and 2024,” the report in Asian News Post detailed.

“Independent human rights organisations argue the actual numbers are much higher. Baloch separatists alone claim that more than 5,000 of their people have vanished over the decades. Until Islamabad stops treating its own provinces as resource colonies and starts focusing on genuine political inclusion and human rights, Pakistan will remain a country at war with itself,” it added.

--IANS

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Colombo, July 13 (IANS) The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health’s secretary, Anil Jasinghe, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an Indian grant to supply state-of-the-art medical equipment to Base Hospital, Deniyaya.

"Partnering for climate-resilient healthcare in India and Sri Lanka. Glad to sign an MoU with the Secretary, Ministry of Health Dr Anil Jasinghe today for a SLR 600M Indian grant to supply state-of-the-art medical equipment to Base Hospital, Deniyaya, in presence of Hon. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa," the High Commissioner wrote on X.

According to the High Commissioner, this grant will equip critical units, including Emergency, Operating Theatres, HDU, and the Special Care Baby Unit, supporting the hospital’s relocation to a secure, disaster-resilient zone.

"Part of India's USD 450M rehabilitation package for Sri Lanka's post-Cyclone Ditwah recovery, this initiative underscores India's enduring commitment to a safe and resilient neighbourhood," he highlighted.

Last month, the High Commissioner handed over military equipment to the Sri Lankan Army for their United Nations deployment under a grant of 5.5 million USD.

"Strengthening India-Sri Lanka defence bonds and enhancing operational readiness. Happy to hand over military stores from the Indian Army to the Sri Lankan Army for their UN deployment under a grant of 5.5 million USD. On Sri Lanka's request, India immediately mobilised these equipment for Sri Lanka's UN deployment- a testament to the confidence and trust in our defence relations," the High Commissioner said.

In April as well, India handed over two Personal Watercrafts (PWCs) and safety gear to the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, assisting in enhancing the Sri Lanka Coast Guard’s capability in near-shore Search and Rescue (SAR).

As part of its continuous humanitarian outreach, India, on April 24, presented two BHISM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri) cubes to the Sri Lankan authorities under India’s ‘Aarogya Maitri’ initiative.

–IANS

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Cairo, July 13 (IANS) Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Monday stressed the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law, and called for de-escalation as Iran and the United States exchanged a fresh round of attacks.

The remarks were made during a phone conversation between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The two ministers stressed the need to ensure the safety and security of international shipping and warned that any disruption to maritime traffic would have negative repercussions for the global economy and energy security, Xinhua news agency reported.

They discussed the recent regional escalation, reiterating their condemnation of Iran's attacks targeting Gulf Arab states and Jordan and calling for an immediate halt to all escalatory actions.

Meanwhile, Explosions were heard at noon on Monday around the port city of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, citing local sources.

The report said the explosion sounds came from regions away from the urban area and appeared to be centred on the western coast of Bandar Abbas.

The explosions could be linked to ongoing clashes occurring in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters, it added.

Authorities of Hormozgan province have announced that no casualties or damage to residential and commercial infrastructure were reported in the fresh US attacks against Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, according to Mehr.

The Bahrain Defence Force said on Monday that its air defence systems had intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks.

In a statement, the Bahrain Defence Force accused Iran of continuing what it described as a "systematic hostile approach" through missile and drone attacks against the kingdom.

–IANS

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Hanoi, July 13 (IANS) The mortal remains of the 15 Indian nationals who died in a tragic boat accident near Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam have left Ho Chi Minh City for Mumbai by a Vietnam Airlines flight and will arrive late Monday evening, the Embassy of India in Hanoi stated.

The state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu will coordinate transportation of mortal remains to their final destinations in the respective states.

The Embassy of India in Vietnam also conveyed its gratitude to the Vietnamese authorities for the assistance provided.

"Embassy of India, Hanoi and the Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City wish to convey sincere gratitude to authorities of Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, An Giang Province as well as Department of Foreign Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other agencies for all the assistance provided following the tragic boat accident," the Embassy wrote on X.

"We are grateful for the many messages of condolences and prayers from our Vietnamese friends. Your prayers, efforts and presence gave us strength in this extreme hour of grief," it added.

Meanwhile, the Indian national undergoing treatment at Phu Quoc after the tragic boat accident successfully underwent a medical procedure on Sunday evening. According to the Indian Embassy, he was admitted in a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday and his family members have also arrived in country.

The Vietnamese police in southern An Giang province on Sunday detained and initiated criminal proceedings against a local man over alleged legal violations linked to the tourist boat that capsized.

The detainee was identified as 57-year-old captain Nguyen Hong Hai, a resident of Thuan Tien hamlet in Son Kien commune, An Giang province, who was temporarily residing in the Phu Quoc special zone.

According to preliminary reports, the boat was carrying around 32 Indian tourists, including 17 from Tamil Nadu, while the remaining passengers were from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala.

The vessel reportedly overturned while cruising in waters south of Phu Quoc, a popular tourist destination in southern Vietnam.

Soon after the incident, rescue teams, local residents, and emergency personnel rushed to the scene and launched a large-scale rescue operation.

–IANS

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Kuwait City, July 13 (IANS) Condemning the ongoing attacks on its Consulate General in Iraq’s Basra, Kuwait on Monday questioned the efforts being made by the country's government to fulfill its international obligations as stipulated under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963).

Terming the attacks as an “unacceptable violation" of the inviolability of the consulate, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the Iraqi government to take immediate and decisive measures to hold accountable all those involved in these hostile acts.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's strongest condemnation and denunciation of the ongoing attacks targeting the Consulate General of the State of Kuwait in the city of Basra, in an unacceptable violation of the inviolability of the consulate and an undermining of the Iraqi government's efforts to fulfill its international obligations as stipulated under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), particularly Article (31), which obliges the host state to take all appropriate measures to ensure the complete protection of the premises of consular posts and to preserve their inviolability,” Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.

“Despite the efforts exerted by the Iraqi government to attempt to counter these attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms, in the same context, the necessity for the Iraqi government to take immediate and decisive measures to hold accountable all those involved in these hostile acts, to ensure they are not repeated, and to adopt measures that guarantee the inviolability of the diplomatic and consular missions of the State of Kuwait accredited to the Republic of Iraq, as well as the security and safety of those working therein,” it added.

In April, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Aziz Al-Daihani met Iraq’s Charge d'Affaires in Kuwait, Zaid Shanshul, to deliver an official note of protest over the attack on the consulate building in Basra, terming the incident a “flagrant violation” of international norms and agreements, especially the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, Kuwait Times reported.

He stressed the need for Iraqi authorities to take “urgent and decisive measures” to hold all perpetrators accountable, stop any recurrence and ensure increased protection for all Kuwaiti diplomatic missions in Iraq. He stated that Kuwait “will not hesitate” to take all necessary measures to protect its interests and missions as per the international law.

Kuwait lodged a formal protest as reports claimed that protesters had stormed the Kuwait's Consulate in Basra after rockets hit a house in Khor Al-Zubair area, killing at least three people and injuring five others. Security forces had fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, according to the report in Kuwait Times. Iraq’s foreign ministry had condemned the attack and announced the establishment of an investigative committee to find the circumstances of the incident and take legal action against the perpetrators.

--IANS

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Aden (Yemen), July 13 (IANS) Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said Monday that Saudi Arabia launched several airstrikes on the runways of Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital.

Yemen's armed forces urged the immediate evacuation of the airport.

The strikes came as an Iranian passenger plane carrying a Houthi delegation was heading toward the Yemeni Houthi-controlled airport from Tehran.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Saudi side, and the extent of the damage remains unclear, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, Yemeni Defence Minister Taher Al-Aqili warned in a televised statement that the armed forces would engage any hostile aircraft violating Yemeni airspace.

The Iranian passenger plane is the same one that landed at Sanaa International Airport on July 4, carrying more than 200 Yemeni patients and stranded passengers from Tehran. It later departed for the Iranian capital with a senior Houthi delegation that travelled to attend the funeral ceremonies of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On July 3, the Houthi group said that its air defence forces intercepted Saudi warplanes which allegedly entered Yemeni airspace to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport.

The Houthi delegation has insisted on returning aboard the same Iranian aircraft, rejecting the government's proposal to facilitate its return on a different, non-Iranian plane operating under government supervision.

On Sunday, the Houthi group warned Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government against intercepting the flight.

The development comes amid an intensified Houthi mobilisation campaign in recent days, with the group organising tribal gatherings, armed rallies and public demonstrations across areas under its control while renewing calls to end what it describes as a Saudi-led blockade.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.

–IANS

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Islamabad, July 13 (IANS) Pakistan has intensified its campaign against Afghan migrants by arresting and deporting them following the expiration of government's deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, local media reported.

An enforcement drive has begun after the expiration of the July 10 deadline for Afghans without valid visas to leave voluntarily.

"Afghan migrants in Pakistan said authorities are now detaining not only undocumented migrants but also Afghans whose visas or Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) have expired. Pakistani authorities say the campaign is underway in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," Amu TV reported.

According to the Pakistani government, people holding Afghan Citizen Cards and other temporary documents also face deportation.

Taliban's Secretariat of the High Commission for Addressing Returnees’ Issues said that more than 4,000 Afghans were deported from Pakistan in 24 hours over the weekend.

An Afghan migrant living in Pakistan confirmed that many families have been unable to renew their visas.

"Visas have effectively been unavailable for about a year," he said. "If we are arrested and deported, we all know what the situation is like in Afghanistan. We fear retaliation by the Taliban," the report quoted Ahmad as saying.

According to an Afghan journalist living in Pakistan, widespread anxiety among Afghan families has been created due to the Pakistani government’s latest directive. The figures from Pakistani media say that nearly 2.59 million Afghan migrants and refugees have been deported since the launch of Pakistan's repatriation campaign in late 2023.

Another Afghan journalist in Pakistan, stressed that many of those who fled after the Taliban returned to power in 2021 remain at risk.

"Those who sought refuge in Pakistan after 2021 are refugees, not ordinary migrants," she said. "Returning them to Afghanistan could cost them their lives," highlighted the report by Amu TV.

Pakistan has been warned by the United Nations and international human rights organisations to halt the forced deportations, warning that many returning Afghans could face persecution, arbitrary detention, torture or reprisals upon their return.

–IANS

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