For decades, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) built a strategy around one narrow stretch of water — the Strait of Hormuz, just 33km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point, yet carrying nearly a fifth of the world’s oil every day. It was designed as a trap. Mines seeded beneath the surfa»»»

The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank on Wednesday said they will form a coordination group to maximize their response to the significant economic and energy impacts of the war in the Middle East. In a joint statement, the three global bodies note»»»

A message from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem, thanking him for condolences over the death of his father, “leader of the Islamic Revolution,” came at a pivotal moment of regional escalation, giving it clear political weight and signaling messages»»»

The United Arab Emirates is getting ready to become the first Gulf nation to commit its military to the US-Israeli war against Iran, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing Arab officials. Since the start of the conflict a month ago, the UAE has been hit by some 2,500 Iranian missiles and dron»»»

The UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that air defence systems are actively responding to incoming missile and drone threats launched from Iran, amid ongoing regional hostilities. Authorities have urged residents to stay in safe locations, follow verified government updates, and remain alert as the»»»

The assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem at dawn on Wednesday has laid bare signs of security breaches the group had previously said it had resolved before the latest war. It has also exposed a mix of advanced techniques and what sources describe as Israeli data originating fr»»»

Hey, good news! The EU has found a new source of desperately needed gas amid the current energy crunch. The bad news? It’s in the US. So it will serve America, first. With Europe getting any sloppy seconds that Daddy Trump feels like overcharging it for when he isn’t threatening to invade. It’ll be»»»

Dubai: Signs are growing that Donald Trump may be preparing to wind down the war with Iran — even as the fate of the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved — raising the risk that a quick exit could translate into a strategic setback. According to CNN, US officials have indicated Washington may not ta»»»

France expects its plans for a €70bn expansion of its nuclear energy industry will be a “major contributor” to the EU’s electricity production, Paris said after the EU Commission announced a state aid probe into the project on Tuesday (31 March). “France’s new nuclear energy sector will, in the com»»»

President Iliana Iotova has refused to convene a National Security Council in connection with a note served by Iran, saying that in her view there is no problem. “We, as citizens, believe there is,” said There Is Such a People (TISP) floor leader Toshko Yordanov after a meeting with the head of sta»»»

Iran's Revolutionary Guards insisted on Wednesday that the strategic strait of Hormuz will remain closed to the country's "enemies" as U.S. President Donald Trump said he would only consider a ceasefire if it was reopened. "The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is also firmly and dominantly under t»»»

By liberating the Lugansk People’s Republic, Russia is signaling that it has lost faith in negotiations with Zelensky, who offers “nothing but empty talk and publicity stunts," military analyst Alexei Leonkov, editor of Arsenal of the Fatherland, tells Sputnik. There will be new demands from Russia»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a news conference on the situation in the Middle East, at Downing Street in London, England, Wednesday. Pool Photo by Betty Laura Zapata/EPA April 1 (UPI) -- Britain will host a virtual summit Thursday to find ways to open the Strait of Hormuz after»»»

Sharjah: The American University of Sharjah (AUS) on Wednesday announced extension of online learning for the remainder of the semester. In a heartfelt message to the AUS community, Chancellor Dr Tod Laursen acknowledged the toll the uncertainty had taken and said the university had heard its stude»»»

Leading economic institutes more than halved their growth forecast for Germany on Wednesday, warning that the energy shock caused by the Middle East war would hit Europe's top economy hard. A group of leading institutes slashed their joint GDP growth forecast for 2026 to 0.6 percent, down from a Se»»»

A drone strike caused a massive fire at the storage facilities of an engine oil firm in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan on Wednesday, the regional government and the company said. Iraq has been increasingly and unwillingly drawn into the war started by Israel and the US on February 28, with strikes tar»»»

Israel’s Defense Ministry has announced retaliatory steps against France after US President Donald Trump openly criticized the European NATO member for refusing to allow access to its airspace for arms shipments being delivered to the Middle East. Posting on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump described»»»

The current squeeze on helium hands Russia—holder of roughly 28% of global reserves— a strategic opening to boost its role in a market thrown into chaos by the war on Iran, says Russian National Energy Security Fund expert Igor Yushkov. Global shipments of helium - a byproduct of natural gas extrac»»»

Dubai: Iran’s disruption of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz amounts to “global economic extortion” that risks destabilising economies far beyond the Middle East, according to Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber. The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of»»»

Amman: The Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) on Wednesday announced that the Royal Jordanian Air Force intercepted one missile and two drones launched from Iran, which targeted Jordanian territory over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the Public Security Directorate spokesperson said the relevant units handle»»»

Dubai: UN aviation watchdog International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has issued a strong condemnation of attacks attributed to Iran, describing them as unlawful acts that pose a direct threat to the safety of international civil aviation. At its 237th session in Montreal on April 1, the ICA»»»

Private sector hiring in the United States remained steady in March, bolstered by small businesses, the ADP National Employment Report said Wednesday. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo April 1 (UPI) -- Private sector hiring in the United States remained steady in March, bolstered by smal»»»

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to NATO’s collective defense, pointing to the bloc’s refusal to assist or participate in the American-Israeli war on Iran. Speaking at a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday, Hegseth stated that the future of US involvement»»»

The future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is under renewed scrutiny after US President Donald Trump signalled he is considering pulling Washington out of the alliance, amid growing tensions with European partners over the Iran conflict. Trump’s remarks — coupled with warnings from»»»

Whenever war rocks northern Israel, residents of Kiryat Shmona live their lives to the rhythm of rocket sirens. Young people have left the city, and those who remain feel neglected by the government. Some mere three kilometers from Lebanon, this northern settlement is living through its second war »»»

Ukrainian rescuers at the scene of another Antonov AN-26 crash near Chuguyev city in Kharkiv province in September 2020 in which 26 Ukrainian military personnel, most of them cadets, were killed. File Photo by Sergey Khrupov/EPA-EFE April 1 (UPI) -- At least 30 passengers and crew were killed when »»»

President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning that Iran has asked for a cease-fire. He said he told them only if the Strait of Hormuz is open. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo April 1 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday that Iran asked for a cease-fire, but he »»»

US President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of troops to the Middle East and said he wants to seize Iran’s foremost crude export hub, Kharg Island, to “take the oil.” However, such an assault promises heavy losses and a logistics quagmire for Washington, according to former US Army officer Sta»»»

The United States will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if needed, President Donald Trump told Reuters on Wednesday, hours before he was scheduled to make a primetime address to the nation. Trump also said he would express his disgust with NATO for what he considers »»»

President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday France had not been consulted and wasn't taking part in the war against Iran, after U.S. leader Donald Trump criticized the country's overflight ban on planes carrying military supplies for the conflict. "It is absolutely true that France, which has not b»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran has asked for a ceasefire but that the United States would only consider this once the Strait of Hormuz is clear for shipping. Iran's president "has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platfor»»»

Dubai: The regional aviation map has changed completely in just over a month. Airspace restrictions, temporary closures, and safety-driven rerouting have forced airlines to suspend some flights, reduce schedules, and reroute many services along longer corridors to avoid affected zones. The UAE’s Ge»»»

NATO is a military alliance that ensures the security of the Euro-atlantic area and is not designed to carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz that would breach international law, France's junior army minister said on Wednesday. "Let me remind you what NATO is. It is a military alliance concer»»»

Britain will this week hold a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz which has been crippled by the Middle East war, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host the discussions, Starmer told reporters d»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli media: Sirens sound again in Nahariya and its surroundings 01-04-2026 15:46 PM Latest News Urgent News Iran Ready to Sustain War fo»»»

Britain's King Charles will address the US Congress on April 28 during his visit to Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement on Wednesday. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will visit the US in a long-planned trip to mark the 250th anniversary of that country's independence from »»»

ConflictsAsiaIran war: Strikes on steel deal painful blow to economyDaniel AmeriThe US-Israeli strikes on Iran's two biggest steel mills will likely harm Tehran's ability to wage war, but could also cripple Iran's economy in irreversible ways. https://p.dw.com/p/5BUjfIran's Mobarakeh Steel company »»»

Oil reversed earlier gains on Wednesday as uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East unnerved markets and US President Donald Trump again suggested the US-Israeli war with Iran could be nearing an end. The front-month Brent contract for June fell $1.06, or 1%, to $102.91 per barrel at 1106 »»»

The dollar dropped for a second day on Wednesday as expectations of a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict grew after the US signalled that an end to the war could be near, even though markets remained on edge on fears of escalation. The White House said US President Donald Trump would address the»»»

Iranian authorities warned NATO member Bulgaria last month not to let the US use its airports for planes participating in military operations in Iran, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Earlier on Wednesday, Stanislav Balabanov, a deputy with the "There is Such People" party, showed a note fro»»»

Working from home in the UAE does not translate into lighter rules or more flexible obligations. Behind the convenience of remote setups lies a framework just as firm as that governing office-based roles — where employees remain bound by the same working hours, performance benchmarks and legal resp»»»

Dubai: United Arab Emirates petrol prices rose more than 30 percent on Wednesday, with diesel soaring 72 percent, one month into the Middle East conflict. Monthly rates set by the UAE's fuel price committee put petrol up 31-33 percent for April, with the highest grade at 3.39 AED ($0.92). Diesel, c»»»

Iran’s supreme leader vowed Wednesday his nation will continue to support anti-Israeli forces in the Mideast. The message from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, like others since he was named Iran’s new supreme leader, came in a statement read on air by a state television anchor. "I firmly declare that t»»»

The sixth meeting of heads of railway administrations from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held in Bishkek, bringing together representatives from Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, India, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the state enterprise»»»

Dubai: The number of UAE school groups suspending or refunding transport fees during the ongoing period of distance learning is growing, with School Transport Services (STS), one of the largest school transport providers in the country, also offering parents a pro-rata refund or credit on April fee»»»

The UAE Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that air defense systems engaged 5 ballistic missiles and 35 drones originating from Iran. Since the start of Iran's attacks, the UAE Air Defenses have engaged 438 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles, and 2012 drones. The attacks have resulted in cas»»»

Dubai: Global markets have already moved ahead of the facts. Investors are increasingly betting that the conflict between the US and Iran could end within weeks, a shift driven largely by comments from Donald Trump that the military campaign may be wrapped up in “two to three weeks.” That expectati»»»

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. forces would be out of Iran "soon" with military operations ending in as little as two or three weeks. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo April 1 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said the United States would be out of Iran "soon" with military o»»»

Is US President Donald Trump the war in Iran? Having failed to meet any of his as yet unstated objectives Trump is clearly frustrated and contemplating giving up on an unwinnable war. Adding to his problems, Washington’s a»»»

Is US President Donald Trump the war in Iran? Having failed to meet any of his as yet unstated objectives Trump is clearly frustrated and contemplating giving up on an unwinnable war. Adding to his problems, Washington’s a»»»