Tankers

Conflict continues across the region as White House announces nuclear technology agreement. Plus, the artist who flattened a Tesla with a tankGood morning. The US has signed a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in the future. The deal will be submitted to Congress for review, where it could face opposition among lawmakers who fear a lack of monitoring safeguards.In lengthy talks stretching over more than one administration, the US has feared that Riyadh would look elsewhere for nuclear technology if the US did not provide what it wanted. Saudi Arabia has long said that if it does not partner with the US, it could do so with China or Russia, which have different proliferation standards.Why is a uranium deal with Saudi Arabia controversial? The full details of the deal have yet to be released, but it comes as the US’s war with Iran is being fought in part to prevent Tehran enriching uranium domestically and make it near impossible for Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia has in the past said it would need a nuclear weapon if Iran acquired one. Kenneth Roth has analysed why Trump would agree it right now.What are the latest developments in the war? The US military launched its 12th successive night of strikes, which have now widened to western and central Iran. In attacks lasting five hours, the US claims to have struck military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and ⁠drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air defense assets. Yemen’s ⁠Houthi militia also attacked two ​Saudi Arabian oil tankers, the Iran-aligned group said on Thursday, with a Saudi news agency later confirming one of the vessels was ablaze in the Red Sea. Continue reading...

• Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have attacked tankers in the Red Sea, asserting that the vessels violated their established blockade. • The US military has launched its 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian-linked targets to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. • In a significant diplomatic shift, the US has signed a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia to stabilize regional security.

US military says it is degradimg Tehran’s ability to threaten ships in strait of Hormuz; Houthis say tankers violated their blockade; US signs nuclear deal with Saudi ArabiaWelcome to our live coverage of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.The US military announced on Thursday evening it had began a 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets at the direction of Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Warning to shipping companies, on top of Iran’s chokehold on strait of Hormuz, may severely affect Saudi oil exportsMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesYemen’s Iranian-aligned Houthis have warned shipping companies that their tankers risk being attacked if they use Saudi Arabian ports, as the militia moved quickly to enforce a blockade announced the previous day.The Houthi warning for the Red Sea, coming on top of Iran’s threat to shipping on the other side of the Arabian peninsular in the Gulf, could affect the substantial Saudi oil exports that have so far been unscathed by the months-long conflict and deepen the rapidly escalating crisis in the region. Continue reading...

• Oil prices surged on Monday, July 20, 2026, following reports that the conflict between the US and Iran has escalated, resulting in attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. • In separate financial news, South Korea announced plans to ease access to the won as part of a broader strategic goal to make the currency freely convertible. • These developments are driving volatility across Asia-Pacific markets, as energy security concerns clash with regional currency reforms.

Just before the latest strikes Trump said Iran would be hit ‘very hard’; UAE says Iranian cruise missiles hit two oil tankers in strait, killing a crew member and wounding eightUS launches third night of strikes on Iran as Trump announces Hormuz blockadeUS Central Command said a little over an hour ago that it had finished the military’s latest wave of strikes against Iran.It said in a statement posted on X:During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping Continue reading...

Brent crude benchmark rose to more than $78 a barrel after attacks, its sharpest increase since ceasefire beganOil markets have recorded the sharpest price rise in nearly two months after a series of attacks on fossil fuel tankers near the strait of Hormuz led US president Donald Trump to declare the ceasefire deal with Iran is “over”.Brent, the global crude benchmark rose by 5% on Wednesday to more than $78 a barrel, the highest price since the US and Iran agreed the ceasefire while negotiating an end to the war last month. Continue reading...

• Saudi and Qatari tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, escalating maritime security risks in one of the world's most critical shipping lanes. • The incidents follow a round of talks between the involved parties that concluded last week without reaching a permanent agreement. • These attacks threaten global energy supplies and challenge market assumptions that a ceasefire in the region would remain stable.

Three vessels, including a Qatari LNG carrier, struck within hours close to OmanQatar has warned Iran it will bear full legal responsibility after three tankers, including a Qatari LNG vessel, were struck within hours in the strait of Hormuz.All three vessels were struck close to Oman which had suggested a new shipping corridor close to its coastline – a proposal opposed by Iran, which wants to charge ships using the waterway. Continue reading...

• Iranian forces launched two attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz this week, including a June 25 strike on the Singapore-flagged container ship M/V Ever Lovely. • The M/V Ever Lovely is operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine, highlighting the risk to international shipping lanes in one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. • These incidents heighten global energy security risks, as any prolonged instability in the region could disrupt oil and gas flows and spike global energy prices.

Fears of long-lasting energy crunch ‘slinking away’ as vessel traffic doubled in 24 hours to highest level since late FebruaryBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices have fallen below levels seen before the Iran war started in late February as more oil tankers exited the strait of Hormuz.Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell to a low of $72.24 a barrel on Thursday, slightly lower than the day before the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Tehran on 28 February. Prices have fallen more than 20% this month. Continue reading...

Revolutionary Guard issue warning as Trump awaits Iran’s response to Washington’s latest proposal for peace dealIran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened to target US sites in the Middle East if its tankers come under fire, Iranian media reported on Saturday, as Washington was left waiting for Tehran’s response to its latest negotiating position.“Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships,” the force said, a day after US strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Continue reading...

• US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday to enforce the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. • Iran accused the US of violating the month-old ceasefire, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calling it a 'reckless military adventure' that undermines diplomacy. • President Donald Trump stated he expects Iran's response to a US peace proposal 'supposedly tonight,' amid ongoing hostilities and JP Morgan warnings of $5 per gallon gas prices.

Iran and mediator Pakistan assert ceasefire included Lebanon but Israel and US disagree. Plus, how Korean fried chicken took over the worldGood morning.The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked in peril as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach.What has Iran said? In a sharply worded statement, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Israel and the US had violated several clauses of the provisional ceasefire, and he decried Israel’s aggressive bombing of Lebanon and a US demand that Iran should have no right to enrich its own uranium.This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.What was said in the video about Mamdani? The videos feature the organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a “Muslim terrorist” and a “cancer”, and his election as a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”. Continue reading...

Inclusion of Lebanon is significant difference in interpretation of truce agreed at 11th hour on TuesdayMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict looked uncertain on Wednesday as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an Israeli ceasefire “breach”.Iran and Pakistan, which brokered the 11th-hour truce, both asserted that the ceasefire included Lebanon. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, disagreed and Israeli forces unleashed their heaviest attack of the war so far on more than 100 targets in Beirut and across the country. Continue reading...

After meeting with Marco Rubio, foreign minister Winston Peters says he made sure US understands ‘significant economic impacts on New Zealand and Pacific’Middle East crisis – live updatesNew Zealand has called on the US to send fuel tankers to the Pacific to help alleviate some of the significant economic and fuel pressure caused by the war in the Middle East.Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, met the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in Washington on Tuesday, where they discussed bilateral relations, the war in Iran and the Pacific. Continue reading...

US treasury secretary says actions will increase oil supply and bring down prices, but long-term effects in questionThe US may soon remove sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea, the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said on Thursday as Washington seeks to curb prices soaring over Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz.“In the coming days, we may un-sanction the Iranian oil that’s on the water. It’s about 140m barrels,” Bessent said during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria. Continue reading...

The US Navy is considering escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran effectively closed it with missile and drone attacks, surging global oil prices. President Trump anticipated the blockade and directed military options to keep the vital chokepoint open, impacting one-fifth of world oil trade. Saudi Arabia intercepted 28 Iranian drones while facing retaliatory strikes. Officials confirm all US military assets focus on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities.