Middle East Tensions & Shifting Alliancesactive

TEHRAN. Following Iran's announcement that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after reopening it, the Supreme Leader of the regime, Mojtaba Khamenei, reappeared via Telegram and intensified the pressure on the United States, stating that its naval forces are ready to inflict "new defeats." The Islamic Republic's threats have escalated in recent hours after the United States stated that it would not end its blockade of maritime transport. Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the beginning of the war, assured in a Telegram message that the "brave Iranian Navy is ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats." Khamenei's warning is echoed by the Iranian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saed Khatibzadeh, who stated that the United States "cannot impose its will" and block the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. "The Americans cannot impose their will and besiege Iran while Iran, with good intentions, is trying to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz," the official told journalists on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the southern province of Antalya, Turkey. Along the same lines, he stated that no date has been set for the next round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, whose president, he said, "tweets and talks a lot." Agence France-Presse Developing story.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported this Saturday that Hezbollah terrorists violated the ceasefire in Lebanon. "In the past 24 hours, forces operating south of the Blue Line, in southern Lebanon, identified terrorists who violated the ceasefire agreements and approached forces from north of the Blue Line, posing an immediate threat," the army said in a statement. It added: "Immediately after the identification, and to neutralize the threat, the Air Force and ground forces attacked the terrorists in several areas of southern Lebanon. In addition, artillery fire was used to support the ground forces operating in the area, and terrorist infrastructure was destroyed in response to the threats." "The IDF operates according to the guidelines of the political leadership. Therefore, it is authorized to take the necessary measures for self-defense against threats, while maintaining the security of the citizens of the State of Israel and the forces deployed in the field. Self-defense operations and the neutralization of threats are not limited by the ceasefire. The IDF will not allow any risk to Israeli citizens or its fighters, and will take all necessary measures to ensure their safety," the statement detailed. Finally, it stated: "The Israel Defense Forces will continue working to clear..."

Virginians will decide whether the state will redraw its congressional voting map. A win would give Democrats an edge in four more seats, meaning they could hold 10 of Virginia's 11 seats in Congress.

With an appearance at a Turning Point USA event at a megachurch Arizona, President Trump is hitting the campaign trail in front of a friendly crowd at a time his approval ratings are at record lows.

We look at how the war on Iran might affect the upcoming midterm elections, as well as how a portion of President Trump's MAGA base sees U. S. involvement in another war in the Middle East.

Michael Shoebridge says US may be forced to end blockade of Iran to see the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck four key oil industry facilities in Russia overnight on April 18, with fires reported at the sites.

Iran’s military said the critical Strait of Hormuz was back under the control of the armed forces, claiming the U. S. had breached Tehran’s trust by maintaining its blockade in the region.

The negotiations were held in Moscow on April 1 at the highest level

NATO chief Mark Rutte said he understands Donald Trump's frustration with NATO. He also called on Europe to boost its defense industry.

China could gain a “massive strategic advantage” from the war in Iran by reshaping trade in the Middle East and catching up with the US militarily, according to one analyst. Zhu Zhaoyi, executive director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at Peking University HSBC Business School, also said that with the current ceasefire looking likely to be extended, Beijing should assume a more active role in peace talks. He told a seminar in Shenzhen on Friday that China should draw on the lessons from...

WLFI has fallen after the disclosure of a loan linked to the token and criticism from one of its biggest backers

President Donald Trump promised a swift end to the war in Iran, but the ongoing conflict has kept energy costs high — and some Senate Republicans are starting to voice their concerns publicly. GOP lawmakers, who already feared that November would be an increasingly difficult election, are trying to encourage the president to clearly define his goals after a surge in oil, gas, and fertilizer prices. Trump warned that the price increases might not completely subside by the time the November elections arrive, although news on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen could begin to provide some relief if the agreement holds. Several GOP senators are warning that the president could face growing opposition, including a lack of support for military action against Iran after the conflict reaches the 60-day mark at the end of the month, if he doesn't articulate his plan. The White House could attempt to invoke a 30-day extension for national security reasons. "I hope that we are arriving at an exit strategy here to bring this to a close to preserve our security interests and bring down the cost of gasoline," Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told reporters this week, adding that "the clock is ticking" on the war. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in an interview that she and a group of other senators are in the process of drafting an authorization for the use of military force against Iran, which would outline when and how Trump could use force. She pointed to the 60-day threshold as a possible deadline.

Ambulance workers in Lebanon recount Israeli "triple-tap" targeted strikes that killed four paramedics and wounded six.

Several ships that were preparing to cross the strategically important route have altered their course, as shown in satellite images.

"Tourism shows the world what it means to be Italian." Bocca stated: "It's an extraordinary resource, but it needs to be protected from illegal activities and exploitation. We must not ignore the risks posed by ongoing conflicts."

In Deir al-Balah, displaced families are living next to growing rubbish piles as destroyed infrastructure forces authorities to rely on unsafe temporary dumps. Across the Gaza Strip, poor sanitation and pest infestations are raising serious health concerns despite limited humanitarian aid.

Brent crude falls over 9 percent after Iran said it will reopen waterway, only to shut it again over US blockade.

On April 18th, the spokesperson for the Iranian Central Command issued a statement through the media, asserting that "the management of the Strait of Hormuz will return to its previous state and be placed under strict military control." The statement emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control. The upcoming second round of direct talks between the United States and Iran is a key factor in determining whether the full resumption of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz will be achieved.

CAIRO.- Iran quickly reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reimposed restrictions on the crucial waterway on Saturday, after the United States stated that it would not end its blockade of maritime transport. The country's joint military command announced that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, under strict management and control of the armed forces." It also warned that it will continue to block transit through the strait as long as the United States maintains its blockade of Iranian ports. Developing story.

Pernando Barrena says Israel’s death penalty for Palestinians adds to the case that Europe should cut ties with it.

Silvia Salis, the leftwing mayor of Genoa and former Olympian, is described as ‘a breath of fresh air’ and potential unifier It has been a turbulent month in Italian politics. A failed referendum on a judicial overhaul pierced prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s aura of invincibility, triggering government resignations and leaving her scrambling to restore credibility. At the same time, her once special relationship with Donald Trump has frayed after the US president publicly scolded her this week for criticising his broadside against Pope Leo and for not supporting the US-Israeli war on Iran. Continue reading...

Trump's attacks on Pope Leo XIV are polarizing the diverse community as faith and politics clash. Maryellen Lewicki meets once a week for Bible study with a group of Catholic women in Decatur, Georgia, in a space they try to keep free of politics. However, Donald Trump's name inevitably comes up. "We have one person that we pray for during the course of the week," she said. "My friend said that she prays for the president every day, that God will remove that hard heart of his and replace it with a softer one filled with love." Continue reading...

Mark Carney’s brand of centrist politics and his invitation to floor crossers with conservative convictions into the Liberal Party’s ranks have reshaped the country’s political economy.

"The state must create the conditions for businesses to generate wealth." Bocca stated: "This is an extraordinary resource, but it must be protected from illegal activities and exploitation. We must not ignore the risks posed by ongoing conflicts."

"Let's have some fun!" and "Peace begins with us" were written on the banners held by the young people.

The Iranian regime announced this Saturday that it has re-established a "strict control" over the Strait of Hormuz, after previously announcing its reopening, as a response to the blockade imposed by the United States on Iranian ports. According to the spokesman for the Central Command of Jatam al Anbiya, Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfagari, "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under strict management and control by the armed forces," he stated in a press release distributed by the Tasnim agency. Zolfagari explained that the control over the maritime passage involves restrictions on traffic in one of the world's major energy routes, through which 20% of global oil flows. He added that Tehran had previously authorized the "limited and managed" passage of some oil tankers and commercial vessels as a "gesture of good faith" during negotiations, but that this measure was revoked due to the continuation of the U.S. blockade, which he described as a repeated violation by Washington. "As long as the United States does not restore the full freedom of transit for vessels from and to Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under strict control," Zolfagari stated. Earlier in the morning, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, stated on X that the Strait of Hormuz "will not remain open" if the U.S. blockade continues...

TORONTO — Canada’s Conservatives are intensifying their criticism of Prime Minister Mark Carney for not moving quickly enough to secure a trade deal with President Donald Trump, sparking a new political conflict with repercussions on both sides of the border. This issue is becoming a point of contention in Ottawa because the closer the deadline for a review of the North American trade agreement approaches, the easier it is for Conservatives to argue that Carney is failing to protect Canada from a U.S. trade offensive that he has repeatedly promised to prevent. "The tariffs from the United States are actually getting much worse," Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told a Toronto business audience on Thursday, referring to Trump's adjustments to steel and aluminum tariffs earlier this month, changes that were praised by American trade protectionists. Businesses in Windsor expect to be impacted "by a billion dollars," Poilievre said, referring to the Ontario border city that has already been severely affected by Trump's tariffs on its auto industry. "There's no more time to waste, no more jobs we can afford to lose," Poilievre said, urging Carney to fulfill an election promise he made last year to reach a bilateral trade deal to alleviate Trump's tariffs. Federal Conservatives are trying to regain political ground after the Liberals secured a majority government this week, winning three by-elections and effectively ensuring that the Tories will remain in opposition until 2029. Carney ruled out the possibility of an earlier election. Poilievre is in a tou…

The Congolese government stresses those expelled from the US are only in the country temporarily.

Control of the Strait of Hormuz has “returned to its previous state”, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday, citing Tehran’s Fars News Agency. “Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces,” the report said. The reversal came just hours after Iran declared it would allow non-military vessels to pass the strategic waterway for the duration of a ceasefire. Earlier, Iran had threatened to close the...

Sir Simon McDonald says Olly Robbins was ‘thrown under a bus’ by the prime minister and the decision feels ‘wrong’ The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said. Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Sir Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday. Continue reading...

Iranian embassy pages on social media are shooting down US President Donald Trump's remarks with one meme after another.

Charlotte Walker-Said tells #f24debate that #PopeLeo is putting his trust in the people to root out their nations’ tyrants.➡️ https://www.france24.com/en/live

German Interior Minister Dobrindt says that no increased migration to Europe has so far occurred amid the Iran war. An explosion in an underpass in a western town has killed one person. DW has more.

As Trump pursued an unpopular war, Beijing positioned itself as a peacemaker, with little incentive to pressure Iran or annoy the U. S.

Museum says The Music is Black is part of a push to reposition scene as central to UK’s cultural history Jacqueline Springer is standing in the middle of the V&A’s new exhibition space looking wistfully at a pair of drainpipe trousers, a tailored suit jacket and a porkpie hat, which create the unmistakable silhouette of Pauline Black, lead singer of the 2 Tone group the Selector. Springer is the curator of the V&A East’s inaugural exhibition, The Music is Black, a landmark survey of Black British music, which opens this weekend. It starts with the early drumbeats in Africa and takes us right up to the latest innovations in pop and drill via jungle, grime, garage and two-tone. Continue reading...

Tehran has reopened part of its airspace, but disagreements remain regarding ports. The United States: "Stop the raids in Lebanon." Netanyahu: "Shocked." Trump: "Without a peace agreement, the blockade of Iranian ports will remain."

After the ceasefire in Lebanon, displaced families are returning to heavily damaged towns like Nabatieh, where homes, businesses and essential services have been devastated by the war. Residents face a mix of relief and trauma as they begin to rebuild their lives, relying on aid for basic needs while confronting the scale of destruction left behind. FRANCE 24's team reports.

Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure after revelations that Peter Mandelson was appointed UK ambassador to the US despite failing security checks, with Starmer saying he was never informed and blaming the Foreign Office. This comes months after Mandelson was dismissed over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The speaker of Iran’s parliament issued a direct threat to close the Strait of Hormuz if a U. S. naval blockade continues, marking one of Tehran’s sharpest public warnings since ceasefire negotiations began. “With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X just after midnight Friday, in a series of posts that also accused U. S. President Donald Trump of making seven false claims “in one hour.” “They did not win the war with these lies, and they will certainly not get anywhere in negotiations either,” Qalibaf said. The parliament speaker said passage through the strait would be conducted only along a “designated route” and with “Iranian authorization.” He warned that whether the waterway remained open “will be determined by the field, not by social media.” Qalibaf’s comments came as a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry rejected any possibility of transferring Iran’s enriched uranium to another country, stressing that such an option has never been considered. In comments on Friday, spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei emphasized that Iran’s enriched uranium will under no circumstances be transferred elsewhere.

Amidst President Trump's expressions of dissatisfaction with NATO, an ambassador from a NATO member country, who visited Japan to inspect areas of cooperation between Japan and the United States in the field of security, responded to an interview with NHK, stating, "I gained a better understanding of how Japan is concretely cooperating with the United States and how important that cooperation is to the United States." The ambassador also indicated that this experience could offer valuable insights into how to approach relations with the United States.

Donald Heflin, a senior fellow at Tufts University, says Iran has shown it doesn’t need nuclear weapons as a deterrent.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, a former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stated in an interview with NHK that "as long as the United States continues to issue threats, the strait will be subject to blockades," indicating a belief that it is possible to continue exerting pressure on the United States through the potential closure of the strait.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is scheduled to discuss the Iran conflict as well as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, among other topics.

Leo is the third pontiff to visit the fossil fuel-rich country after John Paul II in 1992 and Benedict XVI in 2009.

Barcelona, Spain.— The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated that there is no diplomatic crisis with Spain, upon her arrival at the IV Summit in Defense of Democracy. In a brief statement to the media, the President emphasized that the bilateral relationship remains stable and rejected reports of a conflict between the two countries. "There is no diplomatic crisis, there never has been," she affirmed. Also read: VIDEO: Sheinbaum expresses her support for Fernández de Kirchner from Spain; "we are with you," she commented. During her address, Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of democracy as a cornerstone of her government, quoting former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln: "Democracy is the power of the people, by the people, and for the people." She also highlighted the importance of recognizing the strength and role of indigenous peoples in the construction of the country. "What is very important is that the strength of the indigenous peoples is recognized for our nation," she said. Also read: "Long live peace always": Sheinbaum's message in Spain; the Mexican community welcomes the President in Barcelona. The Mexican President's participation in this international forum is part of a diplomatic agenda in defense of democracy. During the meeting, she is scheduled to have dialogues with various leaders, including the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez; the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; and the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva…

President Trump said the waterway was open again but that the U. S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal was reached. Iran’s top negotiator said the strait would close unless the blockade was lifted.

Grammy-winning music producer and entrepreneur Swizz Beatz tells Euronews Culture how technology is reshaping creativity, why originality still stands out, and what keeps drawing him back to the Middle East.

This week's gathering of financial leaders in Washington made one thing clear: The Iran conflict is setting the world on a new energy path. However, which path is the subject of sharp disagreement among nations. Many countries most severely affected by the conflict say they recognize the benefits of transitioning faster to renewable energy to avoid future shocks related to oil disruptions. Others remain optimistic about fossil fuels, including the United States – whose Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, praised America's rising oil and gas production and called for fewer climate policies. The U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran and the subsequent disruption of oil supplies from the Middle East "will redraw the global energy map," said Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, at an event on Tuesday. He then offered a word of caution: "We are not going back to where we were." The question of what comes next has dominated the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington this week. Officials from the U.S. and other nations spoke vaguely of diversifying energy sources as a likely result of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and one-third of its fertilizer travels. For some, that meant shifting shipping routes away from the Persian Gulf. For others, it meant finding oil and gas outside the Middle East, or tapping into local coal reserves, or perhaps restarting decommissioned nuclear power plants.

While speaking at the Turning Point USA event, Trump once again claimed that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan.

Wojciech Solak has been on the front lines of the information war for over a decade. As the director of the Center for Democracy and Resilience at the European think tank GLOBSEC and a doctoral candidate at King's College London, working on a thesis about information warfare, he is one of Europe's leading experts on information manipulation and foreign interference. Invited by the Polish Embassy, he participated in the 3rd International Conference on Information Manipulation and Foreign Interference in Buenos Aires, and previously met with university students in Rosario and Córdoba. "It is important to take this conversation out of the echo chambers where it is usually discussed and bring it to local communities," he said. In a conversation with Infobae on the sidelines of the event, Solak painted a worrying picture: Russian narratives designed to fracture alliances, networks of cloned websites that mimic legitimate media outlets, and a propaganda machine that, powered by artificial intelligence, can produce millions of articles without human intervention. "We are living in an era where we must accept that disinformation will not disappear," he warned. "It will be a permanent feature of the information landscape, forever." For Solak, the Polish experience offers lessons that can be directly applied to this region. "What we are experiencing in Poland and Central Europe is what this region could experience soon," he noted. "Countries like Poland...

PM said he was ‘staggered’ not to have been told that Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting before becoming ambassador to the US Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of UK politics on Saturday 18 April. Keir Starmer is facing “judgment day” according to senior government figures over the failure in Peter Mandelson’s vetting process. Continue reading...

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to the passage of commercial vessels. However, the Republican leader warned that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ships and ports "will remain in full effect" until Iran reaches an agreement with Washington to end the war. Following Iran's announcement about the opening of the waterway, oil prices fell by 9%, and Wall Street reached a record high on Friday. Stock markets have now recorded their third consecutive week of gains, fueled by the expectation that the United States and Iran will avoid a scenario with a greater global economic impact. The 10-day ceasefire in Israel and Lebanon remains stable after more than a month of clashes between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the Israeli military "has not yet finished" with Hezbollah. Below is minute-by-minute coverage: /america/mundo/2026/04/18/el-trafico-y-la-tension-en-medio-oriente-podrian-impedir-una-rapida-caida-en-los-precios-de-la-gasolina/ The Iranian regime stated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open if the ceasefire is maintained. A spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Defense declared this Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz remains open…

On Monday afternoon, amid the heat and chaos of Thailand’s Songkran festival, Gavin Chow was crowned Mr Bear International 2026 – the first Malaysian to win the title at a pageant that has quickly become part of Thailand’s growing queer festival circuit. Back in Chow’s home country, the climate is very different. Malaysia criminalises same-sex intimacy under federal law, LGBTQ gatherings have faced police raids and the 34-year-old activist’s own national qualifier earlier this year struggled to...

Elisabeth Zetland, a senior researcher at MyHeritage, found that the actual Luigi has immigrated to US from Italy The Washington state businessman who inspired Nintendo to give the name Mario to its mustachioed, superhero plumber did not have a brother named Luigi like the fictional video game star famously does. But it has only just been determined that Nintendo may have unknowingly named its mascot’s brother after another of the real-life Mario’s close relatives: his father, Luigi, whose biography evokes that of millions of 20th-century US immigrants from Italy. Continue reading...

The UK has announced its returned to the European Union's Erasmus student exchange programme, five years after Brexit forced it to pull out. The move is part of a wider effort to rebuild ties between London and Brussels.

The license comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun declared Friday that the newly brokered ceasefire marks the start of a "new phase" for Lebanon, vowing the country will move toward permanent agreements with Israel.

Ukraine’s air defense forces neutralized 190 out of 219 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Russian troops since the evening of April 17.

When Democrats were grappling with sky-high inflation just a couple of years ago, Donald Trump called their plans to fight price gouging by American companies tantamount to communism. Now that it’s the Republican Party in the affordability hot seat, Trump Cabinet members — and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill — are doing much the same, laying into CEOs and calling for new regulations and antitrust suits. “They are making money hand over fist,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said of insurance companies at a Thursday Ways and Means Committee hearing. Later, he agreed with House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) that the Federal Trade Commission needed to start bringing some antitrust suits against health industry firms. Facing a rising cost of living that threatens their chances to hold onto their majorities in Congress in November, Republican members of Congress and Trump officials testifying before their committees Thursday repeatedly made their longtime allies in industry the scapegoat. It was yet another indication of how much Trump’s populist politics have changed the party of business, and how deep a hole polls show Republicans are in right now on the economy. “Industry consolidation with huge companies swallowing up various parts of the health care system has helped pad the bottom line of big corporations, while doing little to support the health or well-being of working class Americans,” said Jason Smith, the Missouri Republican who chairs the Ways and Means Committee. Smith decried “major health insurance empires” and hospital CEOs who’d “driven up prices without expanding access to care.” Smith is bringing health systems’ leaders to testify before his panel later this month. At a House Appropriations hearing, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins blamed anti-competitive practices across industries for contributing to an “overarching economic pending disaster” for farmers that has landed as the Iran war causes prices to spike for fertilizer and fuel. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies on Capitol Hill on April 16, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Rollins blamed fertilizer companies for high prices, despite acknowledging the war’s contribution to global economic turbulence, saying that a small group of companies have “basically taken over the market” for agricultural supplies in a way that stifles competition. Iowa GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson floated her price transparency legislation as a way forward. Other Republicans on Smith’s panel called out the pharmaceutical and food industries, as well as the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, for the dire state of Americans’ health and for high health care prices. GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania praised Kennedy’s pressure campaign to get food companies to remove artificial dyes, said the dyes cause cancer, and asked what could be done to regulate the food industry. Kennedy told him to close a loophole that has for decades allowed foodmakers to introduce new ingredients into their products without federal oversight — the so-called Generally Recognized as Safe standard at the Food and Drug Administration. Food companies say eliminating it will only make food more expensive and stifle innovation. Foodmakers got little sympathy, though. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives to testify during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on April 16, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N. C.), a urologist, said he’d recently treated a 262-pound 8-year-old. He blamed “the terrible, terrible tragedy that has become the American food industry” and said it was sad that weight-loss drugs were some of the top medicines sold in the country. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, acknowledged concerns about the high gas prices the war with Iran has triggered. Wright repeatedly sought to juxtapose the current price rise with the bigger spike in gas prices that occurred during the Biden administration, while also framing current prices as an unfortunate cost of a worthy goal, disarming Iran. “This conflict with Iran, bringing it to an end, is removing the largest global threat to future energy supplies,” Wright told lawmakers. Wright said the Trump administration is doing “everything pragmatic” to tamp down gasoline prices. But Republicans on the committee also sought to blame blue-state and “far-left” policies for increasing household costs — a sentiment Wright also emphasized. “You want to know where gasoline’s expensive, where electricity’s expensive, look at the blue states,” Wright said. Wright acknowledged concerns about the high gas prices the war with Iran has triggered when testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Industry hasn’t escaped the administration’s scrutiny in the run-up in gas prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday during a White House press briefing that he was watching for the sort of price gouging Democrats once decried. “We are going to be watching the gas stations because they raised prices very quickly when the crude oil prices went up. We hope they’ll bring them down just as quickly as crude oil prices have come down,” he said.

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon – announced by Donald Trump – came into effect this Thursday after more than six weeks of conflict. The recent Israeli offensive in Lebanese territory against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah began in early March, shortly after the United States and Israel initiated their war against Iran. The clashes have been devastating for Lebanon: more than 2,000 people have been killed, and over 1.2 million have been displaced, approximately one-fifth of the country's population, according to the UN. Furthermore, vast areas in southern Lebanon have been destroyed by Israel in an effort to create what the Netanyahu government describes as a "buffer zone." The ceasefire comes into effect while another ceasefire is already in place: the one related to the war against Iran, a country that announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz this Friday. Many believed that this ceasefire, which came into effect on April 8th, would include Lebanon, as announced by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who acted as a mediator between the conflicting parties. However, just one day after that announcement, when many in the region were relieved, Israeli aircraft launched a swift 10-minute air raid on Lebanon, a massive offensive that left at least 300 people dead and 1,150 injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Both in the region and around the world, there was strong condemnation of…

Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz with conditions and threatens closure if the US blockade of Iranian ports continues.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has unleashed sharp swings across global energy and financial markets, fuelling demand for safe-haven assets, with Hong Kong emerging as a potential beneficiary across gold, property and capital markets. In the first of a three-part series, we examine Hong Kong’s bid to position itself as Asia’s bullion hub. War in the Middle East has intensified global demand to diversify gold storage, creating a strategic window for Hong Kong to tap its unique status and evolve from...

At Japan’s first robotics expo, Tokyo turns to ‘physical AI’ as China and the US dominate robot manufacturing

Chinese scientists have created a diving suit that could help users glide through the sea with ease. In tests, the exoskeleton reduced the diver’s oxygen consumption by nearly 40 per cent. The flexible suit not only provides physical assistance but also syncs precisely with the swimmer’s own rhythm, dramatically boosting underwater agility. In tasks ranging from seabed surveys and pipeline inspections to salvage operations and even covert military missions, divers must constantly change the rate...

Hannah Spencer says minister ‘continuously offends people by saying working-class people don’t care about dogs’ Labour is “offensively caricaturing” working-class people by saying they do not want a greyhound racing ban in England, the Green party MP Hannah Spencer has said. The sport has traditionally been associated with working-class culture and has historically been popular in so-called red wall areas, which Labour insiders suggest is part of the reason why there are no plans for England to follow bans announced last month in Scotland and Wales. Continue reading...

A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran showed signs of strain Saturday as Tehran threatened to re-close the Strait of Hormuz over an ongoing American naval blockade.

Hong Kong authorities will take public opinion into account when deciding whether to trigger a new investigation mechanism to hold senior officials accountable, the city’s civil service minister has said. Permanent secretaries of bureaus, who are not covered by the proposed “Heads of Department Accountability System”, will also face scrutiny if they are found to be involved in management failures, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said on Saturday. Under the new mechanism,...

Sometimes new government strategies really aren’t newsworthy. The 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) is like that. The biggest headline from the document is the additional defense spending of A$53 billion (US$38 billion) over the next decade, which the government claims (with some accounting sleights of hand) will reach 3% of GDP. While this technically meets […] The post New Australia defense strategy ignores US elephant in the room appeared first on Asia Times.

Until May 16th.

The U.S. Treasury Department has announced that it will lift sanctions on Russian crude oil and petroleum products that have been subject to sanctions, and will allow countries to engage in trade with them. This marks a significant shift in policy, as Treasury Secretary Yellen had indicated just two days ago that the sanctions would not be lifted.

Tehran: "We will close the Strait of Hormuz if the US blockade of our ports continues." Trump: "Without a peace agreement, the blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place."

The U.S. Department of the Treasury extended, on a temporary basis until May 16th, the suspension of most sanctions targeting the Russian oil industry, at a time when the resumption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz caused a sharp drop in oil prices. The measure affects all operations related to the loading and delivery of oil originating from Russia. It also applies to ships in the so-called "shadow fleet" that were previously subject to sanctions. The only sanctions that remain in place are those against transactions with Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and the occupied regions of Ukraine, including Crimea. The U.S. government had previously temporarily lifted penalties on Russian oil stored at sea, with the aim of mitigating the rapid rise in the price of a barrel. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated last week that this suspension would not be extended beyond the initial period. The U.S. government maintains sanctions on the oil resources of Russia and Iran in order to reduce the revenues of the governments of Moscow and Tehran. "Xi is very happy" The President of the United States, Donald Trump, welcomed the opening of the Strait of Hormuz in anticipation of the upcoming bilateral meeting with China. "President Xi is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open or opening..."

Iran implied that it calls the shots on Hormuz operations and not the US.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Defense (Jedena), which was operating in the Biobío region and headed by Rear Admiral Edgardo Acevedo of the Chilean Navy, announced late Friday evening the end of the constitutional state of emergency declared due to the severe wildfires in January of this year. Consequently, the military personnel deployed in the area were also withdrawn. According to order No. 30, the measure ceased to be in effect as of 11:59 PM on Friday. Therefore, "all members of the armed forces under the jurisdiction of this Defense Command have ceased to exercise the functions granted by the constitutional state of emergency" declared by former President Gabriel Boric on January 18th. The communication further states that the military personnel must "return to their respective institutional commands." Jedena also added that, as of the specified time, all measures enacted in the preceding three months are no longer in effect. "The armed forces cease to exercise the extraordinary functions conferred by this measure, returning to their institutional structures, and all orders, instructions, and administrative provisions issued within the framework of this state of emergency are nullified," Jedena emphasized.

The Trump administration’s decision to carry out a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has raised tensions in the Persian Gulf to new and more perilous levels. The move was announced by the US president, Donald Trump, after negotiations over a ceasefire with Iran broke down on April 11, partly due to Iran wanting […] The post Hormuz standoff sets a tense tone for Trump-Xi meet appeared first on Asia Times.

Israel and Lebanon have a ceasefire, but global attention should not shift away. This is not a clean end to the war.

A total of 75 members of the UK Parliament expressed their support this Friday for a motion calling for comprehensive sanctions against Israel, in the context of the offensive in Gaza and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. The initiator of the initiative, MP Richard Burgon, stated that "75 MPs already support my parliamentary motion to impose widespread sanctions on Israel," a proposal that continues to gain support in Westminster, and for which the deadline for endorsements will remain open for another week. In his statement, Burgon linked the initiative to the situation in the Middle East, stating that "in addition to the genocide in Gaza and the war crimes in Lebanon, Israel is intensifying its occupation of the West Bank." In this context, the MP urged citizens to pressure their representatives: "There is only one week left to support this call for sanctions. Ask your MP to do so below." 🚨BREAKING: 75 MPs now back my Parliamentary motion for widespread sanctions on Israel. As well as genocide in Gaza and war crimes in Lebanon, Israel is deepening its occupation of the West Bank. There's just a week left to back this sanctions call. Ask your MP to do so below. pic.twitter.com/2olZAEYiUh — Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) April 17, 2026 The parliamentary motion emphasizes concern over the Israeli government's decision on February 15 to proceed with the registration...

Iran hours earlier had temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz following a separate US-brokered ceasefire agreement by Israel and Lebanon.

On the 17th, a senior official from the U.S. government met with the CEO of Anthropic, a rapidly growing AI company, to discuss the challenges of AI development and other issues related to the military use of AI, a topic that has caused friction between the two sides.

The head of the Foundation for Peace and Friendship Among Peoples says that Ursula von der Leyen is pretending to act on behalf of European countries and trying to "handle issues of their energy independence"

Tehran on Saturday threatened to cut off access to the Strait of Hormuz again if the United States maintains its blockade of Iranian ports, raising fresh doubts over recent progress following a ceasefire in Lebanon. Follow our live blog for the latest updates.

Donald Trump’s latest attack on renewables has reignited calls to drill the North Sea for oil – despite research showing it won’t lower energy bills.

The AI firm Anthropic has emerged as a dominant force in the global technology sector, attracting investor interest that values the company at approximately $800 billion (€678.3bn), but what is behind the success?

The president has opened fissures in his base by starting a war he couldn’t finish with Iran, stoking inflation and offending Christians. Barred from running again, he may feel he has nothing to lose Lance Johnson voted for Donald Trump three times. Now he is feeling buyer’s remorse. “I haven’t been too happy with the third time around,” said the 47-year-old contractor, sitting at a bar in Crescent Springs, Kentucky. “We’re supposed to not start any new wars. Prices were supposed to come down. We were promised a lot of things and we’re not getting them.” Johnson is not the only Trump voter having doubts about a US president who, after defying political gravity for a decade, finally seems to be crashing back to earth. The past two weeks have arguably been the most bruising of Trump’s two terms in office, suggesting that his tried and trusted playbook could finally be falling apart. Continue reading...

The UK economy and London’s relationship with Washington have taken significant blows that are likely to reverberate for months.

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Robert B. Murrett, retired Vice Admiral in the US Navy, Professor of Practice and Deputy Director of the Syracuse University's Institute for Security Policy and Law. The Israel-Lebanon and US-Iran ceasefires are at a critical juncture In the evolving geopolitical dynamics of the Strait of Hormuz, where military risk, energy security, and diplomatic recalibration intersect.

Hong Kong's investments in the Middle East will not be disrupted by ongoing conflicts, the commerce minister has said, expressing confidence in the region's economic prospects and urging businesses to take a long-term view. "The geopolitical situation has a temporary impact, but in the long term, we remain hopeful about development in the Middle East," Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah told a radio program on Saturday. "We have many strengths in areas such as...

Volunteers' mission to Hormuz. The U.S. President: "Born useless, stay away."

The official added that "more and more countries," including the US, are recognizing the systemic importance of Russian oil and gas for the global economy

A US appeals court allowed President Donald ⁠Trump’s administration on ⁠Friday night to continue construction ⁠of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, setting a June hearing to review a Washington judge’s order halting the project. An order by a three-judge ‌panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put the lower court’s preliminary injunction on hold for now, giving the panel time to consider the US Justice Department’s...

North Korea’s missile test from its new Choe Hyon destroyer signals a shift toward a more flexible sea-based nuclear deterrent, as the regime compensates for submarine limitations. This month, multiple media outlets reported that North Korea test-fired two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from its new 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon as part of […] The post North Korea taking its nuclear threat to the high seas appeared first on Asia Times.

Kirill Dmitriev also said that Russia maintained contacts with the US on economic and energy issues

US President Donald Trump said on Friday night he was looking forward to his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next month and predicted it would be “special”. Hours after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz had reopened, Trump posted on social media: “China’s President Xi is very happy that Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening; I look forward to meeting Xi. “Our meeting ‌in China will ‌be a special ⁠one and, potentially, Historic. I ⁠look forward to being with President...

Separate from the regular Iranian Navy, with boats that often travel at speeds exceeding 115 miles per hour, it is what a retired U.S. official describes as a "disruptive force."

To leftists abroad, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain is a hero for standing up to President Trump. At home, Mr. Trump is seen as Mr. Sánchez’s political savior from thorny domestic challenges.

Struggles to sell even in popular areas are a timely reminder of the challenges created by high interest rates

The Chicago-born pope has offered an alternative vision of Catholicism — and American power