The shipping industry is looking for new options after the recent declaration by the Iranian-backed Houthis that Saudi ships trying to reach the Indian Ocean would be targeted, according to analysts. A number of tankers are using the northern route out of the Red Sea through the Suez canal or loading oil at Sidi Kerir … Read more
The two sides may have largely stopped shooting at each other, but listen to Washington and Tehran’s version of events and it’s clear they remain poles apart. On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Washington had halted strikes on Iran at the regime’s own request. “They asked us very nicely, ‘Please stop, let’s meet’,” Trump … Read more
It’s been five days since wildfires began tearing through the forests in the western part of Spain’s Madrid region. Since then, nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, many of them now sleeping in sports centers and makeshift shelters. I’m 88 years old, and it’s the first time in my life I’ve experienced … Read more
French firefighters are battling to keep the wildfires burning through the Gironde region from threatening Bordeaux, the country’s sixth largest city. Several nearby towns have been evacuated but the city itself is currently not threatened by the fires, its mayor Thomas Cazenave told BFMTV, though one resident described staying inside with the windows shut to … Read more
Iran’s military said on Friday it carried out drone strikes against several American military facilities and bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for the latest U.S. attacks, while explosions were heard near an American base in northern Iraq. “This morning, the fuel tanks, large equipment warehouses and silos and the barracks of the … Read more
Since the breakdown of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, ship crews around the Strait of Hormuz are unwilling to make the risky trip, Dimitris Maniatis, CEO of the Greek maritime risk management company Marisks, said Thursday. “Vessels that were trapped inside the Persian Gulf for a very long time, belonging to owners that were extremely … Read more
Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked the annual defense policy package, a must-pass piece of legislation that usually passes with large bipartisan support, amid their objections over the war in Iran. The vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, was 50-46. There are still several months until the deadline to pass the package, but … Read more
Iran’s foreign minister landed in Oman today to discuss the Strait of Hormuz after renewed clashes threatened the fragile US-Iran ceasefire this week. But Oman hasn’t been publicly leading mediation efforts, so why are high-stakes meetings taking place in Muscat? The memorandum of understanding reached between the US and Iran last month stipulates that Iran … Read more
Any hope that a more conciliatory President Donald Trump might appear at this year’s NATO summit has evaporated. It was always a long-shot that a leader who spent the last five months castigating US allies for not helping more with Iran would arrive in Ankara in a pleasant mood. He had already said he was … Read more
As NATO leaders gather in Ankara today with Ukraine a focal point of the agenda, Russia continues to wage a campaign against the infrastructure of ordinary Ukrainian life, targeting fuel stations, destroying postal hubs and sending missiles into apartment blocks in the middle of the night. Over 150 gas stations have burned down in two … Read more