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

Lebanon urges UN action over Israel's targeting of journalists amid reports of IDF looting

Lebanon has urged the UN to take urgent action over Israel's targeting of journalists with 28 media workers killed since October 2023, as IDF soldiers testify to widespread looting of civilian property in southern Lebanon.

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.

Italian UNIFIL troops replace statue of Jesus destroyed by Israeli soldier in Lebanon

Italian UNIFIL troops have replaced a statue of Jesus destroyed by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying Italy is proud of the peacekeepers amid a 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.

Palestinian women speak out on sexual abuse by Hamas

Testimonies emerging from Gaza have documented a pattern of sexual abuse and exploitation carried out by Hamas militants and affiliated organisations against women.

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.

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.

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.

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.

COMMENT: Why China is hedging for now in the Middle East

As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way.

COMMENT: Is Iran the fourth superpower?

Iran is not a superpower in any honest reading of the term. But the Hormuz closure has rendered the "middle power" framing absurd. Tehran now occupies a tier of its own, and the diplomatic vocabulary has not yet caught up to the reality.

COMMENT: Rising pressures on Iranians in the UAE

For over a century, the geographical gap between the southern coast of Iran and the bustling ports of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was less a barrier and more a bridge

Russia expects resumption of Gulf diplomacy, Lavrov says

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow expects positive news on the resumption of diplomatic efforts around Iran, offering to mediate between the Arab Gulf monarchies and Tehran on regional security.

BREAKING: Iranian aircraft tracked heading towards Pakistan as talks set to resume

IntelliNews tracking showed two Iranian aircraft as the only flights over Iran on April 21, heading east to Pakistan as Vance arrives in Islamabad for talks and the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire expires.

Middle Corridor in play

Squeezed by a sanctioned Russia to the north and a war prone Middle East to the south, the Middle Corridor that runs through Central Asia and the Caucasus is back in play as the main route connecting Europe to Asia by land.

Trump calls for regime change in Iran ahead of negotiations

Trump has called for regime change in Iran in a Truth Social post, comparing the situation to Venezuela and complicating Pakistan-brokered ceasefire talks 48 hours before the truce expires.

Iran says US naval blockade still blocking talks, dismisses Trump claim of imminent negotiations

Iran MP plans for strategic management of Strait of Hormuz using the rial

Iran's parliamentary infrastructure commission chief has set out detailed terms for a strategic management plan for the Strait of Hormuz, including an Israeli shipping ban and tolls payable only in rials.

IMF: War Darkens Global Economic Outlook and Reshapes Policy Priorities

The Middle East conflict halted growth momentum. The right policies and stronger global cooperation are needed to contain the damage.

IMF: Middle East to see economic contractions in 2026 - Statista

Several Middle Eastern economies are expected to contract in 2026 in the wake of the war in Iran, which broke out in late February, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook, reports Statista.