BAGHDAD -- Iraq's oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply to 10 million barrels in April due to the regional war from the previous monthly level of around 93 million barrels, newly inaugurated Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudhair said Saturday.
According to a statement by the oil ministry, Khudhair said during a ceremony marking his assumption of office that the government's strategy focuses on collaborating with foreign firms to enhance domestic production capacity, train technical and engineering personnel, and build the best infrastructure for the oil sector. (Iraq-Oil-Export)
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GAZA -- Hamas confirmed on Saturday that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, commander-in-chief of its armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday.
The announcement was made by Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem in a video posted on Facebook. According to Palestinian sources, hundreds of Palestinians attended al-Haddad's funeral on Saturday, with the procession starting from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque in central Gaza City. Participants carried the bodies of al-Haddad, his wife, and daughter through the streets, and chanted slogans denouncing the Israeli airstrike. (Hamas-Leader-Killing)
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GAZA -- Hamas said Saturday in an official statement that it has held an election to choose its leader, but the result was not decided in the first round. A second round of voting will be held "at a later date," the statement added.
In a press statement, health authorities said that since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, a total of 870 Palestinians had been killed and 2,543 others injured by Israeli fire. (Hamas-Leader-Election)
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TEHRAN -- Iran will soon unveil a "professional mechanism" to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz along a designated route, a senior Iranian lawmaker said Saturday, without specifying the exact timing of the disclosure.
Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, wrote on social media platform X that the route will "remain closed" to the operators of Project Freedom, a U.S. military operation aimed at guiding commercial vessels out of the strait. (Iran-Hormuz Strait-Control) ■
