From Indonesia to Guatemala to Syria, shortages and price increases are leading to protests and blackouts.

The Houthis are increasingly using artificial intelligence and other tools to produce advanced weaponry on their own, making them less reliant on Iran.

The American presence in these countries has not shielded them from retaliation during the Iran war. Now they are hoping direct talks with Iran could help.

The militant group in Yemen captured the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, near the chokepoint of the Bab al-Mandab strait Yemen’s Houthi militants have seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea, reinforcing the Iran-backed group’s ability to control a key shipping route, as concerns mount that the world is facing a new oil supply crisis. The seizure of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the militant group’s swift advance across Yemen’s Red Sea coast, after the capture of the port of Mokha and Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait. Continue reading...

The Iranian-backed militia has made strategic gains, becoming an unlikely power player in the Middle East.

Alistair Burt speaks candidly about difficulties of tackling complex cases as families express concern over mandate The special envoy for British citizens detained overseas has spoken about the difficulties he faces in his new role, as families express concern over the position’s mandate in complex consular cases. In his first public engagement, Alistair Burt , the former Conservative Middle East minister, spoke candidly about the difficulties and limitations of the new appointment, made following years of mounting criticism of how the Foreign Office handled the cases of British citizens detained overseas. Continue reading...

Soaring oil prices of above $108 a barrel after Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure stoke inflation fears US government borrowing costs have risen to 5% for the first time since 2023 as soaring oil prices fuelled by the war in the Middle East trigger an intensifying sell-off in the global bond market. The yield – in effect the interest rate – on 10-year US Treasury bonds hit the psychologically important threshold on Monday, on a day of renewed selling pressure on Wall Street as the global oil price reached $108 a barrel. Continue reading...

The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more U.S. military support, analysts say.

Critics say segment about airman’s rescue was made to boost public perception of Trump’s unpopular war A US airman has spoken of climbing a 7,000ft ridge with a broken back, arm and shoulder after he was shot down in Iran – and of being rescued by a team of American special forces as hostile locals closed in on him. The air force colonel, identified only by his codename Bravo, appeared on camera Sunday night on CBS’s 60 Minutes in a segment some critics have labelled Pentagon propaganda to boost public perception of Donald Trump’s unpopular war . Continue reading...

Impasse comes amid growing Saudi anger with Tehran over Houthi advances and strikes on airbase and pipeline Oil prices rise after drone attacks shut down Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline Gulf states have postponed a critical meeting with Iran on the future of the strait of Hormuz owing to a lack of Arab consensus and growing Saudi Arabian anger with Tehran for helping the Houthis loosen Riyadh’s grip in Yemen. The stalemate over the vital waterway came as Houthi rebels launched a fresh barrage of missile and drone attacks on Saudi military targets. A Houthi military spokesperson claimed its forces had attacked the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, hitting fighter-jet hangars, radar systems, runways and landing strips, ammunition depots and additional targets. Continue reading...

Talks between the United States and Iran hit a dead end weeks ago, leaving Arab countries struggling to manage their ties to Tehran amid ongoing attacks.

Opponents derailed the agreement with a clandestine effort to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, regime insiders say. Iran’s president was furious when he found out.

The group, which includes Iran, has been split over the war. It called for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East without casting blame on any particular country.

Iran and its allies now hold sway over two key oil shipping routes, and Tehran is setting the stage for a diplomatic win that could enhance its stature.

A drone attack from Iraq forced Saudi Arabia to close its East-West pipeline, the kingdom said, threatening a key workaround to Iran’s Persian Gulf blockade.

The Lebanese city of Tyre, one of the oldest metropolises in the world, has been left scarred.

Rampant Yemeni fighters take control of island in narrow point of Bab al-Mandab strait, which Saudi is relying on for oil exports Why the rapid Houthi advance matters and what’s at stake Yemen’s rampant Houthi forces have captured the strategic island of Perim in the Bab al-Mandab strait, expanding their control of the narrow waterway, one of the ​world’s vital shipping routes. The Iran-aligned Houthis took control of the volcanic island after forces allied to the UN-backed, Aden-based government left in the latest of a dramatic series of reverses along Yemen’s west coast in recent days, including the loss of the port city of Mocha on Thursday. Continue reading...

The militia captured the island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a choke point for trade. Saudi Arabia also announced it had shut down a critical oil pipeline after a drone attack launched from Iraq.

Borrowing costs climb in Europe and oil tops $105 a barrel as bank says growing price pressures in eurozone will be ‘longer lasting than we had anticipated’ Business live – latest updates The European Central Bank has raised interest rates to 2.5% and warned that the risk of higher inflation over the next year has risen following renewed fighting in the Middle East. It came as government borrowing costs soared on the back of a jump in oil and gas prices after the latest US and Iran attacks on ships in the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...