A crucial Brics meeting hosted by India concluded on Friday without agreement on a joint statement because of differences over the West Asia conflict, as Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi sought to blame the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the lack of consensus within the bloc. The West Asia conflict cast a shadow over…
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a “secret” meeting with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran, his office said Wednesday. “During Operation ‘Lion’s Roar’, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a secret visit to the United Arab…
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed its “firm support” for Hong Kong’s judicial authorities when asked whether Beijing would consider releasing jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying ahead of US President Donald Trump’s three-day state visit starting Wednesday. “[Jimmy] Lai Chee-ying is the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the riots that shook Hong…
By Nayera Abdallah, Elwely Elwelly and Idrees Ali DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s swift rejection of Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal sent oil prices surging higher on Monday amid concerns the 10-week-old conflict will drag on, keeping shipping through the Strait of Hormuz paralyzed. Days after the U.S. floated an…
PARIS, May 6 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he had held further talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which Macron had reaffirmed the importance of freeing up shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Macron added he had encouraged Iran’s president to look at the plans by France and Britain…
May 6 (Reuters) – Iran will only accept “a fair and comprehensive agreement” in its negotiations with the U.S. on ending the war in the Middle East, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump cited “great progress” in the process. “We will do our best to protect our legitimate rights and interests…
For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been a narrow passage with a big footprint. Whenever it comes under tension, the world is reminded that energy security is less a policy construct than an everyday reality for Asia’s economies, factories and prices. For China, Japan, South Korea, India and Southeast Asia, it has always been…
KYIV, May 5 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pitched a drone deal to Bahrain during a visit to the country on Tuesday, advertising Ukraine’s battle-tested security expertise. Since the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran erupted on February 28, Ukraine has been offering its drones and know-how to several Middle Eastern countries suffering from Iran’s…
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) – The fragile truce in the Middle East was in jeopardy on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran launched new attacks as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after…
Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov will visit Hong Kong two days after a 200-strong delegation from the Central Asian country arrived in the city via a charter flight on Monday to explore collaboration opportunities. It was understood that a high-level Hong Kong delegation will also visit Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan soon. Commissioner for Belt and Road…