BEIRUT, April 13 (Reuters) - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Monday called on the Lebanese government to cancel a Tuesday meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington, describing the talks as pointless. In a televised speech, Qassem said the armed group
By Helen Coster and Joseph Ax April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him, before deleting the post on
ROME, April 13 (Reuters) - A prolonged crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global agrifood catastrophe by disrupting fertiliser and energy exports, driving up food prices and squeezing crop yields, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday. FAO Chief
The move threatens to cut off roughly 2 million barrels per day of Iranian crude exports, but key questions remain as the operation begins.
Beijing and Ankara called for calm as the US began its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as regional diplomacy over the fragile ceasefire intensifies.
BEIJING, April 13 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday said the current ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is "very fragile" and urged the global community to "unequivocally oppose any actions that undermine the ceasefire or escalate the confrontation." Wang
By blockading Iran’s ports and de-mining the Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy aims to deny Tehran leverage in future negotiations, but experts warn it could take months before the economic pressure builds on Islamic Republic.
WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Monday that any Iranian "fast-attack" ships that go near a U.S. maritime blockade on Iran would be eliminated. "What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we
BRUSSELS, April 13 (Reuters) - European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is a clear point in favour of a "strong international coalition on maritime security." She did not specify what such a coalition would do
By Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA, April 13 (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was deeply concerned by attacks on medical workers in Lebanon after a deadly strike on a Red Cross centre in the country on Monday and the death of a volunteer a day earlier.
ISLAMABAD, April 13 (Reuters) - Full efforts are still being made to resolve the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday, a day after talks between the two sides, held in Islamabad, ended without agreement. (Reporting by Asif
Oil prices surged back above $100 a barrel and stocks mostly fell Monday as a US blockade of Iranian ports went into effect, ratcheting up fears for Middle East energy supplies. The resurgent geopolitical tensions come after ceasefire talks between Washington and Iran broke
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations is not reported to be impeded by the measures, though vessels may encounter a military presence
In a BBC R5 Live interview, Starmer said U.K. minesweepers in the region focus on reopening shipping lanes and any escalation needs a clear lawful basis. The U.S. announced a blockade of Iranian maritime traffic from Monday, while Trump warned vessels aiding Iran would be
Iran's judiciary said Monday authorities had released the assets of the captain of Iranian women's football team which had been seized after she made and then withdrew an asylum claim in Australia last month. Zahra Ghanbari was among a group of six players and one backroom
President Donald Trump has escalated against the first American pontiff over his criticism of the Israel-US war in Iran.
LONDON/PARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - The United States' NATO allies said on Monday they would not get involved in President Donald Trump's plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz nL6N40V09S, further ratcheting up tensions within the increasingly fragile alliance.
LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will enforce a blockade nL6N40V09S in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz and it will apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, the U.S. Central Command said in a note to seafarers seen by Reuters on
By Laila Bassam, Steven Scheer and Jana Choukeir BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, April 13 (Reuters) - Israeli troops launched an attack to seize a key south Lebanon town from Hezbollah fighters holed up inside on Monday, pressing the war on the Iran-backed group on the eve of historic talks
By Olivia Le Poidevin GENEVA, April 13 (Reuters) - A diplomatic push is under way on a U.N.-led proposal to ensure safe passage for fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.N. said on Monday, with a source familiar with discussions emphasising growing urgency
Soaring energy prices can be expected to remain volatile while the US begins its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
NEW DELHI, April 13 (Reuters) - Iran has "good contact" with the Indian government on passage of the South Asian nation's ships through the Strait of Hormuz and wants to help New Delhi, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said on Monday. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran,
ANKARA, April 13 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Monday that NATO allies should use their July summit in Ankara to reset ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and prepare for a potential reduction of U.S. involvement in the alliance. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey
By Gleb Bryanski MOSCOW, April 13 (Reuters) - Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, should create joint food reserves with fellow BRICS members and former Soviet neighbours to counter the risks to global food security stemming from the conflict in the Middle East
ANKARA, April 13 (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign minister raised concerns on Monday about Iran or the United States proposing any new regulations for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and said he saw difficulties around proposals to re-open the waterway with an international force.
The latest developments in the Middle East war: - French-UK conference - France and Britain will co-host a conference this week to discuss a multinational mission to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the leaders of both countries said on X. French President
PARIS/LONDON April 13 (Reuters) - Britain and France will this week co-host talks aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including discussions on what President Emmanuel Macron described as a possible strictly defensive naval mission. The talks are
MANILA, April 13 (Reuters) - ASEAN foreign ministers called on Monday for the United States and Iran to continue negotiating a permanent end to their conflict, and to implement the ceasefire fully and effectively. The ministers, who met virtually to discuss the war in the
By Jack Kim SEOUL, April 13 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sparked a diplomatic row with Israel and criticism at home after comparing Israeli military actions against Palestinians to the Holocaust in a post on social media platform X. The controversy began
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa CAIRO/GAZA, April 13 (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike killed at least three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials said, as mediators met leaders from Hamas in an effort to shore up a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal. Medics
By Emily Rose JERUSALEM, April 13 (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of Israelis oppose the Iran https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/ ceasefire but the public is divided over whether Israel should respect the two-week truce or resume attacks on Iran, according to a poll from the
BEIJING, April 13 (Reuters) - China urged calm and restraint by all sides on Monday, following U.S. President Donald Trump's threat L6N40V09S to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Iran war. Before the war, most
The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports Monday, after talks between the warring sides in Pakistan collapsed, and despite the Iranian military warning that it would treat any such action as an act of piracy. Trump had announced on social media he
LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. "We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live,
Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US. The number of executions
Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 and now risks hanging more in the the wake of the war against the US and Israel, two NGOs said Monday, urging the West to put capital punishment "at the heart" of any negotiations with Tehran. The number of executions
Vance could never have struck a deal on what Iran and the U.S. have been unable to resolve for years. As the president sways between declaring victory and restarting the war, Netanyahu tries to ramp up Israel's public opinion for another round of fighting
By Bo Erickson and Hatem Maher WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran
A Paris court will deliver its verdict on Monday in the case of cement conglomerate Lafarge, accused of paying the Islamic State group and other jihadists protection money to maintain its business in war-torn Syria. The ruling follows a 2022 case in the United States in which
A Paris court on Monday ruled that cement conglomerate Lafarge was guilty of paying protection money to the Islamic State group and other jihadists to maintain its business in war-torn Syria. The ruling follows a 2022 case in the United States in which the French firm pleaded
A French court on Monday fined the cement group Lafarge over $1.3 million and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to the Islamic State group and other jihadists to maintain its business in war-torn Syria. The ruling follows a 2022 case
By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. naval blockade of Iran is a major, open-ended military endeavor that could trigger fresh retaliation from Tehran and put tremendous strain on an already fragile ceasefire, experts say. President Donald Trump, in a social
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump/ issued a scathing attack on Pope Leo late on Sunday, calling him "weak" on crime and "terrible" for foreign policy after the religious leader criticized
By Florence Tan SINGAPORE, April 13 (Reuters) - Oil tankers are steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a U.S. blockade later on Monday following failed peace talks between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend, shipping data showed. President Donald Trump
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over. The Lebanese Red Cross said in a statement that one of its paramedics
WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Central Command said it will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), after President Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy would start blockading the Strait
JERUSALEM, April 12 (Reuters) - Israel approved the appointment of Roman Gofman as the new Mossad intelligence agency head, a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to nominate Gofman