Palestine
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.
COMMENT: Did Europe just hand the future to Madrid?
Spain's Socialist government is delivering Europe's fastest growth, the EU's most outspoken stance on Gaza, the continent's biggest Chinese EV investments and Latin America's only serious European interlocutor.
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
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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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
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.