April 28 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will host an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah on Tuesday, the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago. A Gulf official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting aimed to craft a…
A war in the Middle East probably wasn’t what Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney had in mind in Davos earlier this year, when he made a pitch for the world’s so-called middle powers to join together in a world defined by increasingly aggressive military juggernauts. A satellite view of smoke billowing at a Saudi Aramco…
MOSCOW, April 27 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in St. Petersburg on Monday and told him he hoped the Iranian people would weather what he described as a “difficult period” and that peace would soon prevail. Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore…
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po recently said the city could rise to become the world’s No 2 financial centre in 10-15 years. That is the right kind of ambition. In a world being reshaped by geopolitical fragmentation, China’s growing global weight and rapid technological change, Hong Kong must think beyond remaining internationally competitive…
KYIV, April 24 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday arrived in Jeddah on his second visit to Saudi Arabia in a month, as Kyiv tries to bolster security cooperation and advertise its battle-tested technology in the Middle East amid the Iran war. “Yesterday, at a meeting with European leaders, we secured financial guarantees…
BEIJING, April 20 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping called for normal passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz to be maintained, in a phone call on Monday with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held as Beijing steps up efforts to help end the Iran war. China is concerned over renewed instability…
ISLAMABAD, April 20 (Reuters) – Pakistan has put a $1.5 billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan on hold after Saudi Arabia asked for the agreement to be terminated and said it would not finance the purchase, two Pakistani security sources and a diplomatic source said. The conflict between Sudan’s army and the…
By John Irish and Parisa Hafezi PARIS/DUBAI, April 19 (Reuters) – European allies fear an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team is pushing for a swift, headline‑grabbing framework deal with Iran that could entrench rather than resolve deeper problems, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said. They worry Washington, eager to claim a diplomatic win for…
DUBAI, April 17 (Reuters) – Significant differences between Iran and the United States remain to reach a deal aimed at ending the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday, adding that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is “conditional on U.S. adherence to the terms of ceasefire”. The official, who spoke on condition…
ANKARA, April 15 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Ankara was working to extend a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, ease tensions, and ensure the continuation of talks, and added Turkey was hopeful of negotiations despite stumbling blocks. Turkey, a neighbour of Iran, has been in close touch with the…