US-Iran Ceasefire Negotiationsactive

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire barely an hour before US President Donald Trump's Wednesday deadline to obliterate the country, triggering global relief. Following the announcement, both Tehran and Washington claimed to have won the more than month-long conflict.

With Washington and Tehran each claiming victory, the agreement raised the prospect of some respite after nearly six weeks of bombing.

Higher oil prices triggered by the war in Iran have boosted Russia’s finances. But now Russia is banning gasoline exports until late July, as Ukrainian strikes make fuel scarcer domestically – while murmurs in the EU suggest energy pain may drive them back to Russia. The question is: how long Kyiv’s allies will support a strategy that could also keep EU energy prices high?

Share prices rose on the Helsinki Stock Exchange but energy stocks dipped. Experts warned that it could take a week or more before any decline in consumer petrol prices.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating the negotiations, stated that the ceasefire would come into effect immediately.

The countries will have to re-evaluate their relationships with Israel, Iran and the United States after a war that has exposed their vulnerability.

PRESS REVIEW - Wednesday, April 8: Papers discuss US President Donald Trump's mental health after his "stunning" threat to wipe out Iran. While attention is on the Middle East, the Epstein investigation continues: we take a look at the latest. Finally, an iconic duo graces the cover of Vogue Magazine...

China has not confirmed any direct role. Its foreign ministry said it supports the ceasefire and has been working towards peace.

Earlier media reports indicated that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had been selected to lead the Iranian delegation in negotiations in Islamabad.

According to the media outlet, the event marks a pivotal turning point in global history and the international order

The NATO Secretary General will be in the United States from April 8 to 12

Beijing appeared to have helped push Tehran to accept the two-week deal with the United States, reflecting China’s growing influence and its stake in avoiding a wider war.

Shipowners in Asia, the Middle East and Europe greeted the possibility of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with both relief and caution as they try to understand the implications of the two-week US-Iran ceasefire which could potentially allow an exit for more than 800 vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf. Bloomberg's Alaric Nightingale reports. (Source: Bloomberg)

China has implemented a new regulation on supply chain security that hands officials the power to punish any entities deemed to threaten the country’s access to vital resources and the free flow of goods, as Beijing confronts an increasingly turbulent global outlook. The 18-point regulation – which was passed and became effective on March 31, but the full text of which was only published on Tuesday – elevates safeguarding China’s industrial and supply chains to a national security issue. The new...

The Verkhovna Rada adopted an appeal to the parliaments and governments of foreign states, the UN, and the IAEA on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Chornobyl Disaster, calling on the international community to take measures to ensure nuclear safety.

North Korea’s latest missile launch highlights the security challenges existing in the Indo-Pacific region as the world focuses on the tensions in the Middle East, according to the defense ministers of Japan and Australia.

Israel has backed a ceasefire between the US and Iran but made clear it does not extend to Lebanon.

The Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, Kiihara, met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Marles, who is visiting Japan. During the meeting, they discussed the situation in the Middle East and exchanged views on cooperation in areas such as security.

Both the US and Iran can claim victory of a sort but many questions remain unresolved

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, described the ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Iran as "good news," while emphasizing the need for it to include Lebanon, and insisting that this agreement should pave the way for peace negotiations. "We have said from the beginning of this conflict, almost 40 days ago: it is through negotiation that we can provide the necessary security guarantees for stability in the entire region," the French leader stated in remarks before a meeting of the French Security Council, where he praised the agreement and called for it to be "fully" respected "in the coming days and weeks" throughout the region. In any case, he emphasized that it is "very good news" that the agreement is being respected in the initial hours, and that both sides have ceased attacks, thus putting a pause to the war that began on February 28th following the surprise offensive by the United States and Israel against Tehran. This step will allow negotiations to take place, Macron stressed, reiterating that this is France's position from the beginning. Situation in Ormuz and Lebanon Regarding the situation in the Strait of Ormuz, a key aspect of the agreement reached by Washington and Tehran, Macron stated that Iran is "willing" to "reopen" it. "This is good news, and we have been working for several weeks to mobilize our partners in Asia, in Europe, and in the region," he said…

"Even if the Strait of Hormuz remains open, it will take months for energy markets to normalize," Kirill Dmitriev wrote.

The IDF reported that it had struck dozens of Iranian launch sites

US President Donald Trump credited Chinese assistance after he agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the war on Iran that includes a resumption of shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz. “I hear yes,” Trump told Agence France-Presse when asked whether China had helped to get Iran into negotiations, which are due to start in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday. Iran separately said that it wants China, its biggest trading partner, to be among guarantors of regional peace. The US and Iran both...

Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work! Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support. Police in Poland have detained a Chinese man after being alerted that he was taking photographs of railway infrastructure. Security around Poland’s rail network has been particularly tight since last November, when operatives working on behalf of Russia used explosives to sabotage a track. Bezpieczeństwo na torach – realne działania służb❗ 👥 W odpowiedzi na sygnały od społeczeństwa, @PolskaPolicja i Straż Ochrony Kolei ujęli obywatela Chin, który fotografował infrastrukturę kolejową 📷. To ważna informacja dla bezpieczeństwa kraju, zwłaszcza w obecnej sytuacji… pic.twitter.com/1rzXPsz5tD — MSWiA 🇵🇱 (@MSWiA_GOV_PL) April 7, 2026 On Monday this week, police in the Lubusz province in western Poland received a report about a man taking photographs of railway infrastructure in Kowalów, a village with a population of around 900 people close to the border with Germany. Officers from the Railway Security Guard (SOK) then apprehended the man, who turned out to be a 48-year-old Chinese national. He was handed over to the police, who have seized his devices and are investigating why he was taking the photographs. A spokesman for Lubusz police told broadcaster RMF on Tuesday that they were waiting for an official interpreter before interrogating the suspect, and were for now analysing the content of his phone. Under Poland’s Homeland Defence Act, photography is prohibited at around 25,000 locations deemed to be of particular importance to national security. However, it is not known if the suspect is accused of violating that ban Click here to help us continue providing news free from paywalls and ads Last November, two operatives working on behalf of Russia sabotaged a rail line in eastern Poland using explosives. The pair then fled across the border to Belarus, and are believed to now be in Russia. In response, Poland launched enhanced monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure, including deploying up to 10,000 military personnel and over 100,000 police officers. The authorities have also encouraged the public to report any suspicious activity In February this year, Poland also banned Chinese-made vehicles from entering all secure military facilities, citing security threats relating to the gathering of sensitive data. It has also barred military personnel from connecting their work phones to the systems of such cars. Poland has banned Chinese-made vehicles from entering all secure military facilities, citing security threats relating to the gathering of sensitive data. It has also barred military personnel from connecting their work phones to the systems of such cars https://t.co/rtfTkKw6nM — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 19, 2026 Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support. Main image credit: SOK (under CC BY-SA 4.0)

The US president, who had vowed to annihilate Iran, announced a ceasefire with Tehran on Tuesday evening, which should lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Israel said it supported the agreement but insisted that its operations in Lebanon were unaffected.

Fars added that there is no information yet on its structure or management forms

Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme Director Sanam Vakil analyzes the two-week ceasefire agreement and where the deal leaves the US, Iran and Israel. "We're still in the fog of war without a settlement," Vakil tells Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reportedly held phone talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, following a ceasefire agreement reached with the US.

Viktor Litovkin noted that Iran has man-portable air defense systems such as the Igla and Verba, which can also be used against aircraft, despite their limited range

According to Maria Zakharova, Russia sought to ensure that the text would not harm anyone or be used for any malicious purposes

According to the report, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global fertilizer supply chains and reduced sales by nearly 40%

The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, the details of which have not been confirmed by both sides, averting Trump’s threat to destroy Iran. The purported statement by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council that CNN and others reported was dismissed as fake by Trump, who instead shared Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s cryptic […] The post What the US-Iran ceasefire does and doesn’t mean appeared first on Asia Times.

Iran’s state-run television earlier reported that Tehran put forward a 10-point proposal that the United States "was forced to accept"

Hong Kong authorities have proceeded to confiscate properties linked to crimes committed by former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, with a hearing scheduled in three months to address the court order. According to a court document inspected by the South China Morning Post on Wednesday, the secretary for justice filed an application with the Court of First Instance to confiscate Lai’s properties after he was sentenced to serve 20 years in jail. A 60-minute hearing is scheduled for July 8 to handle...

Pro-government demonstrators poured onto the streets of the Iranian capital after the announcement of the two-week conditional ceasefire between the US and Iran.

Crude oil prices plummeted by as much as 15% following the conditional pause, but they remain higher than they were before the war.

Just a few miles apart, along the coast of Djibouti, are military bases belonging to rival powers, including the United States and China.

As 5G accounts for more than 30% of global mobile connections, the telecom industry is entering a make-or-break phase in which future investments and demand for next-generation network and compute

The US and Iran on Wednesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire, reaching a deal just hours before President Donald Trump's deadline and threatened destruction of Iranian "civilisation" if Tehran failed to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Details of the Pakistan-brokered agreement are set to be negotiated in Islamabad on Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the truce deal does not include Lebanon.

Average price dips back below £300,000 after higher energy costs have knock-on effect on mortgage rates UK house prices fell in March, as the housing market lost momentum amid uncertainty over the conflict in the Middle East and the impact on the economy and interest rates. Figures from Halifax, which is part of Lloyds – Britain’s biggest mortgage lender – showed property prices dipped by 0.5% in March compared with a month earlier. As a result, the average price of a home slipped back below £300,000, to £299,677, after first crossing the milestone in January. Continue reading...

Prime Minister Koichi Toge held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi around 4:00 PM, lasting approximately 25 minutes. The discussion likely focused on measures to de-escalate the situation and ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, following the agreement reached between the United States and Iran for a two-week ceasefire.

Europe breathed a cautious sigh of relief Wednesday after U. S. President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, halting missile strikes in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement as “much-needed de-escalation,” thanking Pakistan for its mediation and calling for negotiations on an “enduring solution” to continue. “The U. S.–Iran agreement on a ceasefire is a step back from the brink,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas added on X, urging efforts to “restart shipping” and turn the truce into a lasting deal. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “a moment of relief” and is set to travel to the Middle East on Wednesday to work with Gulf partners on making the reopening of the strait permanent. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the goal now was a “lasting end to the war.” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez struck a more critical note, saying ceasefires are “always good news” — especially if they lead to “a just and lasting peace” — but warned the “momentary relief” cannot erase the “chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost,” adding that Spain “will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement as “much-needed de-escalation,” thanking Pakistan for its mediation and calling for negotiations on an “enduring solution” to continue. | Shireen Broszies/picture alliance via Getty Images The ceasefire deal, struck after Trump initially warned that an “entire civilization would die” if Iran refused to reach an agreement, hinges on Tehran allowing safe passage through the critical Hormuz shipping route and advancing a 10-point framework presented by its government. “A big day for World Peace!” Trump announced on Truth Social early Wednesday, promising U. S. support to restore shipping flows and touting a potential “Golden Age of the Middle East.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would halt “defensive operations” and coordinate with its armed forces to partially reopen Hormuz with conditions like tolls and U. S. military rollback, adding Washington had accepted the “general framework” of its plan — a more conditional reading than Trump’s claims of a full reopening. The European relief follows days of alarm in the continent’s capitals. Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto warned Tuesday that “madness seems to have gripped the world,” while European Council President António Costa cautioned that strikes on civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes and that any widening of the conflict would hit civilians hardest. The ceasefire also lays bare Europe’s limited role. While Pakistan helped broker the deal, EU governments struggled to shape events even as the conflict threatened global energy flows. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte heads to Washington on Wednesday in what is shaping up as a major stress test for the alliance, as Trump’s broader demands continue to rattle Europe. For now, Europe is watching — and hoping the pause holds.

According to Iran's state broadcaster, 32,000 vessels passed through the strait last year.

This podcast episode explores taxing the "windfall profits" of oil and gas companies to offset skyrocketing energy prices. While five EU nations urge a new tax mechanism, previous attempts collected only €28m — far below the €190bn spent on subsidies. Ultimately, do taxes serve as a vital political signal for fairness?

Following the ceasefire with Iran.

Ukraine is importing the necessary volumes of fuel, with supply efforts continuing in cooperation with European partners and countries in the Middle East.

The head of a body representing global airlines said on Wednesday that even if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, it would take months for jet fuel supply to recover given disruptions to Middle East refining capacity. Oil fell below US$100 per barrel after US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran ‌that was subject to the immediate and safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil trade. Iranian Foreign...

Two French nationals released after nearly four years in Iranian detention returned home on Wednesday, vowing to speak out about the “daily horror” of their imprisonment, as President Emmanuel Macron hailed the end of their ordeal.

Germany's defense minister says a requirement for men aged 17 to 45 to seek permission for long stays abroad will not apply — for now. Meanwhile, German intelligence has a warning about your internet router. DW has more.

PARIS — French greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 1.5% in 2025 compared to 2024, according to a report by Citepa published this Wednesday. France is far from the trajectory it has set for itself: to meet its climate goals and hope to contain global warming, emissions should decrease by 4% per year between 2024 and 2028. These new figures confirm that the decarbonization process is stagnating. After a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions of 3.9% in 2022 and 6.8% in 2023, the trend slowed down in 2024, to 1.8%. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r The trajectory has slightly deteriorated compared to the previous estimate, published in January, which anticipated a decrease of 1.6% in 2025. In detail, all sectors are reducing their emissions except for the energy production sector, where they are slightly increasing, due in part to increased activity in refineries. Conversely, the industrial sector is seeing its carbon emissions decrease by 3.5%, mainly due to a decline in activities in emission-intensive industries such as metallurgy, and a decrease in the consumption of fossil fuels. The other sectors are seeing their emissions decrease slightly, but not significantly…

French President Emmanuel Macron convened a meeting of top defence and security officials on Wednesday after a two-week ceasefire was agreed in the Iran war – as Europe cautiously welcomed a fragile deal meant to pause fighting, reopen a key oil route and launch talks.

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chinese embassy in US confirms death of semiconductor researcher Wang Danhao Chinese semiconductor researcher Wang Danhao died at the University of Michigan last month, shortly after being questioned by US federal law enforcement. 2. ‘Impossible for Chinese’: Yale scientist Zhang Kai leaves US for China Zhang...

Iran proposed a 10-point plan for ending the war with the US and Israel early Wednesday after the establishment of a two-week ceasefire just before a US-imposed deadline and threats to destroy Iranian "civilisation". US President Donald Trump said the plan was "workable", despite several points which Washington had previously said were unfeasible.

Philippine lawmakers have expressed hope that joint oil and gas exploration agreements with China could move forward in the face of the global energy crisis, despite a former Supreme Court justice warning that accepting Beijing's terms would be tantamount to "suicide" for Manila. Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier this week supported President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s intention to resume talks with China on such ventures, given the impact of the Middle East conflict. In 2023, Marcos and Chinese President Xi Jinping...

In a surprising turn of events, the US and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, aimed at averting potential disaster. Her eis what we know so far.

The risk of the war with Iran escalating to unimaginable levels has been avoided—at least for now. The United States and Iran have accepted Pakistan's proposal, and there will be a two-week ceasefire.

Iran hopes China can be one of the security guarantors of peace in the region, Iranian ambassador to Beijing, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, said on Wednesday. “We hope different sides could guarantee that the US would not resume the war, we hope the UN Security Council, big countries like China and Russia, as well as mediating countries like Pakistan and Turkey to work together to guarantee peace in the region,” Fazli told a press conference in the Chinese capital. More to follow …

Factory orders climbed 0.9% on month, recovering a little from the 11.1% slump in the first month of the year.

Tehran and Beijing both stand to gain from boosting status of the Chinese yuan.

American outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is facing significant online backlash after implementing an "earth usage fee" for online orders, intended to reduce excessive returns. Announced on March 30, the fee applies only to purchases made through its Tmall store, a premium online shopping platform operated by Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post. During last year's Double 11 shopping festival, Patagonia's Tmall store shipped 16,179 packages, resulting in a staggering number of returns...

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in turn, declared victory and a "historic and crushing defeat" of the US and Israel

Anthropic has launched a new cybersecurity initiative, Project Glasswing, giving select technology partners early access to a powerful yet-to-be-released AI model as concerns grow over AI-driven cyberattacks. According to Bloomberg, the program is designed to help companies prepare for potential risks before the model is made more widely available.

Kosovo will face a much more hostile international environment if far-right parties gain more power in core EU states like France and Germany, while the US under Trump remains indifferent to the Balkans.

The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once revelled in the appearance of solving conflicts turned to the language of annihilation as he struggled to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran. US President Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme on Tuesday as he warned “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Republican president’s...

Up to 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s fishing vessels have suspended operations nearly a month ahead of a planned moratorium, according to a sector representative, as the doubling of “red oil” prices caused by the war in the Middle East has made going out to sea untenable for operators. Representatives for local transport and maritime sectors welcomed the two-week ceasefire announced by the US and Iran and the subsequent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but called for targeted, temporary government...

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul’s hopes of an easing in tensions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8.50am from near Wonsan on the North’s east coast. The missiles flew 240km (150 miles), the JCS ‌said, adding that South Korean and US authorities were...

Approximately 12 hours after former U.S. President Trump posted on social media, "Tonight, civilization as a whole will be destroyed, and it will never rise again," the United States and Iran, which had been engaged in ongoing discussions mediated by Pakistan, announced an agreement for a two-week ceasefire. We spoke with experts in Iran and the United States to get their perspectives on the agreement.

In early March, a week after the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the White House posted a video of real American attacks mixed with clips from popular movies, television series, video games and anime. Iran and its sympathisers responded to the strikes by flooding social media with outdated war footage allegedly from the current conflict […] The post Slopaganda: US, Iran deploy AI slop as weapons of war appeared first on Asia Times.

A world eager for a respite from President Donald Trump's apocalyptic rhetoric breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday as the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, although concerns remain that the agreement could bring new risks. "Better TACO Tuesday than World War III," said one European official, referring to Trump backing down from his threats to destroy Iran's civilization if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, hoped the pause could allow for an eventual negotiated end to the conflict. The announcement came in the middle of the night in Europe and the Middle East, and many U.S. allies were slow to issue public statements about it. However, the dramatic pause prompted some governments to issue immediate public praise. Iraq's foreign ministry said it welcomed the ceasefire and "values this development as a step that would contribute to reducing tensions, enhancing opportunities for de-escalation, and reinforcing security and stability in the region." Australia welcomed the agreement, saying it "wants to see the ceasefire upheld and a resolution to the conflict." It noted that Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on shipping vessels and energy infrastructure had been disrupting world markets, and called "on all parties" to uphold international law. Pakistan, which led efforts to reach the ceasefire, was particularly optimistic that this is the turning point needed in the war. "Both parties have displ…

Throughout the war in Gaza, France maintained that its exports of military equipment to Israel were solely for defensive purposes or intended for re-export to other countries. A new report by two pro-Palestinian groups argues that French firms and transport hubs have continued to arm Israel's military operations "through supply chains that have bypassed public scrutiny."

Reporting from Tehran FRANCE 24’s Reza Sayah says Iranian state media is portraying the ceasefire agreement as a “victory against the United States and Israel”. Despite the heavy losses inflicted by massive strikes, the assassination of top leaders, civilian deaths, destruction of infrastructure, “the Islamic Republic is still standing,” says Sayah. “For Iran, survival was always a victory,” he notes.

Brent crude oil dropped to $93 a barrel after Trump ceasefire announcement and Iran’s pledge to reopen strait of Hormuz under its management Middle East crisis – live updates Full report: US and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of Hormuz Oil prices plunged by almost 15% after Donald Trump held off on his threat to bomb Iran into the stone ages on Tuesday night, and Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait of Hormuz would be allowed for the next two weeks under the management of its military. With just over an hour until his deadline was due to pass, the US president said he was holding off on threatened attacks on Iran, subject to Tehran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and reopening of the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Charlie Taylor, inspector of prisons for England and Wales, says dealers should be isolated and ‘assertively managed’ Jailed criminals who are flooding prisons with drugs should be isolated like radical extremists and “assertively managed”, the England and Wales prisons watchdog has said. Charlie Taylor, HM inspector of prisons, said major dealers were living “consequence-free” in jail when they should be separated from the majority of inmates, subjected to regular searches for phones, and punished and rewarded according to their behaviour. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump's announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, which will see Tehran temporarily reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, brought welcome relief to Asian markets on Wednesday. With Trump's deadline approaching for the Islamic Republic to reopen the waterway or face obliteration, he announced a halt to attacks for two weeks and said he had received a "workable" 10-point proposal. Iran later said it had agreed to safe passage in the strait, through which a fifth of...

Reliance Industries has not made any announcement to the stock exchange regarding the project in Brownsville, Texas.

TEL AVIV.- Israel has expressed its support for the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend airstrikes against Iran for two weeks as part of a ceasefire agreement between the two nations, in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement emphasizing that, as a condition, the Persian country must immediately release the strait and halt the attacks. Furthermore, from Tel Aviv, they assured that "the two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon." Read the full statement here. From Tel Aviv, they supported the cessation of hostilities between the United States and Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the agreement does not include attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, AP reports that, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the truce stipulates that Israel and Hezbollah must end their attacks. The White House Press Secretary and Assistant to Donald Trump, Karoline Leavitt, celebrated the agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran. "We have achieved and exceeded our main military objectives in 38 days," she stated. "The success of our armed forces created a significant advantage, which allowed President Trump and his team to engage in difficult negotiations that have now opened the door to a diplomatic solution and lasting peace," she wrote. She added that Trump achieved the opening of the strait...

Democrats welcome the truce and call for accountability, as Republican hawks voice scepticism about talks with Tehran.

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Donald Trump’s threats to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization” shocked the world. On the podcast today, host Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart, POLITICO’s senior EU politics editor, discuss the European reaction as the conflict in the Middle East spirals. Plus, NATO chief Mark Rutte is in Washington to meet the U. S. president, but what does he hope to achieve with so little consensus within the alliance? Next, we obtained documents that reveal the extent to which Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán is deepening ties with Russia. An agreement signed between the two countries last year includes cooperation in a diverse range of areas from energy to circus arts. Zoya and Ian discuss what implications, if any, these revelations could have for the upcoming election in Hungary. Finally, Australia has been trying to limit the use of social media for the under-16s — and it wants Brussels’ help to get Big Tech to comply. If you have questions or comments, you can reach us on our WhatsApp here or by dialing +32 491 05 06 29.

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Donald Trump macht einen Rückzieher. Ganz knapp vor Ablauf seines Ultimatums verkündete der US-Präsident eine zweiwöchige Waffenruhe mit dem Iran. Unter pakistanischer Vermittlung sollen ab Freitag Verhandlungen in Islamabad starten. Grundlage ist ein iranischer Zehn-Punkte-Plan, der Teheran schmerzhafte Zugeständnisse der USA abverlangt. Inklusive der weiteren Kontrolle über die Straße von Hormuz. Zusammen mit Jonathan Martin in Washington analysiert Rixa Fürsen, ob Trump hier wirklich den Sieg eingefahren hat, den er reklamiert, oder ob er schlicht vor den wirtschaftlichen Folgen seines Kriegs eingeknickt ist. Die Kraftstoffpreise in Deutschland steigen kontinuierlich. Eine Woche nach Einführung der „12-Uhr-Regel“ steht fest: Die Wirkung ist gleich null – Diesel und Benzin sind teurer als je zuvor. Während Finanzminister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) nun offen nach einer Spritpreis-Obergrenze nach dem Vorbild von Polen oder Luxemburg ruft, bremst die unionsgeführte Wirtschaftsseite. Unsere Energieexpertin Joana Lehner analysiert, warum andere EU-Länder die Situation besser im Griff haben, welche Haushaltsrisiken hinter individuellen Zuschüssen stecken und warum ein „Margendeckel“ für Raffinerien die nächste Maßnahme sein könnte. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview spricht der schleswig-holsteinische Wirtschafts- und Verkehrsminister Claus Ruhe Madsen. Er kritisiert den „Energieschock“ an den Tankstellen und warnt davor, mit Steuermilliarden lediglich die Gewinne multinationaler Ölkonzerne zu stützen. Madsen plädiert stattdessen für eine Senkung der Strompreise und eine Abkehr von der fossilen Abhängigkeit, um nicht „von einer Ölkrise in die nächste zu schlittern“. Hier geht es zum kostenlosen Probe-Abo für unseren Pro-Newsletter „Energie & Klima am Morgen“. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. ⁠Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren.⁠ Mehr von Rixa Fürsen gibt es auch hier: Instagram: ⁠@rixafu⁠ | X: ⁠@rixa_fursen⁠. POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH Axel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 Berlin Tel: +49 (30) 2591 0 ⁠information@axelspringer.de⁠ Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 B USt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390 Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna **(Anzeige) Eine Nachricht der PKV: Hätten Sie’s gedacht? Über 22 Prozent ihrer Einnahmen erzielen Arztpraxen mit Privatpatienten – dabei sind nur 10,5 Prozent der Menschen privatversichert. Doch für ihre Behandlung gibt es weniger Beschränkungen und meist höhere Honorare. Dieses Geld können die Ärzte in Personal oder bessere Praxisausstattung investieren. Gut für alle – auch die gesetzlich Versicherten. Mehr auf pkv.de**

A Malaysian court has granted an application by anti-corruption officials to issue an arrest warrant for two sons of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, after they failed to comply with repeated requests to turn up for questioning over their family’s wealth. Daim and his clan have been at the centre of a years-long probe into alleged abuse of power and corruption by the country’s elites, who critics have accused of colluding with two-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to enrich themselves...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that his government supports the proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend attacks against Iran for a period of two weeks, although he cautioned that this ceasefire would not extend to the ongoing conflict with the Shia group Hezbollah in Lebanon. In an official statement, the Israeli leader's office indicated that support for the U.S. initiative is contingent upon Tehran meeting immediate demands. "Israel supports President Trump's decision to suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks, provided that Iran immediately opens the straits and halts all attacks against the United States, Israel, and countries in the region," the statement read. The Israeli Prime Minister emphasized that this pause in hostilities is part of a broader effort led by Washington to contain what it considers a strategic threat posed by Iran. "Israel also supports the U.S. effort to ensure that Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile, and terrorist threat," Netanyahu added, aligning himself with the objectives set forth by the White House and its regional allies. Despite the diplomatic opening, Netanyahu was emphatic in setting clear limits on the scope of the ceasefire: "The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon," he stated, explicitly excluding any suspension of operations against Hezbollah. This…

How much fuel does Australia have left today, and when could we run out? Check how much petrol and diesel prices have risen near you in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country since the US and Israel’s war on Iran began in late February Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Hundreds of service stations across Australia have run empty, fuel prices are elevated and oil shipments have been cancelled. Australia is battling a fuel crisis as Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz continues to bite. The federal government has released fuel reserves, cut fuel excise taxes and rolled out a national fuel security plan. Continue reading...

Madagascar has declared a 15-day national state of energy emergency, citing a war in the Middle East that has disrupted fuel supply.

In the coming days, in-person talks may take place between the U. S. administration and representatives of Iran, aimed at finalizing the terms of a lasting peace.

According to the news agency, Beijing initially tried to act through intermediaries, including Islamabad, Ankara, and Cairo. After that, Chinese officials directly contacted Iran

According to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, the US president admitted that the negotiations were "incredibly complex"

US Iran ceasefire LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump told AFP on Thursday that he believes China got Iran to negotiate a ceasefire in the war against Israel and the United States. Meanwhile, Israel has backed the US decision to suspend strikes against Iran.

Netanyahu backs US ceasefire with iran, but find a loophole to continue Lebanon onslaught

The phrase ‘acceptance of enrichment’ was reportedly only listed Iran's Farsi-language version of the ceasefire plan and was missing from the English version.

The provisional truce comes more than a month after the US and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iran.

In the Philippines, surging fuel prices have forced a rethink of energy policy and even relations with China

The Trump administration expects US taxpayers to fund not only its own military adventurism but Israel’s as well. Ending American subsidies for Israel’s wars is one reason why Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) recently filed Joint Resolutions of Disapproval opposing US$659 million in President Donald Trump-approved bomb sales to Israel, with many […] The post The gift card Israel uses to buy US weapons appeared first on Asia Times.

India is moving to phase out Chinese-made internet-connected CCTV cameras and high-speed tollway cameras, citing national security risks, even as it cautiously opens other sectors to Chinese investment. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has shortlisted American, German, and Taiwanese suppliers to replace existing equipment at around 1,150 toll collection sites, according to Bloomberg.

According to a source cited by The Times of Israel, Washington also promised it would demand that Iran halt uranium enrichment