All posts tagged: Bahrain

Rubio’s bypass plan: Can the world escape the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint? | US-Israel war on Iran News

Rubio’s bypass plan: Can the world escape the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint? | US-Israel war on Iran News

Published by Sam Flores

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s latest remarks about the Strait of Hormuz have ignited a fierce debate over the future of global energy transit. Speaking to Fox News in an interview that aired on Saturday, Rubio projected the idea of a permanent geopolitical shift outside of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of global seaborne oil trade passed before the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. He argued that regional states now understand that Iran, which insists it will not give up control the strategic waterway, is an active threat, necessitating a massive realignment of how energy commodities flow to markets across the world. However, economic experts and geopolitical analysts warn that redrawing the Middle East’s energy map is fraught with insurmountable logistical and security hurdles. (Al Jazeera) A strategic vision, not a quick fix To understand the magnitude of Rubio’s vision, one must look at the sheer volume of trade passing through the waterway. According to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the narrow 39-kilometre (24-mile) …

Tankers near Oman come under fire as Iran threatens shipping routes

Tankers near Oman come under fire as Iran threatens shipping routes

Published by Sam Flores

Vessels transiting through the Gulf of Oman are pictured off the coast of Muscat on July 25, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) / – | Afp | Getty Images A tanker near Oman reported being struck overnight, with another saying it saw an explosion nearby as Iran warned Washington that the U.S. military’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would result in the closure of key shipping routes. Separately, Kuwait said its air defenses confronted hostile drone attacks by Iran. The latest conflict comes amid U.S. media reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing for a fresh round of strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, as hopes of a negotiated end to the war that began on Feb. 28 recede and energy prices climb. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) — an organization backed by the British Navy — said Saturday it received a report of a tanker being hit by an “unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room.” “The tanker is not under command …

Soccer-Infantino’s FIFA Future in Jeopardy After Private Equity Gamble Backfires

Soccer-Infantino’s FIFA Future in Jeopardy After Private Equity Gamble Backfires

Published by Sam Flores

By Ian Ransom and Kokkai Ng Aug 1 (Reuters) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino, hitherto untouchable at the helm of soccer’s global governing body, ⁠suffered ⁠a crushing blow on Friday when his bold reach for private equity ⁠riches was brought to an end in the face of a ferocious backlash. A FIFA statement, attributed to Infantino, conceded that the proposal to create a commercial entity to ​run the World Cup and other tournaments, 20% of which would be sold to private investors, was divisive and dead in the water. The concession ended three days of civil war in the football world which peaked when Europe’s UEFA, the richest and most influential ‌of soccer’s six regional confederations, announced a boycott of all FIFA ‌events until the proposal was ditched. The plan was Infantino’s baby and its demise less than two weeks after the most lucrative World Cup in history has left the 56-year-old Swiss administrator isolated at the top of an organisation he had been planning to ⁠run for another 4-1/2 years.  “A ⁠week ago, Infantino’s …

Oil Price Rises After Iran Says It Stops Ships in Hormuz

Oil Price Rises After Iran Says It Stops Ships in Hormuz

Published by Sam Flores

By Ahmed Tolba, Nafisa Eltahir and Yasmine Ghania CAIRO/DUBAI, July 31 (Reuters) – Oil prices rose on Friday after Iran said it had ⁠stopped two ⁠vessels seeking to exit the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring concerns over ⁠global energy supplies following a drone attack on ships in a Mediterranean Egyptian port this week. Iran said four other tankers turned back after its forces intervened, although the ​Iranian reports could not be independently confirmed.  Two large tankers carrying oil loaded from the Gulf were recorded passing through the strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s energy shipments. Two other commodities vessels also transited, ‌according to shipping data from Kpler, which does not capture vessels ‌that have been transiting the strait with their transponders off. Iran has blocked most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the five-month-old conflict while its Houthi allies in Yemen this month began threatening the Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at ⁠the other end of the ⁠Red Sea from the Suez Canal, …

Iran targets U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain after Egypt drone attack

Iran targets U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain after Egypt drone attack

Published by Sam Flores

A commuter walks past a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images Iran’s army said on Friday it had launched attacks on strategic U.S. assets and military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, following the latest wave of U.S. strikes against the Islamic Republic. Tehran said that it targeted aircraft shelters, satellite communication systems and equipment storage facilities used by the U.S. military at Kuwait’s Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in a drone strike, per state media. Iran’s army also claimed Thursday to have attacked U.S. facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, targeting power generators, navigation systems and support buildings. U.S. forces on Wednesday completed a “heavy wave” of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets nationwide. The latest exchange reflects a resumption of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, while drone strikes on energy infrastructure have proliferated across the Middle East. Egypt said Thursday that a drone hit two ships at its Mediterranean port of Damietta, triggering a …

UK court dismisses Bahrain’s bid to block activists’ spyware lawsuit | Courts News

UK court dismisses Bahrain’s bid to block activists’ spyware lawsuit | Courts News

Published by Sam Flores

Ruling establishes that countries using spyware on people in the UK can be sued. Published On 27 Jul 202627 Jul 2026 Britain’s Supreme Court has dismissed a bid by Bahrain to claim state immunity to close down a spyware lawsuit filed by two dissidents. The ruling, handed down on Monday by a narrow 3-2 majority, sets a significant precedent, confirming that foreign states can be sued in UK courts over the remote surveillance of individuals in Britain, even when the hacking itself was directed from abroad. Saeed Shehabi, a journalist and founder of a Bahraini political party that opposes the Khalifa royal family’s rule, and Moosa Mohammed, a Bahraini refugee, accused the Bahraini government of infecting their computers in 2011 with spyware known as FinSpy, capable of logging keystrokes, tracking locations and monitoring their activities remotely. Both men, who live in the UK, sued in London’s High Court in 2020, seeking damages for “psychiatric harm”. Bahrain denied the hacking and argued the alleged acts took place outside UK jurisdiction, entitling it to immunity. The High …

Malaysia to make F1 comeback in October as host of Bahrain GP

Malaysia to make F1 comeback in October as host of Bahrain GP

Published by Sam Flores

BUDAPEST: Malaysia’s Sepang circuit will host a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix in October, Formula One announced on Sunday (Jul 26). The Liberty Media-owned sport said in a statement at the Hungarian Grand Prix that the Oct 4 race at the circuit near Kuala Lumpur’s international airport would officially be designated the “Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia”. “This is fantastic news for our fans,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali of the agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain as well as the governing FIA and Formula One. “They will continue to enjoy a full and exciting Formula One calendar, while also seeing the sport return to a great venue. “Sepang holds a special place in Formula One history. It will provide a spectacular setting for racing and an unforgettable experience for fans at the circuit and watching around the world.” APRIL RACES WERE CALLED OFF DUE TO IRAN WAR The cancellations of April’s race at Sakhir and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah were due to the Iran war and …

Iran War Spreads to Red Sea and Caspian, Gulf Quiet as US Forgoes Strikes

Iran War Spreads to Red Sea and Caspian, Gulf Quiet as US Forgoes Strikes

Published by Sam Flores

By Raphael Satter and Lefteris Papadimas WASHINGTON/ATHENS, July 26 (Reuters) – The Iran war broadened over the weekend ⁠despite ⁠a pause in U.S. strikes, as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis ⁠attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast and Iran accused Ukraine of targeting one of its vessels in ​the Caspian Sea. The U.S. military said on Saturday its naval blockade against Iran “remains in full effect” but did not explain why it halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes. There were ‌also no weekend reports of attacks by Iran on ‌neighbors, similar to its daily rejoinders to the U.S. attacks. Asked about the pause, a senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration said Trump “has always been clear that his preference is ⁠diplomacy, but he has ⁠shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way.” Trump has ​decided, for now, to back away from plans to ramp up attacks on Iran, the New York Times said on Saturday, citing two people briefed on the discussion. …

Britain Would Be Target if It Supports US in War, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Say

Britain Would Be Target if It Supports US in War, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Say

Published by Sam Flores

July 25 (Reuters) – ⁠A ⁠spokesperson for ⁠Iran’s Revolutionary ​Guards said on ‌Saturday that Britain ‌would ⁠become ⁠a “definite and legitimate target” if ​it supported the U.S. ​in any war ⁠with Tehran, ⁠according ⁠to Iranian ​state broadcaster IRIB. The spokesperson ​said ⁠any country, including Britain and ⁠Gulf states, that backed the U.S. ⁠in a conflict would be considered a legitimate target, adding that U.S. bombers ⁠had recently used British airfields. (Reporting by Enas Alashray; ​Editing by ​Paul Simao) Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters. Photos You Should See – June 2026 Source link

Iran Says Ukrainian Attack on Vessel in Caspian Sea Killed Sailor

Iran Says Ukrainian Attack on Vessel in Caspian Sea Killed Sailor

Published by Sam Flores

July 25 (Reuters) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned on ⁠Saturday ⁠a Ukrainian attack on ⁠an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying it ​resulted in an explosion that killed one sailor and injured another.    Throughout the war ‌in Ukraine, Kyiv has had ‌to counter Iranian-designed drones deployed by Moscow. Kyiv has offered its drone ⁠interception expertise ⁠to countries in the Middle East that have suffered strikes ​from Iran. Tehran described the attack on its vessel as an act of aggression and said it would defend its national interests and security, while accusing Kyiv of seeking ​to expand the war in Ukraine. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé ⁠d’affaires ⁠in Tehran to convey ⁠its protest ​over what it described as a “hostile and criminal” attack, Iran’s state news agency ​IRNA reported.   The Iranian denunciation ⁠coincided with comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Kyiv had noted Russia was passing on its satellite observations in the Middle East to Iran to enable it to direct strikes in the region. Zelenskiy had earlier said that ⁠Ukraine’s …