New York Times: Oil was trading above $100 a barrel again on Thursday after Iranian forces claimed to have seized two cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz, injecting fresh fear into energy markets with no public indications of a breakthrough in efforts to restart U.S.-Iran peace talks.
President Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that there was “no time pressure” on holding a new round of talks or on the cease-fire, and “no timeline” for ending the war. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told Fox separately that Mr. Trump did not view Iran’s reported ship seizures as a violation of the cease-fire…
Navy Secretary Is Fired as Infighting Roils Pentagon
John Phelan is leaving the Pentagon after months of tension with Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon leaders. The tumult comes as the Navy has been engaged in war with Iran…
US intercepts three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters, sources say
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday…
Iran tightens control of Hormuz after US calls off renewed attacks
Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz as it tightened its grip on the strategic waterway after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off attacks, with no sign of peace talks restarting…
Iran war drives Panama Canal lane prices to record high
Daily auctions for transit lanes in the waterway have attracted five times as many bids compared to pre-conflict levels, with prices for the most commonly used Panamax locks in the canal averaging $837,500, according to data compiled by Argus Media…
Escape from Hormuz: the oil tankers running the Iranian gauntlet
How trading houses Vitol, Trafigura and Mercuria have managed to get some of their oil tankers out of the Gulf…
The significance of Trump’s bluffs on Iran
On five separate occasions, the president has set deadlines for Iran to come to his terms or face his wrath.
And each time, he’s delayed that deadline despite little or no public evidence that Iran met the terms as he laid them out…
Trump claims Iran’s regime is fractured. The reality is more complicated.
“Different factions of Iranian leadership are more aligned now than before the war,” Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told CNN. “Because this is a much smaller circle … this circle is more united about the strategy they use in the war” compared to previous restrictions under Ali Khamenei…