The United States has imposed a blockade on Iran's Strait of Hormuz, with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth declaring no ship may transit the strait without US Navy permission. Defence Secretary Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine confirmed the US military has turned around 34 ships as of Friday, interdicting vessels of any nationality heading to or from Iranian ports. Hegseth signalled no urgency for a diplomatic deal, saying Iran still has an open window to abandon its nuclear weapons programme in verifiable ways. Shipping company Hapag-Lloyd said one of its vessels did cross the strait, though it offered no details on timing or circumstances. Four of its ships remain stranded in the Gulf. The blockade is squeezing global fuel supply, as the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical oil and gas shipping corridors. EU leaders meeting in Cyprus alongside counterparts from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and the Gulf Cooperation Council pushed for an immediate reopening. European Council president Antonio Costa called freedom of navigation through the strait vital for the entire world. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to do more to end the crisis. Switzerland, which represents US interests in Iran, has begun reopening its Tehran embassy after closing it on March 11. Four staff have returned, restoring a diplomatic back-channel between Washington and Tehran.
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.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
