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Emerging-market ratings have absorbed the Iran war so far, but the buffers are thinning - Fitch
Emerging-market sovereign ratings have proved largely resilient to the US-Iran war in the first half of 2026, Fitch Ratings finds in its Global Emerging Markets Credit Brief for 3Q26 even though the outlook for a third is deteriorating.
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UPDATE: Iran's IRGC says it struck two tankers attempting to cross Strait of Hormuz
Iran's IRGC says it struck and stopped two oil tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz under US air escort, with four others turning back. The claim could not be independently verified, and the US military has given a competing account.
One war, three continents and total slippage
A drone hit on a US gas carrier at Damietta puts the Iran war on the Mediterranean shore. From the Caspian to the Gulf of Aden, one conflict now spans three continents. It is wide but not yet deep, and widening is its own escalation.
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Hormuz squeeze on ammonia draws foreign bidders to Odesa Port Plant
Hormuz squeeze on ammonia draws foreign bidders to Odesa Port Plant Four companies from the US, Asia and the Middle East are studying data on Ukraine's war-damaged fertiliser plant as the Strait of Hormuz blockade tightens global ammonia supply.
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.”
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 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.
EU condemns Yemeni attack on Saudi tanker in Red Sea
A fire broke out aboard the Saudi tanker Encelia after it was struck by a projectile 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq. The Houthis claim attacks on two vessels for breaching their blockade. All crew are reported safe.
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.
Iran hits targets in three Gulf countries and Jordan as seventh night amid American strikes
Iran struck US military targets in four countries, hitting a fuel pier in Kuwait and an air base in Bahrain, as a seventh night of American strikes on Iran's Gulf coast cut water supplies and destroyed bridges.
Iran claims strikes on US aircraft in Jordan, radar sites in Oman, as Chabahar tower destroyed
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it destroyed US aircraft at bases in Jordan and radar sites in Oman, as a US strike levelled the control tower at Chabahar port. The claims on US losses remain unverified.
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UAE clarifies rules for five-year multiple-entry tourist visa
Dubai's residency directorate has clarified terms for the UAE's five-year multiple-entry tourist visa, allowing stays of up to 180 days a year with no sponsor, as the emirate's population growth slows from 6% to a projected 1%.
Hormuz stays closed until US accepts Iranian rule of the strait, Iran's army says
Iran's army says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington accepts Iranian legal authority over the waterway, confirming strikes on shipping and warning Gulf neighbours that hosting US forces will not go unanswered.
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Iran claims strikes on weapons depots in Bahrain, drones in Kuwait
Iran's IRGC says it struck weapons depots at Bahrain's Sheikh Isa base and drones at Kuwait's Ali Al Salem base under Operation Nasr 2, retaliation it says will continue while US strikes persist.
Tankers stack up off Fujairah as Hormuz becomes contested chokepoint
Ship-tracking data shows tankers clustering at anchorages off Fujairah, Khor Fakkan and Sohar rather than transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as a US cargo levy, Iranian tolls and mining claims turn the waterway into a contested chokepoint.
Iran's IRGC says two supertankers struck and disabled in mined Hormuz corridor
Two supertankers were hit and disabled after transiting a mined corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, hours after Washington declared a blockade on Iranian shipping and a 20% cargo levy.