Middle East conflict

September 14, 2026 12:59 AM

Trump says US could stay in Iran and keep oil, like Venezuela deal

President Donald Trump suggested on Sunday the United States could stay in Iran and "keep the oil", drawing a parallel with a U.S. push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. On a trip to Ireland for meetings and to watch golf, he reiterated that he still expected the Iran war to end this year, possibly just after midterm elections due in the United States in November. Speaking at the Irish Open golf championship, Trump added that the price of gasoline would "drop like a ...

September 13, 2026 10:27 PM

Iran-Gulf Talks in Oman in focus; as tensions continue in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea

Diplomatic efforts are back in focus this week as the US-Iran conflict continues to disrupt the Gulf and widen to other areas. Iran and the Gulf states are due to meet in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz and the broader regional security. Iran says it has reached an understanding with Oman on a new maritime route through the strait. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that this does not mean an immediate reopening of Hormuz, which will depend on conditions bei...

September 9, 2026 9:23 PM

Sharp escalation in US-Iran Conflict, Oil Markets and Shipping under pressure

The US-Iran conflict has seen sharp escalation since yesterday, with both sides reporting attacks on military infrastructure and commercial shipping vessels. The recent attacks are perhaps the biggest on shipping vessels since the beginning of the conflict. US CENTCOM had said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday, after Iranian forces attempted to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. The US identified the 5 Iranian vessels as Kaviz, Charminar, Horizon 1, Riesco and Dery...

September 9, 2026 12:54 AM

Iran-backed Houthis attack four Saudi cities in expansion of Middle East war

Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthis attacked four cities in the south of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding more than 70 people and setting oil installations ablaze in what appeared to be a major expansion of the six-month-old Middle East war. The Houthis, who control most of Yemen's populated areas including the capital, said they had launched a broad operation deep into Saudi territory. They used drones and missiles to strike a Saudi airbase in the southern city of Khamis Mushait as well a...

September 7, 2026 10:39 PM

Iran warns US energy assets in Gulf are vulnerable after latest clashes

Iran threatened on Monday to retaliate against any new U.S. attacks on its assets, warning that energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including U.S. oil and gas interests, was vulnerable. "Strike our assets and you get struck," Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said after U.S. and Iranian strikes on shipping at the weekend that pushed oil prices up near six-week highs on Monday. The latest threat underscores the risks of further escalation after the sides traded blows again at...

September 6, 2026 9:36 AM

US Strikes three Iranian Oil Tankers, including one near Kharg Island

US forces have said that they struck three Iranian crude oil tankers after IRGC launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships in regional waters. A statement by US CENTCOM said they disabled tanker Downy near Kharg Island, tanker Stark 1 near Jask and destroyed unladen tanker Kylo (also known as the Noxen), in the Gulf of Oman after directing its crew to abandon ship. The CENTCOM called the three Iranian crude oil tankers a part of a shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional prox...

August 26, 2026 12:17 PM

Gulf ship traffic via Strait of Hormuz hovers below 10-day average, data shows

Five commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, little changed from a day earlier but well below the 10-day average of 15, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday. Two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas and one tanker carrying bitumen exited the Gulf via the strait, while two empty product tankers entered the waterway from the Gulf of Oman, initial data from shiptracker Kpler showed at 0408 GMT. On Monday, four commodity vessels transited the waterway, the data sho...

August 26, 2026 10:43 AM

Trump sends Saudi nuclear deal to US Congress but says Riyadh must recognize Israel

President Donald Trump has sent Congress a proposed agreement with Saudi Arabia on civil nuclear energy while insisting the pact will only go into effect if the kingdom normalizes relations with Israel, a U.S. administration official told Reuters on Tuesday. The agreement, which was reached in July and would allow U.S. companies to export civilian nuclear technology to the kingdom, was sent to Congress on Monday, according to the U.S. official, who declined to be identified. The Saudi embassy ...

August 26, 2026 5:16 PM

Iran and Oman plan for temporary Hormuz corridor as impasse with US persists

Iran has held new talks with neighbouring Oman on management of the Strait of Hormuz, blockaded over nearly six months of conflict, with Oman's foreign minister saying he was hopeful a temporary corridor through the waterway could be announced soon. Iran and Oman have held on-and-off talks for weeks about controlling traffic through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war began in February. Most shipping has since been shut down, as ...

August 26, 2026 8:41 AM

Iran vows to resist widened US sanctions, says Washington seeks talks

Iran denounced on Tuesday expanded U.S. sanctions aimed at isolating its economy as an act of "gross lawlessness", expressing confidence that many countries wouldnot join the pressure campaign. Almost six months into a conflict the U.S. has struggled to resolve, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the measures on Monday but stopped short of the most punishing options. While he said countries that continued trading with Iran risked being forced out of the dollar-based financial system, he...