Strait of Hormuz

June 26, 2026 11:02 AM

Explainer: US Congress backed an Iran war powers resolution. Now what?

This week both the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed a resolution directing President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, reflecting growing concern among members of his party about the conflict that began on February 28. The U.S. Senate passed the War Powers concurrent resolution on Tuesday directing President Trump to halt U.S. military activity against Iran, weeks after the measure was approved by the House. It is the first time...

June 26, 2026 10:03 AM

UN halts escort of ships through Hormuz after vessel comes under attack

The U.N. International Maritime Organization paused its operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after a vessel reported an attack, reigniting concerns about whether a preliminary deal to end the Iran war will hold. The cargo ship said it was hit close to Oman by a projectile, British navy agency UKMTO said, hours after Tehran warned vessels against taking routes that it had not approved. Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran had fired on the ship, while Iran'...

June 26, 2026 9:54 AM

Rubio wraps up Gulf tour as allies share concerns over Iran peace accord

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies on Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he wrapped up a Middle East trip aimed at winning over regional partners with deep reservations about the preliminary accord. Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain - home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet - Rubio said Washington was seeking an enduring peace with long-time foe Iran that would not come at the expense of the security of allies...

June 23, 2026 9:56 PM

Evacuation plan through Hormuz for stranded ships in Gulf underway, UN agency says

An evacuation plan to enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz is underway after Iran and the U.S. reached a ceasefire deal, the United Nations' shipping agency said on Tuesday. "We have now started contacting the ships to start the evacuation," a spokesperson with the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO) said, without providing a timeframe. The IMO said it had secured the necessary safety guarantees and verified ...

June 23, 2026 12:34 PM

US Eases Iran Sanctions to Allow Oil Sales Amid Peace Talks

The United States has temporarily lifted major sanctions on Iran, authorizing the production, delivery and sale of Iranian-origin crude oil, petroleum and petrochemical products. The 60-day general license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department remains in effect through August 21 and aligns with the timeline of an interim agreement aimed at securing a final peace deal between Washington and Tehran. The sanctions relief covers associated services, including banking transactions, insurance and ma...

June 23, 2026 11:18 AM

Rubio faces tough task of selling Iran reset to wary Gulf allies

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces a delicate mission this week pitching Washington's Iran peace deal to Gulf Arab leaders who fear excessive concessions will strengthen Tehran and reshape the region's security balance and oil flows. Rubio will meet them in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, before traveling to Kuwait and Bahrain, where he will meet officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, a grouping of monarchies that also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. At issue are eleme...

June 23, 2026 10:45 AM

US waives Iran sanctions, Trump says he will ‘do what I have to’ if Tehran misbehaves

The United States waived sanctions on Iran for 60 days from Monday after the first talks under a nascent peace deal, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying he will "do what I have to do" if Iran does not stick to its side of the agreement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said talks with Iranian officials in Switzerland had laid a good foundation for a final peace deal, although Iran denied that it had begun discussions of its nuclear program. The two sides, trying to build on the interim deal th...

June 22, 2026 11:13 PM

Four fertilizer ships cross Strait of Hormuz, boosting India’s Kharif supply security

In a major boost to India's fertilizer security, four cargo vessels carrying consignments of urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and sulphur have successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are en route to Indian ports, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said on Monday. The ships are headed to Krishnapatnam, Kakinada, Paradeep and Mundra ports, where the cargo will be unloaded to augment supplies for the ongoing Kharif season. The government said India's total fertilizer stock stood at 1...

June 22, 2026 11:01 AM

Shipping slows after Iran says it has again shut the Strait of Hormuz

The number of ships that passed through the Strait of Hormuz fell sharply on Sunday after Iran announced it had again closed the waterway, citing Israeli and U.S. violations of the interim peace deal, shipping data showed. Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, from 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. These included three Very Large Crude Carriers carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude and fuel oil each, one of which was heading to Japan. The data may ex...

June 22, 2026 9:09 AM

US and Iran conclude high-level talks in Switzerland, mediators say

The first round of talks between high-ranking U.S. and Iranian officials in Switzerland ended Monday, mediators said, after a tense opening marked by Tehran's announcement it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. President Donald Trump repeating his threats to resume attacks on Iran. A joint statement from mediating nations Qatar and Pakistan said the U.S. and Iran agreed to a roadmap toward a final deal within 60 days. Technical talks will continue for the rest of the week in the Qata...