Palestine
Ukraine's scam call centres earn $1bn a month, study finds
Ukraine's scam call-centre industry generates as much as $1bn a month, according to a new report by the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), which estimates that around 60,000 Ukrainians work in the trade.
Ukraine's Caspian Sea strikes merge the Iran and Ukraine wars
“Zelensky bombed the Iranian vessel on the Caspian for the same reason his people paid Loomer to come to Kyiv and interview him: a PR campaign to try to win over Trump.”
Iran denies US talks as Washington says diplomacy under way
Iran says it holds no talks with the US and will never let Washington set the timing of war and peace, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, hardening Tehran's stance after the collapse of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Kuwait signs $16bn pipeline deal with Blackstone, Brookfield and KKR despite Iran attacks
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said on July 25 that its subsidiary Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has signed a $16bn lease-and-leaseback agreement covering its entire crude oil pipeline network with a consortium of Blackstone, Brookfield and KKR, in wh
Brent tops $100/bbl as Middle East tensions build, ING says gold struggles for safe-haven bid
Oil prices surged this week, with ICE Brent breaking above $100/bbl for the first time since May, as escalation in the Persian Gulf and fears of a widening conflict put a significant amount of supply at risk, ING said
Vance, Caine warn Trump against Iran escalation as US pauses air strikes
The US military had not announced new air strikes on Iran as of July 26, the first pause since Washington's bombing campaign began nearly two weeks earlier, after Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.
Iran's Araghchi warns Ukraine over Caspian strike that killed sailor
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that a Ukrainian strike killing a sailor aboard an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea would not go unanswered, after Kyiv claimed a wave of drone attacks on Russian energy and military targets.
Iran war closes Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb simultaneously for first time ever
For the first time since records began, both of the Middle East's great oil chokepoints are shut at once for the first time ever. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since February 28, and now Bab al-Mandeb Strait is also shut.
Iran's Ghalibaf presses Iraq on unity against Israel in Tehran talks
IranianParliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf urged cooperation with Iraq against Israel at talks with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Tehran, closing a visit that produced four bilateral agreements.
Iran reports " US aircraft" down over Qeshm island near Hormuz Strait
Initial Iranian reports indicate an aircraft has come down over Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz, with no aircraft type, operator or casualty information given and the incident under investigation.
IRGC threatens UK over use of RAF Fairford for Iran strikes
Iran's IRGC has warned Britain that any base used for attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target, after US B-1 bombers flew strike missions against Iran from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
US launches 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, explosions reported at Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas
US Central Command said it began a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets on July 23, with explosions reported around Ahvaz and at Bandar Abbas in the early hours of July 24.
US House votes second time to halt Iran war as four Republicans defect
The US House voted 214-208 to direct Trump to withdraw forces from hostilities with Iran, with four Republicans defecting, on the 145th day of a war that has cost $37.5bn and killed 18 US service members.
Nato pledges to defend Bulgaria from Iran after Sofia approves US refuelling aircraft
Nato has pledged to defend Bulgaria against Iranian retaliation after parliament voted 136 to 13 to host up to eight US KC-135 refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base from July 24, defying warnings from Tehran.
UK withdraws embassy staff from Iran as security deteriorates
Britain has temporarily pulled its embassy staff out of Iran, warning UK nationals that in-person consular assistance will not be available in an emergency.
Iran threatens regional energy infrastructure if US hits its bridges, power plants
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters says its forces will target oil, gas and power infrastructure across the region and block all oil exports if the US acts on Trump's threat to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants over Hormuz ship attacks.
Iraq's al-Zaidi to visit Tehran with offer to host Iran-US talks
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is set to visit Tehran late this week with an offer to host direct or indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, in a bid to stop the latest US-Iran confrontation widening into a regional war.
Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan propose 10-day truce between Iran and US
Regional mediators including Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan have proposed a ten-day truce between Iran and the US covering a ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as both sides weigh the offer.
COMMENT: The four-power alliance that needs no treaty
An Ankara conference has urged a Turkey, Russia, China and Iran alliance to deter the US. The treaty may never be signed, but the trade flows, pipelines and payment systems suggest the bloc already exists in all but name.
Iran's Pezeshkian says economy has become main battleground in war with US, Israel
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said the economy has replaced the battlefield as the main front in Iran's confrontation with the US and Israel, defending a 14-point understanding with Washington as he called for national unity.