Iran
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Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed as Iran maintains shipping restrictions
Only four vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 26 according to Kpler data, Tasnim has reported, indicating the world's most important oil chokepoint remains effectively closed at Iran's discretion despite the April 7 ceasefire.
COMMENT: Russia’s Iran gamble risks sacrificing Gulf strategy for tactical gains
Russia’s deepening entanglement in the crisis around Iran is delivering short-term geopolitical dividends, but at a potentially high strategic cost.
Gulf oil output could recover within months of Hormuz reopening, Goldman Sachs says
Gulf crude oil production could recover to close to pre-war levels within a few months of the Strait of Hormuz safely reopening, according to Goldman Sachs.
Iran's record internet blackout is destroying the urban middle class
Iran's nationwide internet blackout has run since February 28 and remains largely in place after the April 7 ceasefire, with global access available only via a paid "Pro" tier.
Kuwait launches government-wide 'Cyber Shield' against rising cyber threats
Kuwait is accelerating the rollout of its Government Cyber Shield, offering 24/7 monitoring and free penetration testing to all ministries, as Iran-linked hacking groups including Handala step up cyberattacks on Gulf infrastructure during the war.
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Iran offers US three-stage talks formula via mediators
Iran proposed a three-stage talks framework to the US through mediators, Al Mayadeen has reported, with the conflict's end and Lebanon guarantees first, the Strait of Hormuz second alongside Oman, and the nuclear programme only in the third phase.
UAE launches climate-smart crops initiative to cut food import reliance
The UAE has launched a National Initiative for the Adoption of Climate-Smart Crops, targeting millet, sorghum and salinity-tolerant feed grass to cut import reliance and build drought-resilient food production under the 2051 food security strategy.
COMMENT: Iran was the prequel, China is the target
A growing chorus of analysts from Moscow, Beijing and Washington think tanks argues that the US campaign against Iran was really aimed at China's oil supply chain, making Tehran the prequel to a longer confrontation
Pakistan playing both sides in US-Iran negotiation is a high-risk balancing act
Pakistan is not undertaking the facilitation of negotiations purely as an act of international statecraft, but rather as a nation with a vested interest in avoiding more of the economic fallout from the continuation of hostilities in the Gulf.
Iran claims bypass to US naval blockade using Jask port
Iran is bypassing the US naval blockade by using the Jask port on the Gulf of Oman, sustaining oil exports to China at 985,000 barrels per day with Vortexa data showing 10.7mn barrels of crude transited through the strait between April 13 and 22.
Iran war's fertiliser shock sets the stage for a slow-burning food inflation crisis
The Iran war's most insidious economic aftershock may not be measured in oil price spikes or shipping costs, but in the price of the nutrients that grow the world's food.
VIDEO: US Navy seizes Iran-linked tanker Majestic X
US forces have seized the third Iranian oil tanker in five days with the boarding of the sanctioned VLCC Majestic X in the Indian Ocean, as the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire expires and Vance arrives in Islamabad for talks.
Iran says first Hormuz toll revenue deposited at central bank
Iran's parliament vice speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei has said the first revenue from Strait of Hormuz tolls has been deposited at the Central Bank of Iran.
US rejects media reports claiming that Hormuz blockade was breached
US Central Command rejected reports claiming that Iranian-linked tankers have been successfully evading its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Military use of Caspian Sea is intolerable, says Kazakhstan’s leader
At ecological summit, Tokayev names no countries, but Russia’s lobbing of missiles at Ukraine from the sea and Ukrainian oil platform attacks come to mind.
Trump's blockade of Hormuz fails as dozens of tankers pass through - FT
The Trump administration naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz failed after at least 34 tankers with links to Iran passed through the narrow waterway and exited the Persian Gulf in defiance of the US warships attempts to halt Iran’s oil exports.
Counterfeit dollars and cash hoarding disrupt Tehran currency market
Tehran's informal currency market is being flooded with counterfeit dollars sold below market rates, as organised networks extract high-denomination Iranian banknotes for use in cross-border fuel smuggling settlements via Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iran's Assembly of Experts selects Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader
Iran's Assembly of Experts has selected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, succeeding his father, as Sunni and Shia clerics declare allegiance during the US-Iran ceasefire and ongoing naval blockade.
Latin America oils up as Hormuz crisis reshapes global energy supply
From Vaca Muerta to the Orinoco, Latin America is sitting on the world's most coveted untapped crude. The Iran war may finally force it to act.
Gulf war poses major threat to global fertiliser markets and food security, IFPRI warns
The ongoing Iran war is disrupting global fertiliser markets with up to 30% of global fertiliser trade passing through the Strait of Hormuz, IFPRI warns, with Africa and South Asia particularly vulnerable to food security risks.