⢠I caccia F/A-18 Super Hornet della US Navy hanno colpito venerdÏ due petroliere battenti bandiera iraniana nel Golfo di Oman per far rispettare il blocco statunitense dello Stretto di Hormuz.
⢠L'Iran ha accusato gli Stati Uniti di aver violato la cessate il fuoco in vigore da un mese; il Ministro degli Esteri Abbas Araghchi ha definito l'azione una 'sconsiderata avventura militare' che mina la diplomazia.
⢠Il Presidente Donald Trump ha dichiarato di attendere la risposta dell'Iran a una proposta di pace statunitense 'presumibilmente per stanotte', mentre continuano le ostilità e JP Morgan avverte di possibili prezzi della benzina a 5 dollari al gallone.
Moscow steps up maritime presence in North Sea after UK threats to seize shadow fleet oil tankersBritainâs Royal Navy tracked and followed a Russian frigate every day last month as it sailed from the Atlantic to the North Sea as Moscow steps up its maritime presence after UK threats to seize shadow fleet oil tankers.The Russian navyâs Admiral Grigorovich escorted six Russia-linked vessels during April, including at least three under economic sanction passing east through the Dover strait, while being watched continuously by four UK ships and helicopters. Continue reading...
US presidentâs post follows flurry of mixed signals including concern Tehran had not âpaid big enough priceâ. Plus, could Santa Marta climate talks mark ground zero in push to ditch fossil fuels?Good morning.Donald Trump has announced this morning that the US will âguideâ ships trapped in the Gulf by the Iran war through the strait of Hormuz, and claimed his representatives were having âvery positiveâ discussions with Iran.What has Iran said? The head of the Iranian militaryâs unified command has said US and foreign armed forces will be attacked if they enter the strait. It told US forces to stay out of the area and said its forces would respond harshly to any threat. It also told commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement in the absence of coordination with Iranâs military.What did Comey say about the post? Comey deleted the postand apologized. He said the hadnât known what the expression meant and condemned violence. He has said he is innocent and denies any wrongdoing. Continue reading...
At a rally in Florida, the US president tells a cheering crowd âwe took over the shipâMiddle East crisis â live updatesDonald Trump has said the US navy acted âlike piratesâ as he described an operation seizing a ship amid the tit-for-tat American blockade of Iranian ports.âWe ⌠land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. Itâs a very profitable business,â said Trump at a rally in Florida on Friday. Continue reading...
Spokesperson says just two out of 14 Australians remain in communication, after CCTV footage showed Israeli navy boarding vessels in international watersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe family of a Newcastle man among at least six Australians onboard boats that were intercepted by Israeli navy personnel in international waters has issued a tearful plea for his safety and lashed out at the Australian government for not intervening.More than 50 boats set sail to Gaza from Italy on Monday as part of the Global Sumud flotilla in the hope of delivering 500 tonnes of aid and volunteers to the Gaza Strip, which remains under naval blockade by Israel. Continue reading...
⢠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.
John Phelan firing caused by poor relationship with Pete Hegseth and slow movement on shipbuilding, sources sayThe Trump administration fired its top naval official on Wednesday in a move unrelated to the ongoing naval blockade of Iranâs strait of Hormuz, but instead over over an internal dispute about shipbuilding.The Pentagon confirmed that John Phelan, who ran a private investment fund in Florida and was a Donald Trump donor, had been ousted as the navy secretary. His departure â the first of any service secretary in the Trump administration â came in the same week Iranâs Revolutionary Guard Corps seized two container ships in the strait of Hormuz, claiming maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores. Continue reading...
White House says Tehran in âvery weak positionâ; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post âeffective immediatelyâ, says PentagonâImpossibleâ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid âflagrantâ ceasefire breaches, Iran saysWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.Trump was âsatisfiedâ with the US naval blockade and âunderstands Iran is in a very weak positionâ, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the USâs negotiating positions or until talks were concluded âone way or the otherâ.The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office âeffective immediatelyâ, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The US armyâs top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month amid the continuing war with Iran.The US-Israeli war against Iran is âstarting to weaken Europeâ, Turkish president Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan has told his German counterpart. ErdoÄan said: âIf we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.âIsraeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalilâs employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday â the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalilâs death.Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanonâs health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Continue reading...
Exit of John Phelan, navyâs top civilian official, comes a week after Pete Hegseth fired armyâs top officerThe Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the navyâs top civilian official, John Phelan, the secretary of the navy, is leaving his job.In a statement posted to social media, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said Phelan was âdeparting the administration, effective immediatelyâ Continue reading...
⢠A naval clash occurred in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran's IRGC fired on two vessels attempting to pass a US naval blockade, prompting a US military response.
⢠At least two dozen other vessels complied and turned around over the weekend following US orders.
⢠Tensions spiked with new IRGC chief Ahmad Bahiti blamed for stalling negotiations; analysts warn of escalating risks.
⢠The US Navy fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged vessel amid escalating tensions in the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, which began with airstrikes on February 28, 2026, targeting Iranian leadership and nuclear sites.
⢠President Trump confirmed the action, occurring as Iran's retaliatory strikes hit Israel and US bases, compounded by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting global oil supplies.
⢠Oil prices have exceeded $100 per barrel, prompting IEA nations to release strategic reserves; the incident dims prospects for peace talks and amplifies economic fallout worldwide.
Richard Barrons backs George Robertson and says UK forces âtoo small and undernourished for the world that we now live inâGood morning. When Keir Starmer gave evidence to the Commons liaison committee before the Easter recess, and when he made a statement to MPs yesterday on the first day after it was over, he was repeatedly asked when the government will publish its defence investment plan (DIP). On both occasions, he could not give a timetable and would just say it would be published as soon as it was ready.His critics are furious because the DIP, a 10-year plan explaining how the government will fund its commitment to get defence spending up to 3% of GDP by the end of the next parliament, with total national security spending reaching 5% of GDP by 2035, was due to be published last autumn.There is a corrosive complacency today in Britainâs political leadership. Lip service is paid to the risks, the threats, the bright red signals of danger â but even a promised national conversation about defence canât be started.We are underprepared. We are underinsured. We are under attack. We are not safe . . . Britainâs national security and safety is in peril.Like many others I hung my head in sorrow. But I couldnât argue with him because although the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force and the army are, in their bones, outstanding institutions, they are simply too small and too undernourished to deal with the world that we we now live in. And the review says this. Continue reading...
⢠The Chinese People's Liberation Army launched live-fire drills near Taiwan on April 11, involving naval vessels and fighter jets in what Beijing characterized as routine training exercises.
⢠In response, the United States Navy deployed the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group to the Taiwan Strait, with the Department of Defense stating the move was intended to ensure freedom of navigation.
⢠Regional tensions remain high amid concerns over military miscalculation, with Taiwan's defense ministry reporting detection of over 20 Chinese military aircraft in surrounding airspace.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says âif you fight, we will fightâ, reports state media, as US president also threatens to bomb Iranâs water treatment facilitiesJD Vance and US delegation leave Pakistan after failing to reach deal with IranPlaneloads of negotiators and too little time: US and Iranâs 21 hours of talksA post about an hour ago on the Israel Defense Forces Telegram channel claimed that overnight, the IDF âidentified a rocket launcher positioned and ready to launch toward the State of Israel in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanonâ.Shortly after the identification, the launcher was struck and dismantled in a rapid closure cycle, thwarting the launch before it could be carried out. Continue reading...
John Healey says warship and aircraft forced Russia to abandon activity in North Sea in month-long operationA British warship and aircraft tracked and monitored Russian submarines attempting to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, ensuring they abandoned their mission, the defence secretary, John Healey, has announced.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Healey said the UK operation lasted more than a month and saw a Royal Navy warship and P8 marine patrol aircraft âtrack and to deter any malign activityâ by three Russian submarines. Continue reading...
⢠Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy commenced large-scale military exercises in the Persian Gulf on April 1, deploying multiple warships and missile systems near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
⢠US Central Command deployed additional naval assets to the region in response, with Pentagon officials stating the move is designed to "ensure freedom of navigation" and protect commercial shipping lanes critical to global energy markets.
⢠The Iranian exercises follow recent diplomatic tensions and represent the latest in a series of military posturing events that have increased risk premiums on global oil prices by approximately 3% this week.
Joani Reid MP reportedly swapped flirtatious messages with senior officer in charge of nuclear-armed submarineA Royal Navy captain in charge of one of Britainâs nuclear-armed submarines stepped back from his duties over his relationship with the MP Joani Reid, whose husband faces allegations of spying for China.The married senior officer was investigated by the navy last year over his contact with Reid after the messages, described as inappropriate, prompted an assessment of a potential blackmail risk, the Financial Times first reported. Continue reading...
While Pete Hegseth has mocked the âbig bad Royal Navyâ the First Sea Lord has sounded the alarm about its readinessMiddle East crisis â live updatesThe US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he singled out the âbig bad Royal Navyâ in a recent press update on the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.Hegsethâs sarcastic comment was only the latest in a long line of jibes against the capabilities and readiness of the British Royal Navy. Continue reading...
Iranian missile and drone strikes have halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as of March 14, 2026, prompting US Navy plans to escort oil tankers amid surging global prices. President Trump directed military options to keep the strait open, with officials confirming anticipation of such blockades. Saudi Arabia reported intercepting 28 Iranian drones targeting its defenses. The move aims to mitigate impacts on US energy markets and economy.
The US Navy is considering escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, closed by Iranian missile and drone strikes disrupting 20% of global oil trade. President Trump anticipated the blockade and directed military options to reopen the vital chokepoint, with oil prices surging as a result. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet China next week on trade amid energy market chaos from the two-week war. The move aims to mitigate economic impacts on Americans from the Hormuz disruption.
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.
Urgent request to dock is submitted by vessel after US submarine sank Iranian warship in same area on TuesdayMiddle East crisis â live updatesSri Lanka has evacuated 208 crew members from an Iranian navy vessel that made an emergency request to dock, a day after a US submarine strike sank another Iranian frigate, killing more than 80 people on board.Sri Lankaâs president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, on Thursday confirmed that the countryâs navy would take over Iranian military support ship IRIS Bushehr and allow it to dock at the north-eastern port of Trincomalee. Continue reading...