Iran, Defense, Markets & Diplomacy Coverage
1784 articles · page 57 of 60

Senate War Powers Vote Falls One Short, 50-49, in Closest Bid Yet to Curb Iran War
A bipartisan coalition came within a single vote of invoking the War Powers Resolution against the Iran campaign; Democrat John Fetterman's no vote sealed the outcome.

Pentagon Weighs Renaming Iran War 'Sledgehammer' to Reset Clock
NBC News reports Pentagon planners are preparing to rebrand the Iran campaign as "Operation Sledgehammer" if the ceasefire collapses, a move that would restart the 60-day War Powers clock.

IRGC Stages 'Martyr Commander' War Drills Near Tehran
Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched a five-day 'Martyr Commander' exercise near Tehran as ISW warns 70% of Iran's pre-war missile stockpile and 30 of 33 Hormuz sites remain operational.

Saudi Aramco Posts Record Profit as Hormuz War Drives Oil to $107
Saudi Arabia's state oil giant earned $32.5 billion in Q1 2026, up 25% year-on-year, as Strait of Hormuz combat keeps Brent above $100 and war-risk insurance premiums at 8–10x pre-war levels.

Kuwait Summons Iran Envoy Over IRGC Bubiyan Island Incursion
Kuwait formally protested to Iran after four IRGC commandos were captured on Bubiyan Island on May 3, invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter as Gulf states rallied in solidarity.

Trump Lands in Beijing as Xi Summit Pivots on Iran Ceasefire
Trump arrives for two-day summit with Xi Jinping. The central question: whether China will use its leverage as Iran's dominant oil buyer to press Tehran toward nuclear concessions.

Iran Parliament Warns of 90% Uranium Enrichment If U.S. Resumes Strikes
Iran's parliament speaker threatened to push enrichment to weapons-grade 90% if the U.S. resumes strikes, as the ceasefire frays and Trump heads to Beijing.

Trump Weighs Resuming Combat as Iran Ceasefire Hangs by Thread
Trump is more seriously considering resuming combat operations after Iran's ceasefire counterproposal — demanding reparations and Hormuz sovereignty — was rejected as garbage.

US Sanctions 12 Entities Routing Iranian Oil to China
Treasury designates 12 front companies across Hong Kong, UAE, and Oman as Bessent links Beijing's energy purchases to Iranian terrorism financing.

Iran Warns France, UK of 'Decisive Response' Over Hormuz Warships
Tehran says any move by France's Charles de Gaulle carrier or Royal Navy ships into the Strait of Hormuz will be met immediately; IRGC claims missiles are locked onto U.S. targets.

Trump calls Iran's reply 'TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE' as Khamenei orders military to 'confront the enemy'
Hours after Iran submitted its ceasefire reply via Pakistan, Trump threatened resumed bombing and Khamenei issued fresh combat directives, pushing talks to the edge.

Iran's MOU Reply: What the Gaps Mean and Where Talks Go Now
Tehran's formal answer via Pakistan narrows the enrichment gap but leaves three structural disputes unresolved. A map of what remains and what happens next.

Trump-Xi Summit Puts Iran's Hormuz Closure at Center of US-China Bargaining
Beijing faces a strategic choice at the May 14-15 summit: leverage its Iran relationship for trade concessions, or press Tehran to reopen the Strait.

Iran Sends Response to US War-Ending Proposal via Pakistan
Tehran transmitted its answer to Washington's 14-point framework through Pakistani mediators on May 10, as parallel diplomatic tracks through Qatar, China, and the UN converge this week.

Qatar LNG Tanker Clears Hormuz in Wartime First, Hours Before Strike off Doha
Iran ran two parallel signals Sunday — clearing the QatarEnergy carrier Al Kharaitiyat for Pakistan under a Pakistan-mediated deal, then striking a UAE-flagged bulker northeast of Doha.

Bulk carrier struck off Qatar widens maritime conflict beyond Hormuz
UKMTO said a bulk carrier was hit by an unknown projectile 23 nautical miles northeast of Doha early Sunday, the first reported maritime strike outside the immediate Strait of Hormuz corridor.

UAE air defenses engage Iranian missiles, drones; three wounded
The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses engaged two Iranian ballistic missiles and three drones, the first acknowledged Iranian strike on Emirati territory in the current escalation.

Aramco, ADNOC run tankers through Hormuz with AIS off as blockade hardens
Saudi and Emirati oil majors are quietly moving crude and LNG through the Strait of Hormuz with transponders dark, Bloomberg reports, as US Navy interdictions and Iranian threats squeeze legitimate shipping to a trickle.

Trump threatens 'Project Freedom Plus' as Iran weighs MOU
Washington has put a one-page MOU in front of Tehran covering nuclear stockpile transfer, sanctions relief and Hormuz. Trump says rejection means an expanded strike campaign.

Bahrain Arrests 41 IRGC-Linked Suspects as Ceasefire Holds
Bahrain detained 41 individuals tied to Iran's IRGC while Washington awaits Tehran's formal response to a U.S.-drafted ceasefire memorandum of understanding.

OFAC sanctions 10 entities over Iran weapons procurement
Treasury designates firms in China, Hong Kong and Belarus tied to Iran's CDPI procurement network feeding the Shahed UAV and ballistic-missile programs.

Iran Seizes US-Sanctioned Tanker in Gulf of Oman
Iran's navy boarded and seized the Ocean Koi on May 8, claiming the vessel disrupted Iranian oil exports — days after the US struck two Iranian tankers.

Iran Launches Hormuz Toll Agency, Charges $2M Per Ship
Iran's new Persian Gulf Strait Authority demands up to $2M per vessel to transit Hormuz, forcing shipping operators into a legal collision with U.S. secondary sanctions.

US Navy Strikes Disable Two Iranian Tankers in Gulf of Oman
CENTCOM released video of precision strikes crippling the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda near the Strait of Hormuz; Iran condemned the action as a ceasefire violation.

Oil Markets Fracture: Futures Say $101, Physical Barrels Cost $130
Front-month Brent futures and physical Dated Brent have diverged by more than $30 for the first time, as the Hormuz closure drains refinery stockpiles faster than financial markets can price the shock.

Chinese Tanker Hit Near UAE Complicates Beijing's Stance
A cruise missile struck the Chinese-owned JV Innovation near the UAE on May 7, the first Chinese vessel hit in the 2026 Hormuz crisis, putting Beijing's neutrality under direct pressure ahead of the May 14 Trump-Xi summit.

Satellite Images Show 45 km² Oil Slick Near Kharg Island
Copernicus Sentinel data shows a suspected 45-square-kilometer oil slick off Iran's Kharg Island, which handles 90% of the country's crude exports. Iran denies the spill.

Rubio Expects Iran Answer 'Today'; Parliament Calls MOU a Wish-List
Secretary Rubio said Friday the US expected Iran's response to its 14-point peace framework that day. Tehran's parliament rejected the terms as unrealistic.

US Disables Two Iranian Tankers; Iran Strikes UAE
US Navy forces disabled two Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman as Iran launched missiles and drones at UAE targets, pushing Brent crude to $108 intraday.

Pezeshkian Sets Blockade-Lift Precondition After Mojtaba Meeting
Iran's president, hours after a 2.5-hour sit-down with new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told reporters Hormuz talks require the US to lift its naval blockade first.