Iranian oil tankers exit blockade zone as talks approach
The first tankers carrying Iranian oil have exited a US blockade perimeter in the Strait of Hormuz, according to tracking data cited by a maritime monitoring site. The movement was reported two days before planned talks between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland on an agreed peace deal. The reported sailings were also linked to a fall in world oil prices as markets reacted to the prospect of the Strait reopening.The monitoring site said the development marked Iran's first crude oil exports in two months. It identified two National Iranian Tanker Company very large crude carriers, DIONA and HERO2, as having... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 17 Jun 2026 05:29 LONDON
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Captain of seized Russian shadow fleet tanker appears in UK court as case widens
Ajay Pant, the captain of a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker seized in the English Channel, has appeared in court on sanctions charges. The 38-year-old Indian national appeared via video link at Southampton Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody. He is due to next appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on 16 July.The court heard the vessel was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil when it was boarded by British forces on Sunday. Prosecutors said the tanker was part of a 700-strong shadow fleet used to transport oil around the world, and that Pant is alleged to have been involved in... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Jun 2026 17:33 LONDON
France and Britain ready military mission to help reopen Strait of Hormuz as deployment nears
France says a military mission assembled with Britain and other partners is ready to deploy to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Iran deal ending the Middle East war. The plan is focused on restoring shipping through the narrow waterway, which carries around 20 percent of the world's oil, and on reassuring commercial operators that traffic can resume safely. French officials say the coalition has been built since March and now has enough resources to move from planning to deployment.French President Emmanuel Macron said about 20 countries have made concrete contributions, with four already present in the region.... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Jun 2026 16:29 LONDON
Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked after US-Iran deal announcement
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily restricted despite the announcement of a US-Iran deal, with ship-tracking data showing only a small number of vessels have passed through the waterway. BBC Verify analysis cited in the supplied material says just seven vessels appear to have crossed since the deal was announced, while as many as 580 ships are waiting in the Gulf. The disruption is centred on one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, where normal shipping has still not resumed.The latest data show more than 250 tankers and more than 330 cargo ships inside the Gulf, with... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Jun 2026 15:59 LONDON
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US-linked oil transfer operation near Strait of Hormuz tied to Apache crash
A US Apache helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz was reportedly involved in a military-backed oil transfer operation in the waters off Oman, according to a new investigation. The report says the mission used ship-to-ship transfers, with aerial and water drones guiding oil convoys to waiting tankers. It also says the transfers began in early May and may have moved at least 90 million barrels of crude oil since then.The helicopter went down while on patrol off the coast of Oman at about 3.30am last week, according to a later statement from US Central Command. The same report... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Jun 2026 15:00 LONDON
Ireland probe into Aughinish Alumina shipments to Russia to continue beyond EU presidency start
Ireland's enterprise minister has said the investigation into Aughinish Alumina will not be tied to the start of the country's EU presidency on 1 July. Peter Burke said the review into allegations that alumina shipments from the Shannon Estuary plant may be ending up in Russian weapons systems used against Ukraine must take time to establish the facts. He said the process is "very complex" and that the government wants to clarify where the site's product ends up and whether the information already provided by the company is accurate.The probe was ordered by Taoiseach Micheál Martin after media reports raised... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Jun 2026 14:04 LONDON
Strait of Hormuz reopening as Trump says route will be fully open by Friday
US President Donald Trump has said the Strait of Hormuz will be "totally re-opened" from Friday, as the United States and Iran prepare to formally sign a pre-agreement aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. The latest comments add a clearer timetable to a deal that both sides announced over the weekend, but which still leaves major questions unresolved. The signing is expected to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.According to the confirmed details, the arrangement is being described as an initial ceasefire rather than a final peace settlement. The truce is meant to hold while negotiators... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 16 Jun 2026 13:59 LONDON
Russia's shadow fleet used to evade sanctions and support hybrid operations
Russia is using a so-called shadow fleet of tankers to keep oil moving by sea despite Western sanctions, according to the supplied material. The vessels are described as carrying millions of barrels of crude to buyers seeking lower prices while avoiding restrictions linked to Moscow's war in Ukraine. The same network is also said to be connected to espionage and sabotage activity against NATO countries and undersea infrastructure.The row says the Kremlin has claimed Russia is "imune" to sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on two of the country's largest oil companies. It adds that the shadow fleet has expanded sharply... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Jun 2026 17:30 LONDON
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Trump threatens 100% tariff on French wine as G7 summit opens in Évian-les-Bains
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100% tariff on French wines and champagnes unless France scraps its digital services tax on American technology companies. The warning comes as he arrives in Évian-les-Bains for the G7 summit, where he is expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. The row adds a fresh trade dispute to an already crowded summit agenda.Trump said he had delivered the warning directly to Macron and told him that Washington would have "no choice" but to act if Paris kept the 3% tax. He said the tariff would apply to "all champagnes and all... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Jun 2026 16:29 LONDON
US strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz kill Indian sailors as toll rises
Three tankers have been struck by the US military in and around the Strait of Hormuz over the past week, with the latest confirmed deaths involving three Indian sailors aboard MT Settebello. The vessel was hit on Wednesday by what US Central Command described as precision munitions fired into its engine room, after it allegedly failed to comply with directions linked to the blockade of Iranian ports. The ship was Palau-flagged and had a majority Indian crew on board.The new details confirm the names of the three men killed: deck cadet Aditya Sharma from Himachal Pradesh, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 13 Jun 2026 20:59 LONDON
Iran says US strike destroyed drinking-water reservoirs in Hormozgan province
Iranian media says two concrete drinking-water reservoirs in southern Hormozgan province were put out of service after a US strike, adding a civilian infrastructure site to the wider exchange of attacks between the two countries. The reported damage was in Bamani district, in Sirik County, and the reservoirs were said to have a combined capacity of 2,500 cubic metres. According to the supplied material, the site served at least 20,000 people.The reporting says photographs were published on 10 June showing the reservoirs after the strike, and that weapons experts identified fragments at the scene as belonging to the GBU-39 series,... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 11 Jun 2026 16:31 LONDON
The Glass Elevator to Nowhere: A World Trapped in a Chocolate Factory
As a journalist in my mid-fifties, I thought my skin had thickened to the point of being impenetrable. I have covered the rise and fall of regimes, the grinding gears of the Cold War's leftovers, and the digital revolutions that promised to unite us. I thought I had seen every trick in the political playbook. Then came Donald Trump’s 2026 foreign policy, and I realized I was not watching a statesman; I was watching a child play with a chemistry set he does not understand. The Willy Wonka of the West: Rule by Whim Walking into a press briefing lately... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 02 Apr 2026 09:44 LONDON
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