MBN Wins Five Telly Awards in 2026, Highlighting Global Impact Storytelling MBN has been recognized on the global stage, winning five awards at the 47th annual Telly Awards, one of the most respected international competitions honoring excellence in television, video, and digital media. The network earned one Silver and four Bronze awards for powerful reporting that captures the complexity of political, social, and humanitarian issues across the Middle East and beyond—reinforcing MBN’s commitment to storytelling that informs, challenges, and resonates. The Silver Telly was awarded to Randa Jebai’s report, “Iranian Cinema: Honored at Cannes, Punished in Tehran” youtube.com/watch?v=QC0vRqcl… MBN also received four Bronze Telly awards for the following reports: “China’s Surveillance State: How Technology Shapes Control” A video report by Houda Al-Boukili youtube.com/shorts/14mIcjp4d… “Reviving the Heartbeat of Khartoum, Sudan” A video report by Aya Elbaz youtube.com/shorts/JcE7yr1w3… “Darfur Left Behind: Fragmented Justice, Widespread Crimes” A video report by Rasha Ibrahim youtube.com/watch?v=LO-2bXYJ… “Syrian Christians Under Fire” A video report by Hanna Houshan youtube.com/watch?v=t3YSBOSV… This year’s competition drew nearly 14,000 entries from 55 countries, placing MBN alongside leading global media organizations such as Paramount, Warner Bros., Discovery, and National Geographic. Established in 1979, the Telly Awards are judged by a panel of more than 250 industry experts from top companies including Google, HBO, and Netflix. This recognition underscores MBN’s growing role as a digital-first, globally competitive newsroom, delivering impactful journalism that connects audiences to the stories shaping the region and the world.

Stateside, the World Cup is finally here, and MBN will report from across the U.S. on how the world’s biggest tournament is playing out in a time of high conflict. MBN will take you beyond the goals and into the stories, featuring an American twist on this global experience. This Week on MBN Iraqi Militias Warned to Keep Quiet Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Zaidi is working behind the scenes to stop Iran-backed militias in Iraq from joining the latest confrontation between Iran and Israel, says MBN’s Mustafa Saadoon. Will Syria Help Disarm Hezbollah? MBN’s Asrar Chbaro explores what that role could actually look like and examines Syria’s strategic calculations and Lebanon’s deep unease over any renewed Syrian involvement in Lebanon. The New ME Power Broker Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, is trying to turn his country into a major player in the Middle East, writes MBN’s Abubakar Siddique. China’s Next Move Starts with Taiwan China sees Taiwan as the key to outflanking Japan and the Philippines, Matt Pottinger, former deputy national security advisor, told MBN’s Min Mitchell and Leila Bazzi. 👉 Check out our exclusive analysis and deep dive for more: alhurra.com/en/22313

Under his leadership, Islamabad has moved away from its perpetual rivalry with India. He has pursued diplomacy, alliance-building, and defense exports in the Persian Gulf and the wider region, striving to transform his cash-strapped nation into a Middle East power broker. This ambition has raised Pakistan’s international stature and deflected attention from rising domestic insecurity within the Muslim nation of 250 million. It has also raised questions about whether a country struggling with violent insurgencies, chronic political divisions, and an ailing economy can effectively project power beyond South Asia Read more ⬇️ alhurra.com/en/22178

Iran Records Its Highest Execution Rate in 40 Years: What Is the “Network of Four Judges”?

James Jeffrey, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2010 to 2012, told Alhurra that “the challenges are overwhelming and probably insurmountable. Neither these groups nor Iran want to have them abandon their state within a state and military roles.” Washington views the issue as an early test for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office on May 14. The Trump administration has intensified pressure on Baghdad over Iran-backed militias, particularly after the groups carried out hundreds of attacks against U.S. interests and allies during the recent conflict involving Iran. Since Zaidi assumed office, Washington has expected his government to take clearer steps to dismantle those militias or at least curb their ability to operate outside state authority. Read more ➡️ alhurra.com/en/22299

The Iraqi government’s effort to bring all weapons under state control represents the first major test for the country’s new administration, tackling an issue that previous governments failed to resolve. But experts and former U.S. diplomats say the initiative faces significant obstacles, chief among them Iran’s efforts to keep allied armed factions outside Baghdad’s authority. Political and security sources familiar with the matter told Alhurra on Wednesday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is pressuring Shiite armed groups to reject any process that would require them to surrender their weapons to the Iraqi state More details ➡️ alhurra.com/en/22299

🔲 U.S. President Donald Trump said he hascanceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday, hours after threatening more bombings and a desire to "take" oil export hub Kharg Island. 🔲 "Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 🔲 Trump said "discussions and final points" have been approved by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. 🔲 "The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," he said.

The World Cup begins today, and Iran arrives with its fans shut out and its squad barred from spending a night on American soil, while the U.S. and Iran go after one another again in a series of retaliatory attacks. Read more ⬇️ alhurra.com/en/22229

Behind every match, there’s another story… Behind-the-scenes moments and the atmosphere beyond the pitch, coming soon on #TheOtherMatch with Ezzat Wagdy.

According to the sources, Iran views the issue as part of the broader regional “Axis of Resistance” rather than a domestic file that Baghdad can resolve on its own. A source within the government team responsible for communicating with armed factions told Alhurra that the IRGC informed militia leaders that Tehran would “do everything in its power” to prevent their weapons from being surrendered to the Iraqi state. “The Iranian message was direct,” the source said. “These are not your weapons, and you have no right to hand them over.” Read more ➡️ alhurra.com/en/22220

◼️ The latest military actions between the U.S. and Iran remind us that the ceasefire announced on Apr. 8 has never really held. Within hours of the ceasefire announcement two months ago, Israel launched its heaviest strikes of the war on Lebanon. When the Islamabad talks collapsed, Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and Iranian missile, drone, and small boat attacks on shipping continued through May. On Sunday, after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel, its most serious attack on Israel since the truce. That prompted Israeli retaliation against Iran. Both sides stepped back, and less than 24 hours later, a U.S. Apache went into the sea near the Strait of Hormuz. ◼️ It was the first American helicopter lost in the current war, though hardly the first aircraft: more than 40 American planes and drones have been lost or damaged since February, including two dozen Reaper drones. The two pilots were pulled from the water by an unmanned surface vessel, the first sea rescue ever performed by a U.S. military drone. Read more ➡️alhurra.com/en/22229 Subscribe ➡️alhurra.com/en/newsletter

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces would carry out orders from President Donald Trump and hit Iran hard on Wednesday by bombing "key facilities." Speaking to reporters after being briefed by commanders at the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Florida, Hegseth said Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it. "We will hit them hard on our terms on the targets that improve the environment for us to operate in and undermine the capabilities that Iran wants to have," Hegseth said. Hegseth spoke after Trump said that the United States would strike Iran again if no peace deal is secured, threatening further escalation following one of the most significant exchanges of hostilities in two months.

Behind every match, there’s another story… Behind-the-scenes moments and the atmosphere beyond the pitch, coming soon on #TheSecondMatch with Ezzat Wagdy.

The United States, Australia, European allies and other countries condemned Iran-backed groups' plots to kill Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish communities in a joint statement released on Wednesday. "We stand united in our determination to protect our countries and our people against these threats. The Islamic Republic of Iran must halt these actions now," the statement released by the U.S. Department of State said. The group of nations cited "lethal plotting" and other actions by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Intelligence Organization, Quds Force, and Ministry of Intelligence and Security. They also condemned a recent spate of attacks across Europe claimed by pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI). "Attempts to kill, kidnap, harass, intimidate, or otherwise attack people on our soil, undermines national sovereignty and international norms. These actions must stop immediately," the countries wrote.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States would strike Iran again if no peace deal is secured, threatening further escalation following one of the most significant exchanges of hostilities in two months. "We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard," Trump told reporters at the White House, saying the strikes would come later on Wednesday. The United States and Iran have traded fire several times since a tentative ceasefire took hold in early April, even as negotiators have sought an end to the three-month-old war. Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, though there has been no sign of a breakthrough. In the latest such incident, the U.S. military targeted air defenses and radar sites around the Strait of Hormuz after a U.S. attack helicopter was downed near the strategic waterway. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. A U.S. official said there was no significant damage.

The official ball of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, TRIONDA, takes its name from the Spanish words for “three waves,” a reference to the tournament’s three host countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is also one of the most technologically advanced balls ever used in the tournament, equipped with a motion sensor that collects data 500 times per second to help track movement, support officiating decisions and improve real-time match analysis. But while the ball is designed for the world’s biggest football stage in North America, it is produced thousands of miles away in Sialkot, Pakistan, a city long known as one of the world’s main centers for football manufacturing. Sialkot produces a large share of the world’s footballs, including balls for major international brands. The factory behind TRIONDA has been involved in making World Cup balls since 2014. An official TRIONDA match ball currently retails for about $170. In Sialkot, hand-stitchers can earn about 160 Pakistani rupees, less than $1, per ball.

◼️ In the tense days following a terrorist attack in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir last year, Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Syed Asim Munir, found himself at the center of an international crisis. ◼️ Arab monarchs and Western leaders urged Pakistan’s most powerful man to refrain from retaliating for a looming Indian attack on militant groups within Pakistan, according to Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar, a former caretaker prime minister and Munir ally. ◼️ New Delhi had blamed Pakistan-based Islamist militant groups, known to be active in Kashmir for decades, for the April 22, 2025, attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists. Islamabad denied any involvement. ◼️ Munir did not back down, said Kakar. The 58-year-old general put the country’s forces on high alert. Read more ➡️ alhurra.com/en/22178

◼️ The young businessman-turned-prime minister, who entered office without prior political experience, relies on an advisory team that includes figures close to Tehran, others with ties to Washington, as well as specialists from various fields, the sources said. ◼️ “Zaidi does not want a confrontation with the armed factions, but they should not force him into one,” a member of the prime minister’s political team told Alhurra. More details ⬇️ alhurra.com/en/22124

RT @sid_abu: I spoke with @AlexVatanka and @IranWonk to gain insight into why Iran escalated over the weekend. Tehran initiated the exchang…

🔲 Iraq’s most ambitious push since 2003 to bring Iran-backed armed factions under state control, and how Iraqi politicians and businessmen kept Iran financially afloat during the war. In Lebanon, Hezbollah and Amal supporters clashed for the first time since their brutal conflict of the late 1980s. And in the Gulf, roughly 7,500 Pakistani Shia workers have been deported from the UAE since the war began. 👉 Also this week: 🔲 Trump’s Terms 👉 President Donald Trump had said a deal with Tehran to turn a ceasefire into a peace settlement was still “very close,” adding that he did not want Iran’s missile strikes on Israel to blow up the peace process. Then he ordered Israel and Iran to stand down. He posted on Truth Social: “Israel and Iran must immediately stop shooting.” 🔲 Iran’s Order to Hezbollah 👉 Iran has told Hezbollah not to accept the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire. A Lebanese security officer told MBN the instruction came after talks between Tehran and Washington over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil flows, stalled. 🔲 Disarming Militias 👉 Iraq’s new government has launched its most ambitious effort since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to bring Iran-backed armed groups under state control. MBN has learned from Iraqi security sources that the process is already underway. 🔲 Iraq’s Money for Iran 👉While strikes targeted Iran’s military infrastructure, part of Iran’s financial lifeline ran through Baghdad. Iraqi politicians and businessmen provided cash support to Iran during the war, MBN has learned from political and economic officials in Iraq. 👉 Check out our exclusive analysis and deep dive for more:alhurra.com/en/22089

🔲 Today marks 100 days since the war began. Iran and Israel struck each other again last night. But why now? Meanwhile, the frozen-assets dispute has hardened into a direct collision between Iranian preconditions and American counterclaims. And with Marjane Satrapi’s death last week, Iran lost one of the few voices capable of making the life of the people of Iran understandable to the outside world. Read more ➡️alhurra.com/en/22078 Subscribe ➡️alhurra.com/en/newsletter