International relations, geopolitics, wars, major global shifts
A two-day halt in US airstrikes on Iran and Iranian retaliatory attacks on US bases followed active diplomacy by Pakistan, Turkey, and Qatar. US officials also cited Patriot missile shortages and internal caution as factors behind the pause.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte unveiled tens of billions of dollars in arms deals at a defence forum in Ankara ahead of the alliance's summit with President Trump.
Brent crude surged past $100 a barrel on Thursday after Houthi forces attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, adding pressure to an already disrupted Strait of Hormuz. Goldman Sachs now sees Brent potentially exceeding $120 in Q4 2026 if both chokepoints remain closed.
Pakistan and China are pushing to revive US-Iran peace talks through the Islamabad MoU framework, even as US missiles strike Iranian targets and both sides escalate threats.
Houthi rebels claimed a missile strike on the Saudi city of Jizan on Saturday, escalating a conflict that now threatens both of Saudi Arabia's main oil export routes simultaneously. The flare-up adds pressure on US-Iran talks as the five-month-old war continues to widen across the region.
Iran buried assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Thursday, concluding six days of national mourning. Crowds waved red vengeance flags despite a recent ceasefire accord, while successor Mojtaba Khamenei made no public appearance amid reports he was injured in the same strike.
The US has paused nightly airstrikes against Iran amid reports of shrinking Patriot interceptor stockpiles and internal White House concerns about escalation risks. The break has revived diplomacy prospects, but Iran's Strait of Hormuz blockade and Houthi attacks on Saudi Aramco sites keep the conflict active.
The US will impose 10 to 12.5 percent tariffs on 60 trade partners, including India, Pakistan, China, and the EU, starting Friday, citing forced labour concerns.
US forces struck Iran for a thirteenth consecutive night, hitting military sites linked to shipping threats in the Strait of Hormuz, after Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Brent crude surged past $100 a barrel and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest since May 7.
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna says Israeli settlers armed with American-made M4 rifles blocked and detained his group for over an hour in the West Bank. The incident intensifies Democratic pressure to cut US military aid to Israel ahead of November's midterm elections.
The US and Saudi Arabia signed two civilian nuclear cooperation agreements Wednesday, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi counterpart Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman as signatories.
President Trump has tied a newly signed US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation deal to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalising ties with Israel. The agreement, signed under US nuclear law, could include uranium enrichment on Saudi soil, raising proliferation concerns among lawmakers and experts.
US forces have struck targets closer to Tehran than at any point in the current conflict, while Iran has hit Kuwait and Jordan and a tanker was struck in the exchange. The geographic expansion raises immediate risks for Persian Gulf oil shipping and pulls Arab states with US military ties into the crisis.
The Trump administration plans to formally sign and announce a 30-year civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, channeling billions of dollars to US nuclear firms.
Iran has publicly claimed it carried out strikes on US military bases and warned of wider attacks across the Middle East. If confirmed, the escalation would immediately pressure oil prices and force a US military response, with broad consequences for regional security and global markets.
Houthi forces struck Saudi tanker Encelia in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, setting it ablaze, while the US military hit Iranian targets for a 12th straight night. Both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb are now under active threat, raising serious risk for global energy supply routes.
The U.S. has struck bridges near a key Iranian port, following President Trump's explicit threat to target civilian infrastructure unless Iran returned to nuclear or diplomatic negotiations. The escalation raises oil market risk and threatens wider regional instability.
The US and Iran have exchanged strikes for eight straight nights, with Iranian attacks hitting Kuwaiti power infrastructure and killing 16 American troops in total. Gulf states, Jordan, Qatar, and the Arab League are urging an immediate ceasefire, warning of severe damage to regional energy markets and trade routes.
The US struck Iran's Hormozgan province for an eighth straight night, targeting the Sirik and Hajiabad areas, as the military cited revenge for the killing of two American soldiers. Iran returned fire on Gulf bases, widening the geographic scope of the conflict and raising fresh risks for regional energy flows.
US forces struck Iran for the eleventh straight night, with air defences activating across Tehran, as President Trump said the US was "not finished" after spending $37.5 billion.