The Strait of Hormuz is closed again, this time by Iran. Two ships have reported being fired on in the strait Saturday. File Photo by Divyakant Solanki/EPA April 18 (UPI) -- Just one day after the Strait of Hormuz was declared open, Iran has blocked the passage again, citing "breach of promise" by »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref: The Strait of Hormuz is under Iranian control, and either they will give us our rights at the ne»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran will view any US maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the ceasefire, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran said on Saturday. "As long as the United States intends to obstruct the passage of vessels using methods such as a maritime blockade, Ira»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is ready to assist in transferring enriched uranium from Iran, while the issue of the Iranian enriched uranium remains key and painful issue during talks between the United States and Iran, the company's CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Satur»»»

Beirut, Lebanon: Lebanon's president and prime minister discussed on Saturday, April 18, 2026, preparations for the first direct negotiations with Israel in decades, as southerners headed home after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. In a statement, the office of President HH Joseph Aoun sa»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Zionist enemy continues violating ceasefire in South Lebanon, bombarding the two towns of Kawnin and Beit Yahoun with artillery shells: Al-»»»

Lebanon's president and prime minister discussed on Saturday preparations for the first direct negotiations with Israel in decades, as southerners headed home after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. In a statement, the office of President Joseph Aoun said he and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam »»»

In a message on Saturday marking Iran’s Army Day, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei hailed the country’s army for courageously defending the nation in the recent imposed war, just as it did in previous imposed wars. He said the army of the Islamic Republic of Iran h»»»

Damascus, April 18 (SANA) Finance Minister Mohammad Yisr Barnieh said that low-income earners in Syria will be fully exempt from taxes under a proposed reform, clarifying that the total tax-exempt annual income reaches 64 million Syrian pounds. In statements to SANA, Barnieh explained that individu»»»

PoliticsGlobal issuesRecord fuel prices: How are governments responding?Jan D. WalterIn Germany, a liter of diesel costs up to 40% more than before the Iran war and other countries have seen even bigger price jumps. What are governments around the world doing to combat record fuel prices? https://p»»»

Hamas is facing its strongest pressure yet from mediators and other parties to agree, even in principle, to the “Peace Council” document before negotiating its terms, particularly the plan to disarm factions operating in the Gaza Strip, especially its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. Two Hamas sour»»»

Dubai: As schools across the UAE reopen their doors, families are once again slipping into familiar routines, from early morning alarms to last-minute school shopping. The return marks a renewed sense of normalcy after nearly 50 days of distance learning mandated amid regional tensions linked to th»»»

No date has been set for the next round of Iran-US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Saturday. "Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on the sidelines of an annual d»»»

Dubai: Daniel Joseph Kinahan, one of the most powerful cocaine traffickers in the world, was arrested in the UAE yesterday, authorities said, a major step in a years-long effort to bring one of the continent’s most influential crime figures to justice. The Irish fugitive, widely identified by Irish»»»

Doha, Qatar: School bus operations in the United Arab Emirates will resume starting Monday, April 20, 2026, for all public and private schools in the country. The country's Ministry of Education announced this stating that this decision comes following assessments conducted by the National Emergenc»»»

The statei had said it planned to sue fossil fuel companies over climate change impacts. A judge on Friday blocked a lawsuit filed last year by former Attorney General Pam Bondi that attempted to prevent the state of Hawaii from filing suit against oil companies for their effects on climate change.»»»

Dubai: Calling all fans of Global Village! After weeks of maintaining it would remain closed until further notice, good news finally landed on April 18, Saturday, with the popular destination set to welcome visitors again soon. It will open again on April 20th, 5pm. The attraction had remained shut»»»

Washington: The US State Department has announced its approval of a potential $11.9 billion sale of military equipment to Germany. In a statement, the Department noted that "this proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by bolstering the security of a NATO ally,»»»

Senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qamati said on Saturday that his group was not concerned by Lebanon's planned direct talks with Israel, labelling them a failure, Reuters reported. In a press conference in Beirut's southern suburbs, Qamati said his group was "not concerned with the negotiations bei»»»

In line with ongoing assessments conducted by the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, bus services for private educational institutions in Dubai will resume starting Monday, April 20, 2026, in accordance with the approved safety protoc»»»

Seven weeks of war have failed to topple Iran’s theocratic rulers or force them to meet all of President Donald Trump's demands, but for US adversaries and allies it has cast a spotlight on one of his central vulnerabilities: economic pressure. Even with Iran’s announcement on Friday that it was re»»»

Newark, United States: World Cup fans will have to pay $150 -- more than 10 times the normal price -- for the quick round-trip train between New York and Meadowlands stadium when it hosts the tournament's final and seven earlier matches, local officials said Friday, drawing outrage. The 36 miles (5»»»

Governance, ESG Compliance and Risk Priorities for Qatar's Private Sector," which brought together more than 200 participants from across the business and professional community. The webinar brought together a distinguished group of participants representing banks, law firms, embassies, real estate»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe An Israeli soldier was killed and five others were wounded after a roadside bomb exploded in southern Lebanon yesterday: Zionist media 18-0»»»

No date has been set for the next round of Iran–U.S. peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Saturday. "Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on the sidelines of an annual»»»

A statement said to have been issued by Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Saturday that Tehran's navy was ready to defeat U.S. forces, as the foes sparred over the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement carried on his Telegram channel, Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before th»»»

Ankara, April 18 (SANA) Türkiye ‘s Ambassador in Damascus, Nuh Yılmaz, said on Saturday that Turkiye and Syria are before historic opportunity to enhance their energy market position following the seven-week closure of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy F»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar National Bank (QNB) expects the Indian economy to maintain robust growth despite global challenges and geopolitical volatility, projecting that strong domestic fundamentals will keep expansion above 6%, reinforcing its position among the world's fastest-growing major economies. I»»»

School transport operations will resume across Sharjah and Ajman from Monday, April 20, 2026, following coordination between education and emergency authorities. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.In Sharjah, the decision was taken in light of an ass»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran Says It Reasserted Control of Strait of Hormuz, Citing US Piracy and Blockade 18-04-2026 13:38 PM The spokesperson for the Khatam al-A»»»

Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea, extending an earlier move to soften surging energy prices. The license, issued by the Treasury Department, co»»»

Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC) said that the Palestinian cause today faces a growing gap between the clarity of principle and the hesitation of international will to implement it, noting that this gap lies at the heart of the conflict as it reflects the disparity betwee»»»

Dubai: Several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have raised concerns over mounting risks to global food supplies, calling for a coordinated international action to safeguard supply chains amid ongoing global disruptions. The call has come during a meeting held at the Philippine Embassy in Rome»»»

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, GCC Secretary-General, welcomed the resolution adopted by the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during its 113th session, which strongly condemned Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as its attacks, threats against vessels in the r»»»

ANTALYA (Sputnik) - One of the goals of the US operation in Iran was to control the oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday. "I do not think there really were plans to destroy civilization. I think it is just a figure of speech. But the »»»

ANTALYA, Turkey (Sputnik) - The Strait of Hormuz is open for merchant shipping, with possible technical restrictions due to mines, but there is no blockade and there will not be one, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has said. "There is no uncertainty for us on this issue. I cannot »»»

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that there are no reforms without challenges, and that Egypt’s economic reform has went through its most difficult phase, and that the government is committed to continue its reform through, backed by the political leadership’s will and support, towards achieving i»»»

Egypt is working closely with Pakistan on a framework aimed at securing a lasting peace between the US and Iran, ⁠Foreign Minister Badr ⁠Abdelatty said on Saturday. He said Egypt, Türkiye, Pakistan and ⁠Saudi Arabia were coordinating a broader regional effort focused on preventing renewed escalatio»»»

Tehran: Iran's central military command announced on Saturday it would resume "strict management" of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington. In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had b»»»

Karachi: Pakistan included four uncapped players in their squad announced Saturday for next month's two Test matches against Bangladesh, and also appointed Sarfaraz Ahmed as head coach. The matches, part of the World Test Championship (WTC) will be played in Dhaka (May 8-12) and Sylhet (12-16). Top»»»

The Iranian military has once again closed free passage through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, citing what it described as US ‘piracy.’ On Friday, Tehran initially declared the waterway completely open for commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Leba»»»

Iran has said it is reinstating strict controls over the Strait of Hormuz, reversing an earlier move to ease transit as tensions with the United States escalate over an ongoing naval blockade. Iran’s central military command said on Saturday it would return to “strict management” of the strategic w»»»

The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) announced last Wednesday (15 April) that it is to revalue its assets. This comes in line with its approved strategy and to reinforce its commitment to good governance principles and transparency and disclosure requirements, it said. This valuation project of it»»»

Iran's central military command announced on Saturday it would resume "strict management" of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington. In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a »»»

Skopje, 16 April 2026 (MIA) - The Government measures have managed to soften the impact of the crisis as much as possible, said Deputy PM and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski on Thursday. Deputy PM Nikoloski expressed hope that the crisis would soon end, considering the positive news coming »»»

Iran's central military command announced on Saturday it would resume "strict management" of the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a decision to unblock the strategic channel as part of negotiations with Washington. In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a »»»

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US would work alongside Iran, using “a lot of excavators” to recover Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and bring it to the United States. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, however, reiterated that Iran would not give up the stockpi»»»

Pakistan's powerful military chief and prime minister on Saturday concluded separate visits aimed at ending the Iran war, with Field Marshal Asim Munir leaving Tehran and premier Shehbaz Sharif headed home from Turkey. Munir met Iran's top leadership and peace negotiators during a three-day visit t»»»

Dubai: The UAE’s drive to develop homegrown tax expertise has gained momentum with the rollout of the first phase of the Emirati Tax Agent Programme, as authorities move to strengthen national capabilities in the sector supporting the country’s economy. The initiative, announced at the Emaar Square»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - The Iranian armed forces have restored military control over the Strait of Hormuz due to the US blockade, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Iranian military command, said on Saturday. "Unfortunately, the US … continues to engage »»»