Strait of Hormuz
US and Iranian negotiators reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire and launch nuclear talks
WASHINGTON | U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and launch talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Iran did not immediately confirm any deal, and the official noted that President Donald Trump has yet […]
Iran condemns US strikes as a show of ‘bad faith’ and warns of consequences
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | Iran on Tuesday denounced U.S. strikes a day earlier as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations continue toward a possible deal to end the war. The U.S. military has characterized Monday’s strikes in southern Iran as defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and boats placing mines, […]
FOCUS: Few details emerging about reported deal to end the Iran war
CAIRO | The United States and Iran appear to be closing in on a deal to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that negotiations are “proceeding nicely,” while reiterating his warning that fighting would resume if no deal is reached. It is not clear when or […]
Trump’s tough-talk foreign policy is hitting a wall with Iran as it grips Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action have not moved Tehran from its long-established positions. With shifting goals that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. […]
Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as a ship is seized and another is sunk
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | A ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran and another — a cargo ship near Oman — sank after being attacked, authorities said Thursday, as tensions escalated near the Strait of Hormuz. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind these incidents, but they happened […]
China’s Xi warns Trump that differences over Taiwan could lead to conflict
BEIJING | hina’s Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump on Thursday that their two countries could clash over Taiwan if the issue was not handled properly, an unusually harsh admonition that stood in contrast to the American leader’s praise for his counterpart. The exchange at a highly anticipated summit in Beijing underscored just how far […]
Ship is reported seized off the coast of the UAE and is heading toward Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | A ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said Thursday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical miles […]
Trump and Xi appear intent on keeping deep differences over Iran war from overshadowing China summit
BEIJING | President Donald Trump is set to leave on Tuesday for Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping after weeks of trying, and failing, to persuade the Chinese government to use its considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to U.S. terms to end the 2-month-old war — or, at the very least, reopen […]
Shipping industry fears fuel shortages as Iran war squeezes bunker fuel supply
BANGKOK | Ship operators rely on a sludgelike substance known as bunker fuel to keep vessels running. The Iran war ‘s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off the supply of this fuel that powers the global maritime industry and its largest refueling hub in Asia. Bunker fuel is a literal bottom of […]
US fires on and disables 2 more Iranian tankers as tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers on Friday after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, reported another Iranian missile and drone attack. The attacks cast more doubt on a tenuous month-old ceasefire that the United States […]