Reuters: Iran’s Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran’s stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace talks.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s order could further frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran…
U.S. bears brunt of Israel’s missile defense, Pentagon assessments show
The U.S. military has depleted much of its inventory of advanced missile-defense interceptors after expending far more high-end munitions defending Israel amid hostilities with Iranthan Israeli forces used themselves, according to Defense Department assessments described toThe Washington Post…
US Touts ‘Slight Progress’ as Deal With Iran Remains in Limbo
“I don’t want to exaggerate it, but there’s been a little bit of movement, and that’s good,” Rubio said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden, on Friday.
…Rubio said it would set a precedent for other areas of the world and that no country should accept the imposition of tolls in Hormuz. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he opposed the idea.
“We want it open, we want it free, we don’t want tolls,” he told reporters at the White House. “It’s an international waterway. They are not charging tolls right now.”…
Iran and Oman in Talks Over Strait of Hormuz Ship Payment System
Iran has discussed partnering with the Gulf state of Oman — an American ally — in a system charging fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, ignoring the Trump administration’s warnings against demands for payment to pass through the critical international waterway.
It is unclear whether anything concrete will come out of the discussions. But the talks appear to signal that the United States and Iran are no closer to ending a war that has badly damaged the global economy despite repeated claims to the contrary by President Trump…
G.O.P. Pulls Measure to End Iran War, Lacking Votes to Defeat It
House Republicans on Thursday abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after it became clear they lacked the votes to defeat the measure…
Oil Prices Jump on Impasse Over Reopening the Strait of Hormuz
Oil prices jumped on Friday as investors saw few signs of concrete progress in talks to establish a peace deal between the United States and Iran…
Thousands of Miles From the Iran War, Asia’s Currencies Feel the Strain
For Asian countries that rely heavily on imported energy, the war in the Middle East has already sent oil prices soaring. Now, they face a knock-on effect that has grown into a crisis of its own: tumbling currency values, battered by rising fuel costs and skittish investors fleeing to the safety of the U.S. dollar.
To stem the slide, central banks across Asia have repeatedly intervened in currency markets, drawing down foreign exchange reserves they amassed over the years for precisely this kind of moment…
Poll shows voter confidence in economy plummeting to a nearly 4-year low
Just 16 percent of U.S. adults rate the economy “excellent” or “good,” according to the Gallup poll, which was released Friday. An additional 34 percent rate the economy as “only fair,” while 49 percent say it is “poor.”…
$50 Trillion Safe-Haven Debt Market Upended by Iran War Inflation
Investors in the safe haven of G7 debt want protection as the conflict in the Middle East threatens another bout of inflation…
Iran Moved Billions Through Binance to Fund Regime—Continuing Into This Month
Until as recently as December, the network, run by Babak Zanjani, an Iranian who is a self-described “antisanction” operator, made $850 million in transactions over two years on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, mostly on a single trading account, internal Binance compliance reports show…
Countries need clarity on war before tapping oil reserves, France says
“We cannot release stocks — which are by nature finite — without having visibility on the duration and intensity of the conflict at this stage,” Lescure said in an interview. Even once the Strait of Hormuz does open, it will take several weeks for oil supplies to reach Europe, Asia and other regions, so visibility on the timing of when those flows will restart will be key, he added.
“That would be the kind of moment in which it would make sense to consider the release of reserves to ensure the transition [from] the current phase to the next. The circumstances have not yet come together,” Lescure said…
Barnacles and jellyfish infest ships trapped in the Gulf
Ships trapped in the Gulf are accumulating barnacles, algae and jellyfish as the Middle East conflict drags on and temperatures begin to rise, impeding their ability to eventually exit the region…
Saudi Arabia stops new work for consultants as war rattles finances
Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing new contracts for western consultancies working in the kingdom and delayed some payments as the government manages a widening deficit and the fallout of the Iran war…
Chinese container ship among few vessels crossing Hormuz amid deadlock to open waterway