Iran
COMMENT: Gulf economies face uneven shocks to their external position as war disrupts trade flows
The impact of the war on Gulf economies’ external positions is diverging sharply, with some states facing severe current account deterioration while others benefit from higher energy prices Capital Economics said in a note.
Is Russia quietly blocking the development of the Middle Corridor?
Mysteriously, the project to build the transit route’s most critical piece of infrastructure, Anaklia deep sea port in Georgia, remains stalled.
Where food accounts for a large slice of imports - Statista
Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and supply chain disruptions caused by the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, concerns over global food security have intensified, Statista reports.
The Strait of Hormuz is also a digital chokepoint
The IRGC closed the Strait of Hormuz on March 2, choking off a fifth of the world’s oil supplies and causing the “worst oil crisis in history.” However, the IRGC has another card to play: cut the internet cables that run through the Strait.
UAE strikes back at Turkey in fight to become global investor haven
The United Arab Emirates is hitting back at emerging competitors such as Turkey in the fight to emerge as the prime Middle Eastern destination for international investors.
Iran demands Gulf states pay compensation for war damage
Iran's UN envoy has demanded that Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Jordan pay full compensation for war damage, accusing them of complicity in aggression, in a claim that reverses the position taken by the six states themselves.
How China captured the Gulf while Washington forgot to send an ambassador
Beijing now trades nearly $400bn a year with the Middle East, runs the region's largest infrastructure programmes, and brokers its diplomacy. America still sells the weapons. It is not enough
Iran oil minister says US blockade 'failing' to curb oil exports
Iranian officials said a naval blockade had failed to choke off the country’s oil exports and that Tehran had enough storage capacity to see it through for another 30 days, pushing back against reports that Washington plans to widen pressure.
How Tehran systematically dismantled America's Gulf military network in the first days of the war- NBC
When US and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, striking Iran's nuclear sites, missile factories and military infrastructure, the Trump administration was expecting a walk in the park. It wasn't.
Trump tells Netanyahu that Israel must limit strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon
US President Donald Trump revealed that he instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to limit military operations in Lebanon to surgical strikes against Hezbollah.
Russia would not accept military presence of outside powers in Central Asia, says defence minister
Andrei Belousov tells SCO meeting Moscow is “closely monitoring” moves made by “non-regional states”.
Iran's oil sector fails to "explode" as Trump's shut-in deadline passes
The US blockade of tankers serving Iran’s oil exports is intended to cut Iranian oil exports to near-zero and force its production to stop as storage tanks fill, forcing Tehran to return to the negotiation table. The plan hasn't worked.
Why global population collapse will keep the wars coming
Demographers warned for decades that ageing, declining states grow more dangerous, not less. The wars now spreading from Eastern Europe to the Gulf to East Asia look increasingly like the opening engagements of a long contest over who outlasts whom.
Iran slams US seizure of two oil tankers as ‘piracy’
Iran condemned the US seizure of two tankers carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean, calling the confiscation of 3.8mn barrels of oil an example of “US addiction to lawlessness” and the “outright legalization of piracy” amid a naval siege.
Rift surfaces in BRICS over West Asia conflict
In spite of the diplomatic impasse at the declaration level, the consultations reportedly addressed humanitarian conditions across several conflict-affected states and examined prospects for post-conflict stabilisation in the broader MENA region.
Iraq’s President tasks Ali Al-Zaidi with forming new government
Iraq’s President, Nizar Amidi, formally tasked Ali Al-Zaidi, the nominee of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-aligned political parties, with forming a new government within 30 days.
Russia's VPN crackdown disrupts banks, marketplaces and government services
Russia's intensified VPN crackdown is causing widespread collateral disruption to legal banks, marketplaces, Yandex services and government platforms, with Novosibirsk worst-hit.
Iran's Nikzad warns of further US military action
Iran's deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad has warned of possible further US military action but argued direct confrontation, economic siege, proxy warfare and media pressure would all backfire on Washington given Iran's deterrent capability.
Putin holds talks with Iran's Araghchi in St Petersburg in first visit since war
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St Petersburg on April 27, the first visit by a senior Iranian official to Moscow since the outbreak of the US-Iran war and Tehran's leadership transition.
Latin America's unfinished battle with inflation leaves the region exposed to the Iran shock
The Middle East conflict has landed on Latin America at an awkward moment. After two years of gradual progress bringing inflation under control, the region's central banks now face the prospect of that effort being undone by an external conflict.