US Announces Withdrawal Of 5,000 Troops From Germany

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09:58

US Announces Withdrawal Of 5,000 Troops From Germany

The Pentagon has announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next 612 months, amid tensions between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the ongoing war with Iran.

Trump has been at loggerheads with Merz in recent days after the German chancellor said that the Iranians were humiliating the United States in talks to end the war.

In response, in a post on his TruthSocial platform, Trump said on April 30 that Merz should “spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine” and “less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat.”

The United States maintains a substantial military presence in Germany, with more than 36,000 active-duty troops stationed at bases across the country as of December 2025.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the directive was issued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” Parnell said.

“We expect the withdrawal to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”

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09:48

Iran Executes Two Men Accused Of Spying For Israel

Two men convicted of spying for Israel were executed early on May 2, the judiciary-run Mizan news agency reported, as rights organizations warn of a sharp escalation in the use of capital punishment.

Mizan said Yaqub Karimpur and Nasser Bakrzadeh had been put to death for “intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime and the Mossad intelligence service.”

According to Mizan, Karimpur had “continued effective cooperation with the Mossad service during the imposed war,” passing sensitive national intelligence to a Mossad officer.

The phrase “imposed war” is the official Iranian term for wartime conflict; given that Karimpur was arrested on espionage charges in November 2024, the reference appears to be to last Junes 12-day war with Israel rather than the recent conflict with the United States and Israel thats paused due to a cease-fire.

Bakrzadeh, a 26-year-old Kurdish man, had been held for three years before his execution. In the days before his death, a video circulated of his parents appealing to religious authorities and human rights bodies to intervene. His father insisted his son was innocent and said the death sentence had only been confirmed “because of the recent war.” He also said the sentence had been overturned twice at the Supreme Court level, only for the original sentencing chamber to reimpose it.

Human Rights Watch had referenced Bakrzadeh in a statement in October 2024, noting he was among five Kurdish citizens facing espionage charges related to alleged cooperation with Israel.

The two executions are part of what rights groups describe as a broader escalation. Iran has consistently ranked among the world’s top executors. Rights organizations have long accused the Islamic republic of using the death penalty to sow fear in society.

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04:07

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

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04:06

Trump: ‘We’re Like Pirates’ In Naval Blockade Of Iran

US President Donald Trump on May 1 said the US Navy was acting “like pirates” in its mission to blockade Iranian ports during the US-Israel war with Iran.

“We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said, referring to the seizure of an Iranian ship in the waters off of Iran during the blockade.

“We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games,” he added.

Tehran has insisted that it will not agree to peace talks unless the US blockade of its ports is lifted, while Washington says the blockade will stay in place until a peace deal is agreed, leading to a stalemate in in-person talks.

However, messages have been sent between Washington and Tehran through Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator in the peace process.

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02:17

US State Department OKs $8.6 Billion In Military Sales To Israel, Gulf Allies

The US State Department on May 1 said it has approved sales of military equipment worth more than $8.6 billion to Middle Eastern allies, including Israel, that have been targeted by Iran in retaliation for the US-Israeli air strikes launched on February 28.

US Gulf allies Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates also were on the list of approved recipients of US military sales, the State Department said.

The State Department said it was approving sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defense replenishment services worth $4.01 billion and of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) costing $992.4 million.

The US State Department approved the sale of equipment related to the Patriot missile defense system.

Also included was the approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5 billion and to Israel of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems valued at $992.4 million.

The State Department approved a sale to the UAE of APKWS for $147.6 million.

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01:23

Trump Vows No ‘Early’ Iran Exit After Saying Not Satisfied With ‘Messed Up’ Tehrans Proposal

US President Donald Trump on May 1 said the US would not quit its confrontation with Iran “early” only to face renewed difficulties in the future, hours after he said he was not satisfied with the latest peace proposal offered by Tehran through Pakistani mediators.

Were not going to leave early and have the problem arise in three more years, Trump told a gathering at a retirement community in Florida, adding that Tehran was not coming through with the kind of deal we have to have.

Earlier, Trump insisted that Tehran was seeking a peace deal but that it was not good enough for him.

US President Donald Trump steps off Marine One after landing at Ocala International Airport in Florida, where he spoke at The Villages retirement community on May 1.

“They want to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied with it,” Trump told journalists outside the White House.

The president said Tehran seeks a peace deal “because they don’t have a military left,” following a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28 and has been halted since a cease-fire between the United States and Iran came into effect on April 8.

“They have a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran. The leadership is very disjointed…They all want to make a deal, but they all are messed up,” Trump said.

“Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever — or do we want to try and make a deal?” he said, adding that he would prefer to avoid the first option “on a human basis.”

While the Iranian Foreign Ministry appears to continue diplomatic efforts to negotiate with Washington on key issues of the conflict, hard-line clerics and lawmakers have publicly opposed any major concessions.

War Powers Act

Separately, amid political pressure to seek approval from lawmakers to continue the war, Trump insisted the cease-fire announced last month means that hostilities have officially been terminated, eliminating the need for further congressional authorization.

Trump made the claim in a letter to lawmakers on May 1 — which was the deadline to come to Congress about the war — saying there have been no exchanges of fire with Iran forces since the April 7 cease-fire.

“The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” Trump said.

“We had a cease-fire, so that gives you additional time,” Trump added.

At issue is the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Under the terms, a US president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it and then asking Congress for the authority to continue.

Democratic lawmakers disputed Trump’s claim that the cease-fire resets the 60-day deadline.

US Refugee Agency Hit By Higher Transport Costs Due To Middle East War

The UN refugee agency on May 1 said the conflict in the Middle East has substantially increased the rate it is charged to transport its freight, hitting aid deliveries to refugees in the region and Africa.

Extra funding spent on fuel and higher war-risk shipping insurance premiums means that less can be spent in the field, UN High Commissioner for Refugees said.

“The Middle East crisis has generated far-reaching ripple effects well beyond the region, with growing consequences for global humanitarian supply chains and the delivery of aid,” spokeswoman Carlotta Wolf told a news conference in Geneva.

“For some shipments, costs have more than doubled, such as transport costs for relief items from UNHCR’s global stockpiles in Dubai to our Sudan and Chad operations,” Wolf said.

The cost of sending more than 2,000 tons of relief goods to both locations has increased from $927,000 to $1.87 million compared with precrisis costs, she added.

With reporting by AFP

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22:33

1.5.2026

14 IRGC Specialists Killed Attempting To Defuse Ordnances, Iran Media Report

Iranian media on May 1 reported that 14 members of the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were killed in an operation to defuse unexploded explosives in Zanjan Province.

“Following enemy air strikes using cluster bombs and aerial mines, parts of Zanjan Province, including about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land, were contaminated by bombs,” reported Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC.

The report could not independently be verified.

The Fars report said IRGC demining specialists had neutralized more than 15,000 items during the operation.

“However, today, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces were martyred and 2 were injured,” it said.

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22:21

1.5.2026

Trump Claims No Need For Congressional Approval As Hostilities With Iran Have ‘Terminated’

US President Donald Trump, in a political battle over his war powers, claimed that a cease-fire announced last month had officially “terminated” hostilities against Iran as part of his argument that he does need congressional approval to continue the conflict.

“The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” Trump said.

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media prior to departing from the White House on May 1.

“We had a cease-fire, so that gives you additional time,” Trump added.

At issue is the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Under the terms, a US president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it and then asking Congress for the authority to continue.

A president can also seek a 30-day extension due to “unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces” while withdrawing forces.

Trump formally notified Congress of the conflict 48 hours after the first US-Israeli air strikes at the end of February, starting the 60-day clock that ended on May 1.

A senior Trump administration official had said on April 30 that the Trump administration’s view was that the war powers law deadline did not apply, while has Trump said he considers the law unconstitutional.

Democrats in Congress have repeatedly attempted to pass war powers legislation to force Trump to end the conflict or come to Congress for authorization.

After 60 days of conflict, President Trump still does not have a strategy or way out for this poorly planned war,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement labeling the May 1 deadline “a clear legal threshold” for Trump to act upon.

With reporting by Reuters

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21:11

1.5.2026

Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Urgently Transferred To Hospital

Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran, her foundation said in astatementon May 1.

“Narges Mohammadi was urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan today following a catastrophic deterioration of her health, including two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis.”

Narges Mohammadi

The Narges Mohammadi Foundation added that the development comes after 140 days of Mohammadi’s “arbitrary detention and the persistent denial of specialized health care.”

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda last month, Mohammadi’s brother, Hamid Reza Mohammadi,saidhis sister’s life is “in serious danger,” as she was suffering from “vision problems, nausea, blood-pressure issues, and chest pain.”

Mohammadi, a prominent Iranian human rights activist, has spent much of the last decade behind bars.

She was most recently arrested in December 2025, during a memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

“After her arrest in Mashhad, because of blows she received to the head, she was already in bad condition,” her brother said.

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