Amid Iran

• Con l'inflazione negli Stati Uniti al massimo da tre anni, il presidente statunitense ha insistito sul fatto di non essere concentrato sulle difficoltà economiche scatenate dal conflitto. • Donald Trump ha dichiarato che la crescente pressione finanziaria inflitta agli americani dalla guerra contro l'Iran non lo stia motivando «nemmeno un pochino» a concludere un accordo di pace con Teheran. • Con l'inflazione statunitense al picco di tre anni e i costi del carburante ancora in aumento dopo un netto rialzo dei prezzi del petrolio, il presidente degli Stati Uniti ha dichiarato martedì di non essere concentrato sulle difficoltà economiche causate dal conflitto.

Le azioni della società proprietaria di Bovis Homes sono crollate del 10,5% dopo essere stata costretta a tagliare i prezzi a causa della cautela degli acquirenti.

• Il Presidente Trump è partito martedì 12 maggio 2026 per una visita di Stato di due giorni in Cina, dopo che il viaggio era stato inizialmente rimandato a causa dell'ongoing war tra Stati Uniti e Iran. • L'itinerario prevede una cerimonia di benvenuto, due incontri bilaterali con il Presidente Xi Jinping, un banchetto di Stato, un tour del Tempio del Cielo e una sessione di tè in meno di 48 ore. • La visita sottolinea il continuo impegno tra Stati Uniti e Cina, segnando il primo di quattro incontri previsti tra Trump e Xi per quest'anno, inclusa la visita di Stato di Xi negli Stati Uniti in autunno.

• I mercati azionari globali, tra cui Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, Nikkei 225 e KOSPI, hanno raggiunto nuovi record, spinti da un ottimismo verso l'IA che ha prevalso sulle tensioni legate al cessate il fuoco tra USA e Iran. • L'aumento dei prezzi del petrolio, le maggiori aspettative di inflazione e la retorica hawkish della Fed hanno spinto al rialzo i rendimenti dei Treasury USA, rafforzando la prospettiva di tassi d'interesse "higher-for-longer" e la forza del USD. • Il Presidente Trump si recherà in Cina per un vertice con Xi Jinping su Iran, questioni nucleari, commercio e IA, accompagnato da dirigenti di Tesla, Apple e BlackRock.

• L'aeroporto segnala un calo del 5%, ma il traffico di passeggeri in transito aumenta poiché i viaggiatori utilizzano l'hub per evitare gli aeroporti del Medio Oriente • Business live – aggiornamenti dalle notizie • Il numero di passeggeri in volo da London Heathrow è sceso lo scorso mese, poiché la guerra in Medio Oriente ha influenzato la domanda di viaggi internazionali.

• Gli esperti avvertono delle vulnerabilità dei 'bersagli facili' e delle lacune nei servizi di intelligence mentre le agenzie federali si preparano a mettere in sicurezza 78 partite in 11 città. • Le partite della Fifa World Cup che si terranno negli Stati Uniti affrontano rischi terroristici accresciuti, con esperti che avvertono che le vulnerabilità sono amplificate dal conflitto tra Stati Uniti e Israele con l'Iran e da un impoverimento delle competenze antiterrorismo all'interno delle forze dell'ordine federali. • La minaccia maggiore proviene da estremisti violenti interni, spesso attori singoli che potrebbero essere stati radicalizzati online da visioni politiche estreme o jihadisti come lo Stato Islamico (Isis), hanno dichiarato quattro esperti di contrasto al terrorismo intervistati. Continua a leggere...

• 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.

• China's ban on oil-product exports following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz closure has squeezed fuel supplies to Asian neighbors, enhancing Beijing's leverage as of May 9, 2026. • Fuel-starved countries in Asia are turning to China for jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel relief, while Beijing promotes its renewable energy technologies. • The ongoing Iran war has positioned China to deal from strength, deepening its influence in the region amid prolonged energy shortages.

• The S&P 500 fell 0.4% or 28.01 points to 7,337.11 on Thursday, retreating from its all-time high, while the Dow dropped 313.62 points or 0.6% to 49,596.97 and Nasdaq slipped 0.1% or 32.75 points to 25,806.20. • Oil prices yo-yoed due to Wall Street's waiting on hopes for a deal to end the Iran war, with earlier sharp swings from dashed expectations of reopening the Strait of Hormuz; Iran created a government agency to vet and tax vessels passing through, potentially raising fuel costs. • Standouts included Axon Enterprise rallying 10.6% after raising its revenue forecast due to counter-drone product growth, and Albemarle rising 3% on better-than-expected results, while Shake Shack tumbled 28.3% and Whirlpool fell 11.9% on weak earnings.

• President Trump stated on Wednesday he is 'cautiously optimistic' about a potential U.S.-Iran deal following 'very good talks over the last 24 hours,' potentially involving Iran surrendering uranium, lifting U.S. sanctions, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. • Trump issued a one-week ultimatum on X, warning 'if they don't agree, the bombing starts' at a 'much higher level and intensity than before.' • Iran is reviewing the U.S. peace proposal, as reported in ongoing diplomatic efforts amid claims the U.S. has already won the war with Iran.

Letter from House Democrats to secretary of state calls for end to ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programsHouse Democrats have asked secretary of state Marco Rubio to publicly announce that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, arguing that Washington must end decades of ambiguity over the issue amid the conflict with Iran.In a letter sent on Monday, 30 Democrats wrote that it was unsustainable for Donald Trump to collaborate with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a military campaign against Iran – with the stated goal of preventing the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon – without publicly acknowledging the US ally’s possession of the bomb. Continue reading...

• During an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Salem Radio, President Donald Trump characterized polls showing low public support for his military operations in Iran as 'fake.' • The denial comes as multiple polling organizations report that Americans increasingly disapprove of the U.S. war effort in Iran, indicating significant public concern over the conflict. • Trump's dismissal of negative polling reflects broader White House tensions over declining public support for its foreign policy in the Middle East.

• Oil prices jumped above $100 per barrel and broke through $115 as Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude rising 6% amid U.S. efforts to free up shipping lanes. • The S&P 500 fell with all 11 sectors declining except energy (+0.9%); Dow Jones dropped approximately 1%, while Asia ex-Japan surged 2.8% led by KOSPI's 5% gain to new highs. • U.S. Treasury yields climbed across the curve by 7-10 basis points, with the 30-year Treasury clearing 5.0% as inflation pressures mount and the USD index moved higher above 98.

London-headquartered bank’s shares slide as it sets aside an extra $300m to cover effects of Middle East conflictBusiness live – latest updatesHSBC has suffered a $1.3bn (£961m) hit to profits, fuelled by the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran and fraud in the troubled private credit sector.The London-headquartered bank said profits fell 4% in the first three months of the year, dropping $100m to $9.4bn, compared with the same period in 2025. Revenue increased 6% to $18.6bn. Continue reading...

US says it has destroyed six small Iranian military boats – which Tehran denies – while Iran launched barrage of attacks on US-allied United Arab EmiratesDonald Trump sends warships to break Iran’s strait of Hormuz blockadeWe are restarting our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The US and Iran launched new attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they wrestled for control over the strait of Hormuz amid dual maritime blockades, taking the region back to the brink of full-scale war.The fresh volleys of missiles and drones came after Donald Trump launched a new effort to get stranded tankers and other ships through the vital energy and trade route that has been virtually shut since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in late February.Trump warned that Iran’s forces would be “blown off the face of the earth” if they attacked US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait. The president announced the US operation – called Project Freedom – on Monday to help hundreds of ships trapped in the Gulf.Centcom chief Adm Brad Cooper declined to say whether he thought the ceasefire with Tehran that begun on 8 April remained in effect amid Iranian attacks in the region but acknowledged Iran’s Revolutionary Guards tried to “interfere” with Trump’s operation.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Monday’s events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan’s mediation and warned the US and the UAE against being drawn into a “quagmire by ill-wishers”.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that no commercial vessels had crossed the strait in the past few hours, and that US claims to the contrary were false. Iranian state media also denied reports the US had sunk Iranian vessels.The UK and Saudi Arabia both called for de-escalation after Iran’s attacks on the UAE – the first on the US ally since Washington’s ceasefire with Tehran took effect about a month ago.In Oman, two people were injured by an attack on a residential building in Bukha, on the Hormuz strait’s coastline, an Omani state news agency reported.A fire on a South Korean-operated vessel that had an explosion in the Hormuz strait has been extinguished, ship operator HMM said. South Korea’s foreign ministry said all 24 crew on the HMM Namu – including six South Koreans – were unharmed. Trump blamed an Iranian attack.International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva warned that inflation was already picking up and the global economy could face a “much worse outcome” if the war dragged into 2027 and oil prices hit about $125 a barrel. Continue reading...

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described President Trump's economic measures as suffocating Iran's regime during a May 3 Fox News appearance. • Iran's economy faces $435 million daily losses and 112% food inflation due to the U.S. blockade, per FOX Business analysis. • Rising U.S. gas prices from the Iran conflict are creating broader economic challenges despite the pressure on Tehran.

• A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll from April 24-28 shows President Trump's disapproval at 62%, his highest in two terms, with overall approval at 37%. • Only 34% approve of his economic handling and 33% of the Iran war, fueling GOP concerns for midterm losses. • Democrats hold a 5-point edge in generic House ballot tests, up from 2 points earlier.

• The Trump administration announced plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 US troops from Germany over the next 6-12 months. • The troop withdrawal fulfills an earlier Trump threat and reflects tensions over Germany's stance on the Iran conflict. • The move signals a broader shift in US military posture in Europe and could weaken NATO presence in a key strategic location.

The US president has criticised Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and raised the prospect of pulling US troops from Italy and Spain. Plus, 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel eraGood morning.Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain a day after he saying was looking at curtailing the number deployed in Germany.What has Congress been saying about the war? A senior Democrat in the Senate grilled the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, accusing him of failing to give Trump an accurate picture of the war on Iran while resorting to “dangerously exaggerated” statements to create an inaccurate picture of a US military triumph.What’s the latest on the suspect? The man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his federal criminal case moves forward. Continue reading...

First quarter output, driven by AI investment and government spending, rose as oil shock fuels inflation fearsUS gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated 2% in the first three months of 2026, though consumer spending is slowing as the war with Iran continues to impact energy prices.The last GDP reading for the fourth quarter of 2025 showed that US economic growth slowed to a 0.5% pace, largely due to a contraction in government spending after massive layoffs of federal workers last year. The federal government is down 355,000 workers, or 11.8% of the workforce, since October 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue reading...

• The United Arab Emirates withdrew from OPEC yesterday, marking a historic split from Saudi Arabia during the escalating regional crisis. • This decision coincides with the Strait of Hormuz being almost entirely shut down due to a US naval blockade aimed at halting Iranian oil exports. • The US is threatening to cut off major Chinese banks from its financial system to prevent processing of Iranian oil, intensifying global energy tensions.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Islamabad on April 27, 2026, to push a new proposal through Pakistani mediators aimed at ending the US-Iran war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. • The proposal reached the White House, but President Trump canceled planned envoy visits by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, citing lack of progress, while indirect talks continue. • Araghchi headed to Moscow for talks with President Putin after blaming the US for failed peace efforts; Russia urged Washington to abandon ultimatums in Vienna negotiations.

US president says there’s ‘no reason to meet’ Tehran unless they agree never to have nuclear weaponsWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Donald Trump has said Iran can telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to the war and that it must agree never to have a nuclear weapon, while Pakistan’s leaders have sought to revive the stalled peace talks between Washington and Tehran.Iran gave the US a new proposal on reopening the strait and ending the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, according to the news site Axios. The US state department and White House did not immediately comment on the Sunday report, which cited an unnamed US official and two sources.Araghchi’s talks with Pakistani officials on Sunday had included “implementing a new legal regime over the strait of Hormuz, receiving compensation, guaranteeing no renewed military aggression by warmongers and lifting the naval blockade”, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. In the talks with Omani leader Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, Araghchi called for a regional security framework free of outside interference.Araghchi would meet with Putin “in continuation of the diplomatic jihad to advance the country’s interests and amid external threats”, Iran’s envoy in Russia, Kazem Jalali, said on X.Two US air force C-17s carrying security staff, equipment and vehicles used to protect US officials flew out of Pakistan after the latest diplomatic trip was called off, two Pakistani government sources told Reuters on Sunday. Continue reading...

• UN International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that the blockading of ships in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran conflict has turned international shipping and seafarers into leverage in geopolitical disputes. • The crisis highlights how vessels and crews, not involved in the conflict, are being caught up in hostilities between the United States and Iran, disrupting global trade routes. • This development underscores critical weaknesses in global shipping networks, potentially leading to supply chain disruptions, higher costs, and risks to maritime security worldwide.

• Navy Secretary John Phelan was fired by the Pentagon on Wednesday night amid escalating tensions with Iran over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. • The firing comes as the U.S. maintains military pressure on Iran, with reports indicating the blockade is costing Iran an estimated $500 million per day and pushing the regime toward economic collapse. • U.S. intelligence officials warn that Iran retains thousands of missiles and drones capable of threatening American interests in the region.

Iran seizes two ships in critical waterway as Washington and Tehran maintain separate blockades. Plus, Jodi Kantor on how to find a career you loveGood morning.Iranian forces have seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the shipping waterway.What has Donald Trump said? The US president announced that the US would extend the ceasefire with Iran until the country’s leaders came up with a “unified proposal” to US negotiating positions amid Tehran’s “seriously fractured” government. He had earlier threatened to renew bombing. White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”.This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.Who took part in the debate? The primetime showdown, hosted by Nexstar Media Group, featured two Republicans – Steve Hilton, the former Fox News host and director of strategy to the former UK prime minister David Cameron, and Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County – and the four leading Democrats: the billionaire Tom Steyer, the former health secretary Xavier Becerra, the former congresswoman Katie Porter and the San Jose mayor, Matt Mahan. Continue reading...

Standoff between Iran and US continues as both impose blockades of critical shipping waterway Iranian forces have seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, as the US and Iran doubled down on imposing separate blockades of the critical shipping waterway that have choked global energy markets.The standoff over the narrow waterway – through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through during peacetime – raised doubts about whether stalled peace negotiations would resume. Continue reading...

Annual March rate adds to pressure on household finances and follows warnings of slowdown to UK economyUK inflation rose by 3.3% in March amid the surge in fuel prices for motorists triggered by the Iran war.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the consumer prices index increased last month from 3% in February, adding to pressure on household finances already battered by a cost of living crisis. The rise matched City economists’s forecast of an increase to 3.3%. Continue reading...