Donald Trump is planning a visit to China in May, but a conflict, likely involving Iran, is casting a shadow over the trip before it begins. Beijing has publicly signaled it views the war as unnecessary, setting up a tense diplomatic backdrop for what was already a high-stakes meeting between the world's two largest economies. The core tension is straightforward: the U.S. and China hold deeply different positions on the conflict, and those differences will be hard to sidestep. Trade, energy supply chains, and sanctions enforcement are all areas where the two sides' interests diverge sharply when a regional war is in play. China is a major buyer of Iranian oil, and any U.S. pressure to tighten a blockade puts Beijing in a direct bind, comply and absorb an energy cost, or push back and escalate friction with Washington at an already delicate moment for bilateral relations. Watch for whether the two sides can separate trade negotiations from the conflict, or whether Beijing uses its leverage over Iran-related compliance as a bargaining chip in broader economic talks.
Venezuela's earthquake death toll has reached 1,430 with the US Geological Survey warning fatalities could top 10,000, placing it among Latin America's deadliest in a century. US military planes are landing in Caracas, Washington is mobilising $150 million in aid, and rescue teams from 17 countries are on the ground.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
