The US military announced it will begin blockading all Iranian ports at 1400 GMT Monday, after US-Iran talks in Islamabad collapsed without a deal. JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner led the American delegation; Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf led Tehran's side. Pakistan, the mediator, called on both parties to honor the two-week ceasefire struck last week, warning a maritime blockade could put it at risk. US Central Command specified the action targets vessels entering or departing Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, and will not impede transit through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian ports, a narrower scope than Trump's earlier social media post suggested. Iran's nuclear programme was the central sticking point: Vance described Washington's position as its "final and best offer," while Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi attributed the breakdown to "maximalism" and shifting demands. Oil markets reacted immediately, with WTI and Brent both surpassing $100 per barrel on Monday, a roughly eight percent jump. Separately, Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued after the ceasefire announcement, killing hundreds according to Lebanese health authorities, with Lebanese and Israeli officials scheduled for Washington talks Tuesday.
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
