Iraq seeks oil export alternatives as Strait of Hormuz blockade cuts revenues
Iraq is looking for alternative ways to export oil after the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz cut off most of its sea-based trade. The disruption has hit a key source of state income and left Baghdad facing a widening financial squeeze. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi raised the issue in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.According to the supplied report, Iraq says it has been unable to export about 90% of its oil via the Gulf. Officials say the country has lost about $60bn in oil revenues since the war between the United States and... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 28 Sep 2026 15:30 LONDON
Sponsored
Day News Recap: Deadly violence and regional tensions dominate as floods hit US and Thailand
South Africa was hit by a wave of violence, with police saying at least 27 people were killed in separate mass shootings in Cape Town and Johannesburg, in one of the country’s deadliest recent outbreaks of gun crime. 🔗In the Middle East, Iran is looking to the Caspian Sea as a possible alternative route for oil exports and imports while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, underlining the pressure on its southern shipping lanes. 🔗 Yemen also saw fresh bloodshed, with an airstrike killing at least seven people and wounding dozens near the Mawiya junction as fighting intensified around... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 27 Sep 2026 18:21 LONDON
Breakfast News Recap: Middle East tensions ripple through markets and diplomacy as floods and strikes hit several regions
Iran says it will wait for an official US response after President Donald Trump rejected its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commerce, a sign the standoff over regional shipping and security remains unresolved. đź”— Saudi Arabia warned that escalating threats across the Middle East are affecting international peace, energy security and global stability, underlining how quickly the crisis is spreading beyond the immediate conflict zone. đź”—In Iraq, officials are in direct talks with Washington after four airports suspended flights to and from Iran, deepening a regional aviation dispute triggered by new restrictions. đź”— In Ireland, a report... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 27 Sep 2026 08:37 LONDON
Iraq seeks US exemption as Iranian flight suspensions spread
Iraq is in direct talks with Washington after four of its airports suspended flights to and from Iran, deepening a regional aviation dispute triggered by new United States sanctions on Iranian airlines. The airports affected are Baghdad, Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, according to the supplied report. Iraqi officials are now seeking an exemption that would allow some services to resume.The prime minister's office said on Saturday that any US exemption for Baghdad would be used to restore flights on humanitarian grounds, including medical treatment, education, religious visits and civilian interests. The office said the government was working to de-escalate regional... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 26 Sep 2026 18:59 LONDON
Sponsored
Day News Recap: Congo crash, Middle East tensions and Trump Xi talks dominate a crowded day
At least 13 people were killed when a military aircraft crashed near homes in Kenge, in the southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the plane coming down close to residential buildings. đź”—In the Middle East, Iran said it no longer trusts talks with Washington as it waits for a response to a new proposal on the war and sanctions dispute, while Donald Trump reportedly rejected Tehran's seven day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. đź”— đź”— Iraq said the conflict involving Iran has already cut oil revenues and disrupted trade routes through the strait, and four Iraqi airports... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 26 Sep 2026 18:20 LONDON
Noontime News Recap: Ukraine hit by deadly Russian strikes as Athens blast, Iraq shock and Bangkok floods deepen strain
Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least six people and injured several more over the past 24 hours, with local authorities saying five regions were hit in a fresh wave of attacks. đź”—In Greece, at least two people died and four others were missing after an explosion destroyed a building in the Plaka district near the Athens Acropolis, with emergency crews searching the rubble. đź”—Iraq said the war involving Iran has triggered a sharp economic shock, cutting oil revenues and disrupting trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz, adding to pressure on an already strained economy. đź”—In the occupied West... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 26 Sep 2026 12:21 LONDON
Iraq says oil revenue losses and trade disruption deepen economic strain after Iran war spillover
Iraq says the war involving Iran has triggered a sharp economic shock, cutting oil revenues and disrupting trade routes that pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The government says the impact has been felt in exports, imports and transport costs, adding pressure to an economy that depends heavily on oil income. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has described the country as facing extraordinary economic challenges.According to the supplied report, Iraq says it has lost about $60bn in oil revenues since the conflict began. Officials say that, for a period, the country was unable to export about 90% of its oil through... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 26 Sep 2026 09:59 LONDON
Breakfast News Recap: Trump Xi tariff truce, Iran Hormuz plan and fresh Ukraine strikes dominate briefing
President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping ended their Washington summit with no major breakthrough, but agreed to extend a tariff truce, easing some immediate trade tension between the world’s two biggest economies. 🔗In the Middle East, Iran said it had passed a seven day plan to the United States through Qatar to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as diplomacy continued at the United Nations. 🔗 Lebanon’s prime minister also used the UN stage to demand the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and full enforcement of the ceasefire, while shelling and demolition work continued in the south.... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 26 Sep 2026 08:35 LONDON
Sponsored
Rubio warns Iraq risks fragmentation unless armed groups come under state control after UNGA meeting
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Iraq could face fragmentation unless armed factions are brought under state control. He made the remarks in New York on Wednesday after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Rubio said Washington had no doubt about al-Zaidi's commitment to disarming armed groups, but described the task as a major and difficult challenge.Rubio said at least three armed groups had disarmed and joined the national government, while at least one remained far less cooperative. He argued that bringing all weapons under state control would... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 24 Sep 2026 15:36 LONDON
Turkey agrees to gradual handover of Bashiqa base to Iraq amid wider security deal
Turkey and Iraq have agreed to a gradual transfer of the Bashiqa military base to Baghdad, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister's office. The announcement followed a meeting in New York between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The two sides also said they would deepen security cooperation and expand bilateral trade and investment.The statement said the agreement also covered steps to fully establish state authority in Sinjar and end the presence of foreign armed elements there. It referred to the Kurdistan Workers'... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 24 Sep 2026 03:34 LONDON
Iraq presses ahead with plan to collect 6 million weapons despite militia pushback
Iraq says it will continue a nationwide effort to collect an estimated 6 million weapons held outside official institutions, even as it softens a key deadline and faces resistance from armed factions. The Interior Ministry said the campaign is moving ahead through negotiation rather than force. Officials say the aim is to bring weapons under state control and reduce the influence of groups operating outside the formal security system.Deputy Interior Minister Hussein al-Awadi said the September 30 deadline, which had been linked to the final withdrawal of US-led coalition forces, is now being treated as the start of a regulatory... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 22 Sep 2026 13:32 LONDON
G7 warns Houthis to stop strikes on Saudi Arabia after attack on Riyadh
G7 leaders have called on Yemen's Houthi movement to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia and civilian shipping, after a renewed escalation that included a strike on Riyadh and reported Saudi strikes on Yemen's Mokha port. In a statement, the leaders urged the Houthis to immediately end military actions and threats against commercial vessels and to return to the political process in good faith. The appeal also came with a call for Iran to end its arming of and support for the group.The statement was issued by the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 22 Sep 2026 08:59 LONDON
Sponsored
Trial opens in Baghdad for six French Islamic State suspects
A trial has opened in Baghdad for six French nationals accused of belonging to Islamic State, with the next hearing set for 5 October. The men are being tried in Iraq after being transferred from Syria last year, and prosecutors say they could face the death penalty if convicted of crimes against Iraq and the Iraqi people. Their lawyers are seeking their return to France, arguing that the case is moving too quickly and does not allow enough time to prepare a defence.The six are part of a larger group of 47 French nationals moved from Syria to Iraq last... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 21 Sep 2026 22:35 LONDON
Fear the Shia, Arm the Sunnis: The Uncomfortable Numbers Behind America’s War Narrative
“When fear is managed carefully enough, a nation can be taught to look away from the blood on the floor and stare instead at the shadow on the wall.” A friend of mine, whose name I will not reveal because he asked me not to, sat across from me over dinner and placed a question on the table that would not leave me alone. He was born into a Muslim Shia background, and for the angle of this article, that detail matters, not because I wish to reduce a man to a sect, but because sect has become one of... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 23 May 2026 08:00 LONDON
GAS, GOD, AND GUNS: The Secret Agenda Behind the Washington Talks and the Death of the Maritime Border
The mahogany tables of the U.S. State Department are hosting a ghost today. As official delegations from Israel and Lebanon convene for a third round of high-stakes negotiations this Friday, May 8, 2026, the air in Washington is thick with the scent of a "peace" that looks increasingly like a strategic ambush. While the world watches the diplomatic theatre, the reality on the ground in Southern Lebanon tells a story of a predatory recalibration. Prime Minister Netanyahu isn’t just looking for a ceasefire; he is aiming to hit three birds with one single, devastating stone: the annexation of land, the... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 08 May 2026 12:29 LONDON
The Great Uncoupling: Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Gambit
The UAE’s decision to cut ties with OPEC is far more than a mere adjustment of energy policy, for it functions as a political telegram written in barrels and sent directly to the heart of the global order. For nearly six decades, Abu Dhabi operated within the rigid architecture of producer discipline, where it accepted the rituals of quotas, the formality of communiqués, and the heavy burden of collective restraint. It played the long game of oil diplomacy with a patient hand, balancing its own massive national ambitions against the gravity of cartel discipline and the delicate logic of Gulf... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 30 Apr 2026 09:50 LONDON
Sponsored
Shadows of Fire: The Long Arc of Iran–United States Tensions
A Region on Edge: The Latest Escalation In recent months, tensions between Iran and the United States have intensified once again, fueled by disputes over regional security, nuclear development, maritime incidents in the Persian Gulf, and the broader strategic balance in the Middle East. Officials in Washington have expressed renewed concern over Iran’s uranium enrichment levels, while leaders in Tehran have accused the United States of economic warfare through sanctions and diplomatic isolation. The fragile equilibrium that followed earlier rounds of indirect negotiations appears increasingly strained, with both sides engaging in sharp rhetoric at the United Nations, reinforcing military postures... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 19 Feb 2026 08:49 LONDON
