BBC State Department correspondent. Former Middle East. Foreign policy & international relations. Signal tom.6441 bit.ly/3Pi6Pzi email tom.b.dc@proton.me
Joined January 2009
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8 Apr 2022
1. Civilians who escaped Mariupol in recent days have described the growing desperation in the besieged city, including accounts of bodies buried in shallow graves, looting by Chechen fighters, and starving residents being killed when they venture out of shelters to find water
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 12
Fahd Abu Haikal was driving through Hebron last week when he spotted a group of Israeli soldiers.
He began to slow down, but one of the soldiers raised his rifle & opened fire.
One bullet pierced the windshield, striking his son, Sam, in the head.
He was just 7 months old -- the 13th child to be killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank so far this year.
The IDF says it is investigating the shooting.
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Jun 12
Important reporting on the daily realities in Jerusalem by @YolandeKnell
bbc.com/news/articles/cewpwj…
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Jun 11
The world according to Marco Rubio-
Take a listen to our Global Story podcast, out today
with @asmamk
bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct8mfc
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 11
Smoke coming out of MT Jalveer after an incident. More details awaited. Indian sailors on board the vessel off Oman coast.
Visuals by Forward Seamen's Union of India
Jun 11
Tanker MT Jalveer carrying Indian sailors attacked off Oman coast. 3rd such incident in days.
Reporting:
wionews.com/india-news/tanke…
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Jun 11
“Although Americans should generally not cast aspersions on the rail services of other countries, the episode was yet another reminder of Britain’s degraded state”
Fascinating take on the UK’s long term outlook from @imkahloon
theatlantic.com/magazine/202…
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 11
Three Indian sailors killed in US strike on oil tanker bbc.in/4uu348K
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Jun 10
Two U.S. attacks in two days on vessels with Indians on board
June 8: MT Marivex, 24 Indians rescued by Oman
June 9: Settebello, 21 rescued and 3 missing
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Jun 10
Scoop: Zohran Mamdani was poised to hold his first meeting with a foreign leader this week but the Trump administration effectively nixed it in a behind-the-scenes effort that marks a new flashpoint between the mayor and Trump. W/ @iarnsdorf 🧵
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 9
EXPLOSIONS HEARD IN THE VICINITY OF IRAN'S JASK -MEHR NEWS AGENCY CITING LOCAL SOURCES AND RESIDENTS
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Jun 9
The web of fractious alliances, dysfunctional ceasefires and violent attempts at creating deterrence shows how dangerously destabilised the Middle East remains, more than three months after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran.
My analysis:
bbc.com/news/articles/cp8lm7…
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 8
UPDATE: In their Sunday call, Trump asked a Bibi not to attack Iran. Bibi wanted to respond, so Trump said to keep any retaliation limited and don't let the conflict escalate.
Israel attacked Iran.
On Monday, Trump asked Bibi to end attacks on Iran. Bibi agreed.
No yelling.
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Jun 8
Trump in his NBC interview says he pushed for stronger language in his Iran deal to get the word "acquire" in relating to Iran's vow (which it has always claimed) never to develop nuclear weapons. That wording was already in the opening pages of the JCPOA.
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 4
CENTCOM has released this photo of an F-16 refueling in an "undisclosed location."
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Tom Bateman retweeted
Jun 4
Rodney Mims Cook Jr - the man charged with overseeing Trump’s ballroom and arch projects - was in no mood to speak to the press in St Petersburg today. Marco Rubio said he was “unaware” a US delegation was at the International Economic Forum, once dubbed “Putin’s Davos”. Surreal!
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May 30
“Trump’s claim that he can lawfully order the military to summarily kill people accused of smuggling drugs has come under widespread criticism…[but] ‘Cocaine remains highly available, highly prevalent and relatively inexpensive’.”
nytimes.com/2026/05/29/world…
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May 27
“Trump by contrast talks about the board as “sort of a king’s court”, Schatz said. “So I just don’t know which one it is . . . It is not obvious to me at all.””
May 27
Trump’s Board of Peace fund is empty ft.trib.al/dACVf5K
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May 27
UNICEF told the BBC that during field visits the hospitals they went to were overwhelmed… their staff are helping to isolate and triage children arriving at hospitals where such measures are lacking, writes @caroline_gm_d
May 27
Hundreds of children die within months as measles cases soar in Bangladesh bbc.in/3RAIvK8
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Tom Bateman retweeted
May 27
Hundreds of children die within months as measles cases soar in Bangladesh bbc.in/3RAIvK8
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May 24
We analysed thousands of Donald Trump’s social media posts in 2026 - here’s what we found. Produced by Katerina Karelli. Graphics by Sally Nicholls and Mesut Ersoz. bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_…
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May 24
Just in: US State Dept deletes the post involving my question on racism against Indians.
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