Iran’s military threatened on Wednesday to shut down Red Sea trade unless the US lifted its naval blockade on Tehran’s ports, saying the ceasefire was at risk. State media reported that the commander of Iran’s joint military command warned that Iran would completely block exports and imports across the Persian Gulf region, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea. “Iran will act with st...

Israel’s security cabinet ⁠will convene on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official has said, more than five weeks into a war with Hezbollah that spiralled out of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet would meet ‌at 8pm local time, the official said. Senior Hezbollah official Ibrahim al...

Though high-level officials in Washington have accused China of undermining global energy security by “hoarding” oil during the US-Israeli war on Iran, import and inventory data suggest Beijing is facing its own supply pressures as the conflict drags on. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday labelled China an “unreliable global partner,” alleging that Beijing has priori...

A teenage student shot ⁠at least four people dead, including three fellow pupils, and wounded at least 20 others at a middle school in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday, the local governor said, marking the country’s ‌second school attack in two days. Three students and one teacher died in the attack in the province of Kahramanmaras, Governor Mukerrem Unluer told reporters, addin...

The US-Israeli war on Iran and the current Iranian and American blockades of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are likely to overshadow China’s first-quarter economic performance, analysts said, with questions looming large about how the world’s second-largest economy will handle their impact. Many observers said they expect the leadership in Beijing will adopt a wait-and-se...