All posts tagged: @LCO26Z

Trump downplays Iran’s nuclear threat as ceasefire collapses

Trump downplays Iran’s nuclear threat as ceasefire collapses

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Washington’s ceasefire with Iran is over, and threatened more military action, after the two sides clashed overnight. Trump, in a flurry of remarks during numerous press events on his final day at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, also signaled the U.S. would reimpose its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Later, he seemed to downplay the nuclear threat posed by Iran, while ruling out the need for any U.S. troops on the ground in the country. “We’ve already got the nuclear material because it’s so far underground, nobody’s going to be able to get it except us, because we have the equipment that can get it,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, referring to the aftermath of U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites last year. The nuclear assessment marked a pivot from his justification for the Iran war, which he began Feb. 28. Trump has cited his concern that Iran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon for continuing the conflict. …

Kuwait accuses Iran of attacks after U.S. strikes

Kuwait accuses Iran of attacks after U.S. strikes

Published by Sam Flores

An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41, prepares to launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Courtesy: U.S. Navy Kuwait accused Iran of fresh attacks on Wednesday, a day after the U.S. completed strikes against Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Kuwaiti foreign ministry condemned “the repeated heinous Iranian aggressions against the State of Kuwait, the latest of which occurred this morning, in flagrant violation of its sovereignty,” according to a translation of a post on X. The statement did not give details of the attacks. Kuwait’s army had said earlier it was “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks,” without naming the aggressor. Bahrain’s interior ministry urged civilians to head to “the nearest safe place.” Why the U.S. struck Iranian targets In a separate post on X on Tuesday, Central Command said U.S. forces hit over 80 targets, including air defense systems, command and control networks, as well as anti-ship missile capabilities. It added …

Trump calls precede NATO summit

Trump calls precede NATO summit

Published by Sam Flores

Local residents walk past burning garages outside a residential building following a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on July 6, 2026, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Genya Savilov | Afp | Getty Images The long-running Russia-Ukraine war appears to have entered a new phase after major developments over the weekend and ahead of a crunch NATO summit. In the last 72 hours, U.S. President Donald Trump purportedly held separate calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and port in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area and Russia launched its second large-scale attack on Kyiv in less than a week. The prospect of renewed diplomacy, alongside the risk of escalation, has put investors on notice at a time when markets are trying to price geopolitical risk, energy security and the integrity of Europe’s defense spending pledges. “There is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post on …

UK, France agree with Oman to ensure safety of its territorial waters

UK, France agree with Oman to ensure safety of its territorial waters

Published by Sam Flores

Vessels are pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) / – | Afp | Getty Images Oman has agreed to work with the U.K. and France to ensure the Gulf country’s territorial waters are safe for navigation, the U.K. said on Saturday, as oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz pick up since the U.S. and Iran signed an agreement last month to reopen the crucial sea lane. “The U.K. and France also stand ready to deploy the wider Multinational Military Mission to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron. “The Strait of Hormuz is a vital artery for the global economy. Restoring safe transit for ships of all nations through the Strait is a matter of global concern,” the statement read. France …

Strait of Hormuz fees raise oil market concerns

Strait of Hormuz fees raise oil market concerns

Published by Sam Flores

Commercial vessels remain anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos around Qaboos Port on June 21, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Elke Scholiers | Getty Images News | Getty Images Oman’s reputation for neutrality has earned it the nickname the “Switzerland of the Middle East.” But the country, which sits to the south of the Strait of Hormuz, is employing a deliberately opaque diplomatic strategy in discussions about tolls for the critical waterway, and markets have a “blind spot” for what could happen next, analysts tell CNBC. Oman has served as a key intermediary in regional crises and remains one of the few countries trusted by both Tehran and Washington, which is keen to ensure the flow through the strait resumes after it was blocked during the war, triggering a global energy crunch. Situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, opposite Iran across the strait, Oman has been in joint talks with Iran on a new maritime security order, amid reports that the two countries could push to establish transit fees. Oman has said that any …