US and Iran escalate for a seventh night as Hormozgan casualties and tanker blasts reported
Iranian state media has reported that US attacks killed three people and wounded eight in the southern province of Hormozgan, as the confrontation with Washington entered a seventh consecutive night. The same reports said two oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian forces said they stopped four ships from trying to transit the waterway. The developments add a maritime dimension to an already widening exchange of strikes across Iran and the Gulf.According to the supplied material, the deputy political, security and social affairs governor of Hormozgan announced the deaths and injuries after what he... [Continue Reading]
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Tanker seized off Yemen as suspected Somali piracy wave deepens
The seizure of the tanker off Yemen's Hadramawt coast has added to concerns about a renewed piracy threat in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel, identified as Astana, was reported seized about 26 nautical miles off the coast, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said there had been an illegal boarding 65 nautical miles south of Mukalla. Early reports said the tanker was moving slowly southeast towards Somalia.Yemeni coastguard officials said the attack was carried out by suspected Somali pirates, and maritime authorities urged ships in the area to exercise caution. UKMTO said the vessel had been boarded by... [Continue Reading]
Germany deepens energy and strategic ties with Algeria during Tebboune visit
Germany has used a high-profile visit by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to signal a broader push to strengthen energy and economic ties with Algiers. Tebboune was welcomed with military honours at Villa Borsig in Berlin, where German and Algerian officials held talks alongside a bilateral economic forum. The visit centred on energy security, industrial cooperation and supply-chain diversification, with both sides presenting the relationship as more than a narrow gas partnership.Officials said 30 agreements were signed between German and Algerian companies at the forum in Berlin. The deals covered hydrocarbons, renewables, energy transition, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and advanced technology, while Chancellor... [Continue Reading]
Gulf states accelerate oil export alternatives as Hormuz disruption deepens
Oil-exporting states around the Gulf are moving faster to reduce their dependence on the Strait of Hormuz as renewed attacks on tankers and the wider US-Iran war disrupt one of the world's most important energy corridors. The latest reporting says the strait is closed again, commercial vessels have been struck while transiting the waterway, and governments are now planning more pipelines and even a new port to keep crude moving. The developments underline how quickly the conflict has turned a narrow shipping lane into a central pressure point for global energy supplies.The immediate concern is the scale of the traffic... [Continue Reading]
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Day News Recap: Ukraine toll rises as Iran tensions widen and Congo Ebola outbreak accelerates
The World Health Organization says Ebola is spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo faster than in any previous outbreak, as seven American aid workers who had been in the country on response work were quarantined in Kenya after new travel restrictions. ๐ ๐In Ukraine, at least 13 people were killed in strikes across several regions, including Zaporizhzhia and Odesa, while separate Russian drone attacks hit port infrastructure in Mykolaiv and damaged three foreign registered vessels. ๐ ๐Kyiv also said it destroyed a Tu 95 bomber at Russia's Engels air base, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing domestic backlash... [Continue Reading]
Russian strikes hit Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels as deaths rise in Mykolaiv, Kherson and Odesa
Russian drone attacks hit port infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Friday, damaging three foreign-registered vessels, according to local prosecutors. Officials said two Ukrainians were killed aboard one of the ships, while separate attacks in Kherson and Odesa also left people dead. The strikes came as Ukraine reported a fresh wave of maritime attacks in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.Local officials said a Russian drone attack in Kherson killed a woman and injured six other people, while an attack in Odesa killed a man. Serhii Lysak, head of the Odesa City Military Administration, said... [Continue Reading]
Breakfast News Recap: US Iran strikes widen as Ukraine toll rises and global tensions ripple
The United States kept up airstrikes on Iran for a sixth straight night, while Iranian state media said new hits damaged civilian and transport infrastructure, deepening fears of a wider regional conflict. ๐Tehran also accused Washington of striking near a children's cancer hospital in Ahvaz, saying 211 patients had to be evacuated after the blast came close enough to force the move. ๐ Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately warned that the Bab al Mandeb Strait could become a new front in its war with the United States, adding to pressure on shipping routes already under strain. ๐Shipping risks in... [Continue Reading]
Syria says it seized weapons shipment it claims was bound for Hezbollah via Iraq border
Syrian authorities say they intercepted a shipment of missiles, rockets and drones at the border with Iraq, claiming it was being moved through Syrian territory for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The seizure was announced on Thursday after customs officers searched an oil tanker-truck at the al-Tanf border crossing. Officials said the vehicle was heading towards the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas when it was stopped.Syria's General Authority of Ports and Customs said the weapons were hidden inside one of the tanker-trucks and were found during routine inspection procedures. According to preliminary investigations cited by the Interior Ministry, the shipment was intended... [Continue Reading]
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Tankers in Strait of Hormuz described as 'highly targeted' as southern corridor is shut
Commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks were not random victims, but part of what shipping watchers described as a "highly, highly targeted" campaign, according to the supplied report. The latest disruption centres on the narrow waterway linking Gulf producers to global markets, where traffic has already been choked by Iranian action. The report says the pressure has now extended to the southern corridor, a route that hugs the Omani coastline and had been used as an alternative for oil and gas shipments.The supplied material says Iran decided last week to shut down that southern route as... [Continue Reading]
Day News Recap: Iran, Ukraine and Gaza flare as markets track oil jump and mixed equities
The biggest escalation came in the Gulf, where the United States said it had carried out strikes across southern Iran for a fifth day and disabled tankers that ignored repeated warnings, as Washington reimposed a blockade and tensions with Tehran deepened. Iranian officials said the attacks had spread across the south, while a Tehran billboard showing Donald Trump in a coffin underlined the hardening mood. ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐The confrontation also raised wider shipping fears. India told shipping firms not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and analysts said a June memorandum on the waterway... [Continue Reading]
Noontime News Recap: US strikes near Tehran as Ukraine unrest grows and Europe advances on enlargement
The US said it carried out another wave of strikes on Iranian military targets, including sites closer to Tehran than in earlier attacks, as tensions with Tehran deepened and a tanker was disabled in the Strait of Hormuz. ๐Hostility in Iran was also on display in central Tehran, where a billboard showed Donald Trump in a coffin with the words, we kill Trump, underscoring the sharp rise in anti US rhetoric. ๐In the Middle East, Israel told Washington it intends to keep troops in designated security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, a sign it is not ready to pull... [Continue Reading]
Breakfast News Recap: Iran, Ukraine and markets jolted by fresh strikes, while UK politics and trade shift
The biggest escalation came in the Gulf, where the United States said it carried out fresh strikes across Iran, including on Greater Tunb island, after Tehran began targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf. Commercial shipping was being redirected as the confrontation widened and the US said it disabled a Curacao flagged tanker that ignored repeated warnings. ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐Iran said the attacks had hit sites across its south over the past week, while the latest exchanges underlined how quickly the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz is spreading into maritime traffic and regional bases.... [Continue Reading]
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US disables tanker in Arabian Gulf during Iran blockade enforcement
The United States said its forces disabled a Curacao-flagged oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf after the vessel ignored repeated warnings and continued toward an Iranian port. According to US Central Command, the unladen M/T Belma was transiting international waters toward Kharg Island when it was stopped. The vessel was hit after a US aircraft fired Hellfire missiles into its smokestack, CENTCOM said.CENTCOM said the tanker had attempted to violate what it described as a US blockade. In a statement posted on social media, the command said the ship was no longer transiting to Iran after the strike. It also... [Continue Reading]
IMF warns oil buffers are running low after Hormuz disruption
The International Monetary Fund has warned that depleted oil reserves have left the global economy more exposed after the latest disruption to the Strait of Hormuz. The warning comes as oil prices have risen by more than 10% following the most recent closure of the waterway. The IMF said the world was spared a more severe shock because of large reserves, but that those buffers are now running low.In a note cited in the supplied material, the fund said lower oil consumption in Asia and higher production outside the Gulf helped absorb part of the price shock. It said global... [Continue Reading]
Indian seafarer confirmed dead after attack on GFS Galaxy off Oman coast
The Indian crew member who had been reported missing after an attack on the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman has now been confirmed dead. The confirmation came from the seafarer's family, according to the supplied report, after earlier accounts said one Indian national remained unaccounted for. The vessel had 11 Indian nationals on board when it came under attack, and 10 were rescued.India's Ministry of External Affairs said at the time that it condemned the attack on the vessel and that its embassy in Oman was closely monitoring the situation. It said it was coordinating with... [Continue Reading]
US Senate revises Russia sanctions bill to soften tariffs on India and China
US senators have introduced a revised Russia sanctions bill that would ease proposed tariff measures aimed at major buyers of Russian oil and gas, while keeping broader pressure on Moscow. The legislation was first tabled in April 2025 and has now been updated as lawmakers seek to move it forward with bipartisan backing. It comes as the United States continues to weigh how to punish Russia over its energy revenues without sharply widening the economic impact on other countries.Under the revised proposal, the maximum tariff on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas would be cut to... [Continue Reading]
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Oil prices rise again as US reimposes naval blockade on Iranian ports
Oil prices rose again after the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, adding to pressure on energy markets and shipping routes in the Gulf. The move also came after Donald Trump abandoned plans to charge ships a 20% protection fee for crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints, so any change in access or security there can quickly affect trade and prices.The latest market reaction followed a jump of more than 10% in crude prices the previous day, with Brent futures later trading higher again. By 7:55am AEST,... [Continue Reading]
Ukraine and allies launch anti-ballistic missile coalition in Paris
Ukraine and nine European countries have announced a new coalition to develop a shared anti-ballistic missile capability, in a move unveiled during talks in Paris. The announcement came as leaders gathered for a Coalition of the Willing summit focused on support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia to end the war. The plan is intended to strengthen Europe's ability to respond to ballistic missile threats, which the countries involved described as growing.The coalition includes Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In a joint statement, the leaders said they wanted to build an... [Continue Reading]
Khamenei funeral and Iran escalation around the Strait of Hormuz intensify
Millions of people in Iran have reportedly attended the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to the supplied material, as the country's confrontation with the United States and its allies continues to dominate the regional agenda. The event was presented as both a public mourning ceremony and a carefully managed political moment. The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the wider escalation, with the ceasefire described in the rows as having collapsed.The material says hundreds of foreign reporters and social media influencers were granted rare access to Iran to cover the funeral, suggesting Tehran is placing strong emphasis on... [Continue Reading]
Iran leader issues revenge pledge after father's burial amid US tensions
Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a written call for revenge after the burial of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as tensions with the United States remain high. The statement was read out on state television and described vengeance as the "will of the nation". It was his first public message since funeral ceremonies began this week.The message said revenge for the death of his father and predecessor "must inevitably be carried out" and pledged to avenge "the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers". Ali Khamenei,... [Continue Reading]
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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 Trumpโs 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]


