U.S. Central Command said the vessel, identified as the Sevan, was intercepted by a Navy helicopter launched from the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney during operations aimed at enforcing restrictions on Iranian oil and gas shipments.

The military described the Sevan as part of a 19-vessel “shadow fleet” accused of transporting Iranian petroleum products, including oil, propane and butane, to foreign markets in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to Central Command, the ship complied with orders to reverse course and is now heading back toward Iran under U.S. escort.The interception marks the latest maritime enforcement action under a U.S.-led blockade intended to restrict Iranian energy exports and reduce revenue flows to Tehran amid heightened regional tensions.

U.S. officials said the targeted fleet had been sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury for facilitating the transport of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian energy products through covert shipping networks often involving opaque ownership structures and flag changes.

“These vessels are part of a sanctions evasion network designed to conceal the origin and destination of Iranian exports,” Central Command said in its statement.Since the start of the blockade, the U.S. military said 37 vessels have been redirected, reflecting an expanded effort to enforce sanctions through direct maritime interdiction rather than financial restrictions alone.

The Arabian Sea has become a focal point for such operations due to its strategic role in shipping routes connecting the Gulf, South Asia and global energy markets.Washington has increased pressure on Iranian oil exports as part of broader efforts to constrain Tehran’s regional influence and funding channels, particularly amid ongoing instability across the Middle East and heightened tensions involving U.S. forces in the region.

Iran has repeatedly criticized U.S. maritime sanctions enforcement as unlawful and has accused Washington of disrupting freedom of navigation and international trade.

The latest interception comes as scrutiny of tanker movements linked to Iran has intensified, with governments and shipping regulators monitoring so-called shadow fleets used to bypass sanctions through ship-to-ship transfers and concealed cargo documentation.

No injuries or military confrontation were reported during the interception of the Sevan, and Central Command did not specify the vessel’s final destination before it was ordered to turn back.

In Omdurman’s Al-Nao Educational Hospital, volunteers work as nurses, paramedics and pharmacists, often rushing to bomb sites to help victims.

Community kitchens known as “takkaya” provide free meals to families facing hunger, while local burial teams recover unidentified bodies and conduct funerals during ongoing shelling.

Many of these volunteers emerged from Sudan’s resistance committees, neighborhood groups that once led protests against former president Omar al-Bashir.

Despite reduced donations and constant danger, residents say they continue because basic survival in the war-torn capital depends on them.“We could leave tomorrow, but our country needs us,” one volunteer said.

Trump said he had ordered envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Islamabad, where mediation efforts had been centered following the arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for talks with Pakistani officials.

Speaking before departing Florida and later in comments to Fox News, Trump said the revised Iranian offer failed to meet U.S. expectations and dismissed the value of sending negotiators for extended talks.“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there,’” Trump said, according to Fox News.

“We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want.”In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that there was “tremendous infighting and confusion” within Iran’s leadership and said, “Nobody knows who is in charge, including them.”

The cancellation dealt a setback to mediation efforts in Islamabad, where Araghchi had concluded meetings with Pakistani leaders without direct contact with U.S. representatives.

Araghchi described the visit as “very fruitful,” while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Tehran would not accept what he called “imposed negotiations” conducted under threats or blockade.

Iran urged Washington to remove operational restrictions, including measures affecting Iranian ports, while maintaining that it would not accept maximalist demands.“Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands,” an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters.

Tensions remain elevated across the region despite a ceasefire currently in force after a conflict that began on Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Tehran later launched retaliatory strikes against Israel, U.S. military bases and Gulf states, escalating fears of a broader regional war.

The standoff has also disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor, while U.S. restrictions on Iranian oil exports remain in place, pushing energy prices to multi-year highs and adding pressure to global inflation and growth.

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered forces to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon “forcefully,” testing a fragile three-week ceasefire and underscoring the broader instability surrounding the negotiations.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said earlier that Washington had seen some progress from Iran in recent days and hoped for further movement over the weekend.Vice President JD Vance, who led an earlier unsuccessful round of indirect talks in Islamabad this month, had also been prepared to travel again if negotiations advanced.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran still had an opportunity to reach an agreement if it made verifiable commitments on its nuclear program.“All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” Hegseth said.

Iran’s foreign ministry later confirmed that no direct meeting with U.S. officials had been planned during Araghchi’s visit and said Tehran would instead convey its position through Pakistan as mediator.

Mali’s ruling military junta said its forces were battling what it described as “terrorist groups” that launched surprise dawn assaults on military positions around Bamako and in several regional cities, while authorities insisted the situation was under control.

Helicopters circled over the capital and around Bamako’s international airport as fighting was reported near the Kati military base, a strategic garrison town where junta leader General Assimi Goïta resides.

JNIM, an armed group linked to Al-Qaeda, said the attacks were carried out jointly with the FLA, a coalition of Tuareg separatist rebels active in northern Mali.“Together, we are carrying out a veritable transformation, in the service of religion, of the country and of the people,” the group said in a statement.

JNIM claimed its fighters targeted the residences of Goïta and Defense Minister General Sadio Camara, as well as Bamako international airport and other military installations.Witnesses reported intense clashes in Kati and other urban centers, while online footage showed armed militants moving through streets in contested areas.

The FLA separately said it had seized control of Kidal, a key northern city long regarded as a symbolic stronghold of Tuareg separatist movements.“Our FLA troops control Kidal, most of Kidal,” FLA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told AFP, adding that the regional governor had taken refuge at the former camp of the United Nations peacekeeping mission MINUSMA.

The Malian army said “terrorist groups” had attacked “certain points and barracks in the capital and the interior” early Saturday, but later stated that 16 civilians and soldiers were injured and that only limited material damage had been recorded.“The situation is fully under control in all the localities targeted,” the junta said.

Analysts said the scale and coordination of the attacks marked a serious escalation.“We’re looking at a major coordinated offensive across the country on a level unseen since 2012 when the government lost half the country,” said Charlie Werb of Aldebaran Threat Consultants.

Fighting was also reported in Gao and Kidal in the north and in the central city of Sevare, highlighting the geographic spread of the offensive.Russia’s Foreign Ministry said around 250 fighters had attacked Bamako airport and a nearby military base, adding that the assault had been repelled.“The Russian side expresses deep concern over the unfolding events,” the ministry said on Telegram.

Russian military support has become central to Mali’s security strategy since the junta severed defense ties with former colonial power France and strengthened cooperation with Moscow. Russia’s Africa Corps, operating under the Russian defense ministry, replaced the Wagner mercenary group in supporting Malian forces.

Since 2012, Mali has faced a prolonged insurgency involving jihadist groups, criminal networks and separatist movements. The military leadership, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, justified its takeover partly on promises to restore security, but attacks have continued across the country.

Thousands have been killed and tens of thousands displaced by the violence, with many fleeing to neighboring states.African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the attacks, warning that the renewed violence risked exposing civilians to significant harm.

The whereabouts of Goïta were not immediately clear, while speculation also surrounded Camara after residents reported that a powerful explosion had heavily damaged his residence in Kati. His entourage later said he was safe.

The streets of Bamako remained largely deserted into the evening as security forces maintained a heavy presence and sporadic gunfire continued in parts of the city.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, and said he was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by Secret Service personnel near the event’s main security perimeter.

One law enforcement officer was struck in a bullet-resistant vest and is expected to recover, according to officials cited by The Associated Press.Addressing reporters later at the White House, Trump said the suspect had been carrying several weapons and described the officer’s survival as the result of close-range protective gear performance.

“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.The incident unfolded just as Trump was preparing to deliver remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, his first attendance at the annual event as president.

Guests inside the subterranean ballroom reported hearing between five and eight shots before Secret Service agents rushed toward the president.Witnesses said agents surrounded Trump onstage as guests ducked beneath tables and shouted warnings echoed through the hall.

During the evacuation, Trump briefly stumbled and was helped to his feet by security personnel before being escorted out.The banquet hall, filled with journalists, political leaders and public figures, was immediately placed under lockdown. National Guard personnel and law enforcement officers secured exits while helicopters circled overhead and surrounding streets were sealed off.

Among those evacuated were Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson.Johnson later said he and his wife were “praying for our country tonight,” while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said “The violence and chaos in America must end.”

Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York, who attended the dinner, said the uncertainty in the room escalated quickly after the first loud noise.“We didn’t know what the hell it was,” Lawler said, adding that threats against public officials have become increasingly common.

The event briefly appeared likely to resume as staff reset tables, refilled water glasses and prepared Trump’s teleprompter. However, White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang later announced the dinner would be canceled and rescheduled.“We will do this again,” Jiang told attendees.

The annual dinner, traditionally attended by presidents, journalists, lawmakers and celebrities, has long served as one of Washington’s most visible intersections of politics and media. Trump had not attended during his first term or the first year of his second term, making Saturday’s appearance particularly notable given his administration’s strained relationship with the press.

In recent months, Trump’s administration has clashed repeatedly with major media organizations including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press, while facing criticism over restrictions on press access and legal disputes involving journalists.

Ahead of the dinner, nearly 500 retired journalists signed a petition urging the correspondents’ association to take a stronger stand against what they described as threats to press freedom.Outside the hotel, a small group of protesters gathered before the event, some carrying signs criticizing the administration’s treatment of the media.

Authorities have not yet released further details about the suspect’s motive or how he reached the security perimeter of one of Washington’s most heavily protected political events.

Northern Ireland’s Belfast Telegraph reported on Sunday that the vehicle detonated outside the police station during the night, publishing an image showing a car engulfed in flames near the site.The Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement that officers were responding to a security alert in Dunmurry and that an evacuation operation was underway in the area.

Authorities did not immediately confirm the cause of the explosion or whether the incident was being treated as a deliberate attack.Police said emergency procedures were put in place as security personnel secured the surrounding area and residents were advised to avoid the location while investigations continued.

No officers were injured in the blast, the Belfast Telegraph reported, though officials had not yet released information on whether any civilians were harmed or whether arrests had been made.

The incident comes against the backdrop of persistent low-level security threats in Northern Ireland despite the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades of sectarian conflict known as the Troubles.

Police officers in the region remain occasional targets of dissident republican groups, most of them small nationalist militant factions opposed to British rule in Northern Ireland and the peace settlement that followed.

Security incidents involving improvised explosive devices and attacks on law enforcement have continued sporadically in recent years, particularly in Belfast, Londonderry and border regions.The police service has not publicly linked Sunday’s explosion to any specific group, and investigations were ongoing.

The Dunmurry alert led to overnight road closures and the deployment of armored police vehicles, according to local reports, as officers conducted searches around the station and nearby streets.

Officials were expected to provide further details later on Sunday as forensic teams examined the scene.

The commemoration comes as Kyiv accuses Moscow of repeatedly sending missiles and drones along flight paths near the former Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant while attacking Ukrainian cities, including a February 2025 drone strike that damaged the plant’s protective confinement structure.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the original 1986 catastrophe was caused by a reactor experiment ordered by Soviet authorities in Moscow in violation of safety rules and followed by concealment of the scale of the disaster.

“The Chernobyl disaster was the result of a reactor experiment ordered by Moscow, in violation of safety protocols, and followed by lies and cover-ups,” the ministry said in a statement this week.

Millions of people across Europe were exposed to radiation after reactor four exploded during a late-night safety test on April 26, 1986, sending radioactive material across large parts of the continent.

Hundreds of thousands were evacuated, while vast agricultural and residential areas were rendered unsafe for habitation.Thousands later developed radiation-related illnesses, including cancer, though the total death toll remains disputed among researchers and international agencies.

A major international engineering effort led to the installation in 2016 of a vast steel and concrete confinement arch over the original sarcophagus hastily built after the explosion to contain radioactive debris.

That structure, designed to prevent further contamination, was punctured during a Russian drone strike in February 2025, Ukrainian officials said.

While no radiation leaks were detected, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimates repairs will require at least 500 million euros to prevent lasting damage.

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s top state prosecutor told that radar systems had detected at least 92 Russian drones flying within five kilometers of the protective shield since June 2024, raising renewed international concern over the safety of the site.

Russia has denied accusations of deliberately endangering nuclear facilities during the war, while previous disputes over attacks near energy infrastructure have intensified fears of a broader nuclear emergency.

Located about 100 kilometers north of Kyiv, the plant remains inside a 2,600-square-kilometer exclusion zone established after the disaster. Around 2,250 employees continue to work in rotating shifts to oversee the long-term decommissioning of the site.

The plant’s final operational reactor was shut down in 2000.The control room of reactor four now stands dark and rusted, filled with damaged Soviet-era machinery left as a reminder of the explosion.Outside, wildlife including moose and wild horses roam through the abandoned forests and the nearby ghost city of Pripyat, where nature has reclaimed neighborhoods once evacuated in haste.

Security concerns continue to shape official remembrance ceremonies in wartime Ukraine, with authorities typically withholding details of commemorations in advance to reduce risks from missile and drone attacks.

For many Ukrainians, the anniversary now serves not only as a memorial to a Soviet-era catastrophe, but also as a warning of how war can once again place Europe’s nuclear safety at risk.

The statement came after reports that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was discussing the possible relocation of around 1,100 Afghans, including former U.S. war helpers and relatives of American service members, to the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of efforts to resolve their prolonged displacement.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said Afghanistan remained the “shared homeland of all Afghans” and invited those concerned to return with “full confidence and peace of mind,” rejecting concerns that they faced security threats under Taliban rule.

He said those wishing to migrate to other countries could do so later through “legal and dignified channels” and added that Kabul was ready to engage with all countries on the matter.

The remarks followed disclosures by advocacy group #AfghanEvac, which supports Afghan resettlement efforts, that U.S. officials had informed the group of talks between Washington and Congo regarding refugees housed at Camp As-Sayliyah, a U.S. base in Doha, where many have remained in limbo for more than a year.

The U.S. State Department said it was working to identify options for “voluntary” resettlement in a third country, but did not confirm which countries were under discussion.

For many of the Afghans at the camp, returning to Afghanistan is not considered safe. Many had worked directly with U.S. military forces, diplomatic missions, or affiliated programs during the war and fear retaliation from the Taliban, who returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

In a joint statement shared by #AfghanEvac, refugees at the camp said they had not been formally informed by U.S. officials about the possible transfer to Congo and learned of the discussions through media reports.

They said the prolonged uncertainty had severely affected their mental health.“Many of us are not well. The uncertainty has been more than some of us can carry. There is deep depression,” the group said, describing worsening psychological distress among families who have spent months waiting for relocation.

The refugees also firmly rejected the idea of being moved to Congo, citing ongoing violence there.“We do not want to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the statement said. “It is a country in its own war. We have been in enough war.

We cannot take our children into another one.”The Democratic Republic of Congo has faced decades of instability, particularly in its eastern region, where fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed rebel groups has intensified.

Camp residents also said returning to Afghanistan was not an option.“The Taliban will kill many of us for what we did for the United States,” the statement said. “This is not a fear. This is a fact.”The relocation discussions come more than a year after President Trump suspended his predecessor’s Afghan refugee resettlement program as part of broader immigration restrictions, leaving thousands of vetted Afghan applicants stranded in transit hubs across the world, including Qatar.

Many had already completed years of security screening and documentation for U.S. resettlement before the process was halted.

The uncertainty over their future continues to underscore the unresolved humanitarian fallout of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fate of those who supported its mission there.

Romania’s defense ministry said Russian forces had resumed drone attacks against civilian and infrastructure targets in Ukraine near the river border with Romania in Tulcea County early Saturday, raising concerns over repeated violations of Romanian airspace since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Emergency services said the drone came down in a residential area and may have carried an explosive charge, triggering a large-scale security response.“A drone crashed in a populated area,” emergency officials said in a statement, adding that authorities were assessing the risk posed by a “possible explosive charge.”

No casualties were reported, but an electricity pole and an outbuilding attached to a house were damaged. Gas supplies in the surrounding area were suspended as a precaution while bomb disposal teams secured the site.Romanian authorities evacuated more than 200 people from nearby homes as security personnel cordoned off the impact zone.

Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has repeatedly reported drone fragments landing on its territory during Russian attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure along the Danube, particularly near the ports of Reni and Izmail.

Local media reported that this was the first instance in which debris from a Russian drone caused material damage inside Romanian territory, marking a significant escalation in the spillover risk from the war.Foreign Minister Oana Toiu summoned Russia’s ambassador following the incident, according to an official statement, signaling Bucharest’s continued diplomatic push against repeated airspace intrusions.

Romania adopted legislation in 2025 authorizing its military to shoot down drones that enter national airspace, although officials have not yet used those powers in any reported incident.

The latest crash underscores growing security concerns along NATO’s eastern flank as Russian strikes near Ukraine’s western and southern borders increasingly risk direct consequences for neighboring alliance members.

The Danube region has become a frequent target since Ukraine expanded its use of river export routes after repeated attacks on Black Sea shipping infrastructure.

Saturday’s incident is likely to intensify pressure on Romanian and NATO defense planners to strengthen air surveillance and rapid interception capabilities along the alliance’s southeastern border.

The German navy vessel Fulda is being positioned to support a potential multinational operation aimed at protecting maritime navigation through the strategically vital waterway, where tensions surged after Iran effectively disrupted shipping routes during the recent war.

A defense ministry spokeswoman said the deployment was intended to make a “significant and visible contribution” to an international coalition seeking to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy transit corridors.

Several countries have indicated readiness to participate in what officials have described as a “neutral” maritime security mission following the end of hostilities between the United States and Iran.The United States said last week it had begun de-mining operations in coordination with Tehran, although Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed such cooperation.

The minesweeper Fulda, a specialized vessel designed to detect and neutralize naval mines, will be stationed with a crew of around 45 personnel, the spokeswoman said.Any eventual deployment into the Strait of Hormuz itself would depend on what Berlin described as a lasting cessation of hostilities and formal approval from Germany’s Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, which is required for overseas military operations.

The conflict in Iran began on Feb. 28 with air strikes carried out by the United States and Israel, sharply escalating regional tensions and raising fears over global energy supply disruptions.In response, Iran’s military moved to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments normally pass, triggering a spike in international crude prices and renewed concerns over shipping security.

The narrow maritime passage linking the Persian Gulf to global markets remains one of the most strategically sensitive chokepoints in world trade, particularly for Europe and Asia’s energy imports.

Diplomatic efforts to stabilize the region have since intensified, with prospects for renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran emerging this weekend in Pakistan, where both sides have reportedly sent envoys to Islamabad for indirect talks on ending the conflict.

Germany’s move reflects broader European efforts to restore stability in Gulf shipping lanes and prevent renewed disruption to commercial traffic after weeks of heightened military confrontation.