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Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the latest regional developments during a phone call on Friday evening.The two sides reviewed efforts aimed at de-escalation and addressing the regional and international repercussions of current tensions, in a manner that supports lasting security and stability. Related Story Source link
Fourteen soldiers were killed yesterday during operations to defuse unexploded ordnance in Iran’s northwestern Zanjan province, local media reported.”Following enemy airstrikes using cluster bombs and aerial mines, parts of Zanjan province, including about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land, were contaminated by bombs,” Fars news agency reported, citing the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guards.Revolutionary Guards specialists were working to clear the areas, and had neutralised more than 15,000 items, it added.”However, today, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces were martyred and two were injured,” it said.Iran has previously accused the US and Israel of using cluster munitions, which explode in mid-air and scatter smaller bomblets – some of which fail to explode, creating a danger that can last for decades.Israel has also accused Iran of using the munitions in its missile strikes on Israeli cities.Iran, Israel and the US have all declined to join the more than 100 countries that are party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits their use, transfer, production and storage. Related Story Source link
The war in the Middle East has forced the Gulf monarchies to rethink their oil and trade routes, but rerouting them will be no simple task, experts say.Faced with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the only maritime entry point to the Gulf, the region’s Arab nations are looking for ways to bypass Tehran’s stranglehold on their exports.Badr Jafar, the UAE’s special envoy for business and philanthropy, wrote in the *Financial Times in early April that the Gulf states would never “return to a posture of strategic dependence on a narrow strait controlled by an unpredictable neighbour”.He insisted that new pipeline and port capacity would be built and “the power grids, water systems and trade corridors connecting the region’s economies… formalised”.Economics, politics and regional diplomatic rivalries are likely to get in the way, however , experts told AFP.While Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have no coastline outside the Gulf and no alternative to the strait for seabound oil and gas, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both have pipelines allowing them to ship at least some of their output from ports beyond Hormuz – and plan more.Nevertheless, these pipelines only cover a fraction of the two nations’ pre-war exports and would need to be expanded if either country wanted to completely end their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.Robert Mogielnicki, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Paris, said that building new pipelines “will take time” and such infrastructure would “still possess vulnerabilities”.”Diversifying energy export supply routes is nevertheless going to be crucial in the years ahead,” he added.For liquefied natural gas (LNG), of which Qatar is by far the dominant producer in the region, the dependency on Hormuz is even greater.Yet, as Frederic Schneider, a senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, explained, building alternative natural gas infrastructure would likely prove economically unattractive.”The idea of a trans-Arabian gas pipeline has occasionally been floated but never progressed,” he said. “The distances, political complexity, and cost make it unattractive against LNG tankers in normal conditions, and normal conditions are what pipeline economics are built on.”The Gulf’s major container ports are mostly located on its southern shores, including Dubai’s Jebel Ali, the region’s main logistical hub.With the Strait of Hormuz off limits, ships have been diverted to Oman and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast with containers then shipped onwards overland.However, overland capacity is limited while costs are “significantly higher” said Schneider.One possibility for boosting land-based transport capacity would be the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)’s planned rail network.Yet the project, which is supposed to link all six member states by 2030, has been plagued by delays.Another possibility could be the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor project, launched in 2023, which partially aimed to bypass both the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, using rail links across the Middle East to connect European and Indian shipping routes.However, the idea remains “tenuous, if not hypothetical” said Schneider, not least because the project would involve linking Saudi Arabia with Israel at a time when Riyadh has cooled on establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.While Gulf governments talk about integration, analysts warned that their own self-interest may get in the way.”Tensions around the strait will generate some tailwinds supporting regional integration projects, but these will also have to contend with some serious economic headwinds and governments that will be super focused on their domestic fronts,” said Mogielnicki.The budgetary pressures created by the war, which have not only halted oil and gas exports but also hit tourism, aluminium and fertiliser production, may also make coordination less likely.”This fiscal crisis only intensifies the intense, beggar-thy-neighbour, zero-sum economic rivalry that has marked GCC national economic policies for years,” said Schneider.Previous conflicts in the Gulf, he pointed out, did not lead to more regional integration, even if there were bilateral deals, he said.While the shock of closing Hormuz is much greater, he said, “I would be cautious about treating a geopolitical shock as a substitute for the political will and institutional capacity that have been missing so far”. Related Story Source link
Cuba condemned the US sanctions imposed on it, stating that they are illegal and arbitrary.Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said in a post on the X platform that the US government responds with unilateral, illegal, and arbitrary measures against Cuba, describing the new sanctions announced by Washington yesterday (Friday) as unlawful and arbitrary, amid heightened tensions between the two countries.The new sanctions announced by US President Donald Trump primarily target foreign banks that cooperate with the Cuban government and include restrictions related to migration.Sanctions were also imposed on individuals and entities operating in several sectors on the island, including energy and mining, as well as on anyone found guilty of committing serious human rights violations.It is worth noting that Cuba, with a population of about 9.6 million, is experiencing a deep economic crisis that has been exacerbated by tighter US sanctions during Trump’s first term (2017-2021), along with structural imbalances in its centrally planned economy, leading to a near paralysis of economic activity since late January. Source link
Two people were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the town of Choukin in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).According to NNA, the mayor of Choukin was among the wounded, adding that the strike also destroyed several residential buildings and caused extensive damage to a neighborhood.Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike earlier in the day on the town of Adshit in the Nabatieh District, while a drone strike targeted a vehicle on the Kfarjuz-Nabatieh road, causing material damage.Israeli artillery shelling also resumed on the outskirts of the towns of Froun, Ghandouriyeh, and Wadi al-Slouqi, alongside heavy machine-gun fire at dawn targeting the vicinity of Ramyeh and Qawzah.Separately, the towns of Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, as well as the river area between Zawtar and Deir Siryan, were hit by a series of intense airstrikes overnight.Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health had earlier said that the death toll from ongoing Israeli aggression on the country since March 2 has risen to 2,618, with 8,094 people injured. Source link
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) unanimously condemned the Iranian attacks on telecommunications infrastructure in several Middle Eastern countries and Jordan, and recommended monitoring, assessing, and reporting on the impact of these attacks.A spokesperson for the ITU Council said that the council discussed a draft resolution on the impact of these attacks on civilian information and communications technology infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, and adopted it unanimously.She noted that under the resolution, the council tasked the union's secretariat with monitoring and evaluating the specific impacts of these attacks in those countries and reporting on them, as well as assessing their broader implications for regional and global communications.GCC countries, along with Jordan, had called on the International Telecommunication Union to take urgent action regarding the Iranian attacks on their telecommunications infrastructure and submitted the draft resolution on the impact of these attacks on their civilian ICT infrastructure.It is worth noting that the International Telecommunication Union, headquartered in Geneva, was established in 1865 to manage international telegraph networks. It later expanded its scope to include modern technologies such as telephony, radio, television, satellites, mobile phones, and the internet, and plays a central role in setting regulations for radio frequencies, satellites, and 5G networks. Source link
US President Donald Trump informed the leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate today that hostilities against Iran have ended.In a message addressed to Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson and President Pro Tempore of the US Senate Chuck Grassley, Trump said that there had been no exchange of fire between US forces and Iran since Apr. 7, 2026, adding that the hostilities that began on Feb. 28, 2026, had come to an end.US Congress had been pressing Trump to seek authorization to proceed with the conflict, which had entered its third month. However, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said yesterday that military operations against Iran had ceased since the ceasefire was announced on Apr. 7, noting that this period therefore could not be counted within the 60-day timeframe set by law before requesting authorization for an extension. Source link
People arriving with empty LPG cylinders for refilling, in a village on the outskirts of Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar district. (AFP) India raised yesterday the prices of commercial liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel for international airlines, according to a state-run energy firm, as supply pressures from the Iran war mount.The South Asian nation is heavily dependent on imported energy, including for roughly 60% of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the fuel used for cooking by a vast section of its population, the largest in the world.As imports have been disrupted since the Middle East war began in late February, New Delhi has moved to ensure households and essential sectors remain adequately supplied, leaving many restaurants, manufacturers and power plants in the lurch.The government has maintained India faces no overall fuel shortage.”Prices of bulk and commercial LPG cylinders have been revised,” the state-run Indian Oil Corp Limited (IOCL), the country’s leading energy marketing company, said.IOCL’s price chart shows an increase of 993 rupees ($10.50) in the price of a 19-kilogramme LPG cylinder meant for commercial use.That amounts to a nearly 48-percent rise in the capital New Delhi. Local levies mean rates vary across cities.The sharp hike will hit restaurants particularly hard, with many already scaling back operations during the Middle East war.The oil company said that the price of jet fuel for international airline operations has also “been adjusted upward”.Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) has gone up by around five % in Delhi, according to IOCL’s catalogue. Related Story Source link
FILE PHOTO: A Spirit Airlines flight arrives at Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo President Donald Trump said on Friday the White House had given Spirit Airlines and its creditors a final proposal to try to rescue the bankrupt airline, even as the budget carrier makes preparations to shut down if no deal is reached.”We’re looking at Spirit. If we can help them, we will, but we have to come first,” Trump told reporters. “If we could do it, we’d do it, but only if it’s a good deal.”Trump added he expected an announcement later on Friday.Two people familiar with the matter confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that Spirit is preparing to cease operations after hitting an impasse in talks with some creditors on a $500 million government bailout plan. The White House has reached out to other airlines to discuss how to accommodate people who have Spirit tickets and could be stranded if the airline stops operating. United Airlines said it was preparing to support Spirit customers if the rival shuts down. FINANCING FOR EQUITYTrump said last month his administration was looking to buy the embattled carrier at the “right price.”Sources later said the administration had proposed $500 million in financing in exchange for warrants equivalent to 90% of Spirit’s equity.There had been disagreements inside the Trump administration over whether and how to fund the bailout, the Journal report said, citing people familiar with the matter.Not all Spirit bondholders were on board with the deal, the report added.A rescue hearing scheduled for Thursday did not take place after talks over the terms of the government bailout continued.A company spokesperson declined to comment on ongoing discussions, adding, “Spirit is operating as usual.” The carrier’s demise would mark the industry’s first casualty linked to the Iran war.Spirit’s volatile stock was down 25% on Friday.Shares of rival Frontier Airlines rose 10%, while JetBlue Airways gained 7% following the Journal report. Spirit had earlier reached a deal with its lenders that would have helped it emerge from its second bankruptcy by late spring or early summer.Those plans were derailed after the war triggered a spike in jet fuel prices, upending Spirit’s cost projections and complicating its bankruptcy exit.The carrier built its turnaround plan on jet fuel costs averaging about $2.24 per gallon in 2026 and $2.14 in 2027, according to March disclosures.By the end of April, prices had climbed to around $4.51 a gallon, double the level assumed in its projections. …
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25%, saying the bloc had not complied with its trade deal with Washington.”Based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the US,” he wrote in a social media post.”It is fully understood and agreed that, if they produce Cars and Trucks in USA. Plants, there will be NO TARIFF.”Trump told reporters at the White House the higher tariff would force European car makers to move their factory production to the US more quickly.”We have a trade deal with the European Union. They were not adhering to it. So I raised the tariffs on cars and trucks to 25%, that’s billions of dollars coming into the US, and it forces them to move their factory production much faster.”SLOW IMPLEMENTATIONThe Trump administration last year imposed a 25% tariff on global automotive imports under a national security trade law, but reached a deal with the EU in August to lower those duties to a net 15%, inclusive of prior duties.In exchange, the EU agreed to eliminate duties on US industrial goods, including autos, and accept US safety and emissions standards on vehicles.Although EU lawmakers advanced legislation in March to implement the tariff reductions, the process is not expected to be completed before June, as EU governments and the European Parliament negotiate final texts.”President Trump’s behavior is unacceptable,” Bernd Lange, the chair of the European Parliament’s international trade committee, told Reuters.”This latest move demonstrates just how unreliable the US side is. We have already witnessed these arbitrary attacks from the US in the case of Greenland; this is no way to treat close partners. Now we can only respond with the utmost clarity and firmness, drawing on the strength of our position,” Lange said.But a Trump administration official, asked to explain Trump’s move, said: “The EU has not complied with the autos deal after eight months.”Shares of Ford Motor fell 2% after Trump’s announcement, while those of Stellantis were down 1.7%. General Motors shares dropped 1.1%.Ryan Majerus, a former senior US Commerce Department official who is now a partner with King & Spalding, said the president’s move also may be related to Trump’s frustration that some European countries had balked at supporting the US-Israeli war against Iran.”This is not going to sit well in the EU, and I’m not sure the administration cares, because they’re so incredibly antagonistic toward the EU,” Majerus said. Related Story Source link