Strait of Hormuz

May 22, 2026 9:11 AM

US and Iran still at odds on key issues, but both sides report signs of progress

The U.S. and Iran stuck to opposing stances on Thursday over Tehran's uranium stockpile and controls on the Strait of Hormuz, although U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been "some good signs" in talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will eventually recover Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium - which Washington believes is destined for a nuclear weapon though Tehran says it is intended purely for peaceful purposes. "We will get it. We don't need it, we don't ...

May 21, 2026 5:14 PM

No full Hormuz flows until first half of 2027, UAE’s oil giant says

Full oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz will not return before the first or second quarter of 2027, even if the Middle East conflict ended now, the head of the United Arab Emirates' state oil firm ADNOC said. The outlook is among the most pessimistic by top industry executives and underscores the prolonged economic impact of the Iran war which has triggered what the International Energy Agency has called the largest ever energy crisis because of the near-closure of the strait. Iran has est...

May 21, 2026 9:24 AM

Global stocks soar on Nvidia earnings, Samsung strike suspension

Asian stocks surged on Thursday as some vessels resumed passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while forecast-beating results at Nvidia and a suspended workers' strike at Samsung Electronics lifted shares of chipmakers. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 2.6%, snapping a four-day streak of losses. Korea's leapt more than 7%, Taiwanese shares rose 3.5% and Chinese blue-chips gained 1.1%. Brent crude futures edged up 0.6% to $105.68 a barrel in Asia trade, retracin...

May 18, 2026 9:56 PM

Iran Faces Mounting Global Pressure as G7 Pushes Sanctions and Gaza Flotilla Is Seized

Iran is facing intensifying diplomatic and economic pressure on multiple fronts today, as G7 finance ministers gathered in Paris called for tighter coordination on sanctions, Israeli naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla near Cyprus, and a new Amnesty International report laid bare the scale of executions inside the country. At the G7 finance ministers' meeting in Paris, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on allied nations to align behind a coordinated sanctions regime aime...

May 14, 2026 6:11 PM

Centre urges citizens not to panic-buy fuel amid West Asia tensions

The Centre on Thursday urged citizens not to indulge in panic buying of petrol, diesel and LPG, saying that adequate stocks of fuel and cooking gas are available across the country despite the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia. Speaking at an inter-ministerial media briefing held at the National Media Centre, officials from the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Information and Broadcasting outlined measures being taken to ensure uninterrupted...

May 13, 2026 9:37 PM

Israeli strikes intensify in Lebanon, casualties reported amid fragile ceasefire

Israeli air strikes intensified across Lebanon on Wednesday, with Lebanese health authorities reporting at least 12 people killed in seven separate attacks targeting vehicles in southern Lebanon and areas south of Beirut. Among the dead were civilians, including a woman and two children, as well as members of Lebanon’s Civil Defence service. The latest strikes come despite a US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah announced in April, which has repeatedly come under strain amid cont...

May 13, 2026 9:20 AM

Trump promises US-Cuba talks but gives no details

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Cuba is asking for help and "we are going to talk," without providing any more information about U.S. plans. Trump has heaped pressure on the Caribbean island nation since returning to office last year, and threatened that Cuba "is next" after U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro, the president of longtime Cuban ally Venezuela, in January. "No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and only heading in one direction - down! C...

May 13, 2026 9:17 AM

Kremlin, Trump say Ukraine war nearly over after Zelenskiy casts doubt

The Kremlin repeated Russian President Vladimir Putin's assertion that the war in Ukraine was almost over on Tuesday and U.S. President Donald Trump said the war's conclusion was "very close," perspectives not shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said Moscow had no intention of ending it. "I think that the matter is coming to an end," Putin told reporters on Saturday. Asked to comment on Putin's remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that a certain amount of...

May 13, 2026 9:13 AM

Trump says he does not need China’s help to end Iran war, Tehran tightens grip on Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not think he will need China's help to end the war with Iran, even as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz. Ahead of a high-stakes summit in Beijing, Trump said he did not think he would need to enlist Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the conflict, which has continued to block maritime traffic that normally provides one-fifth of the world's oil supply. "I don't think we need an...

May 13, 2026 12:37 PM

US-Iran ceasefire under strain as Trump rejects Tehran proposal, regional tensions escalate

The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appears increasingly unstable after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest peace proposal, describing the agreement as being on "massive life support" and dismissing Iran’s counter-offer as "garbage." The sharp exchange has deepened uncertainty over efforts to prevent a wider conflict in West Asia. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the country’s armed forces were "prepared to deliver a lesson-...