All posts tagged: Mideast

SOS messages from Mideast seas plunge India-US ties into choppy waters

SOS messages from Mideast seas plunge India-US ties into choppy waters

Published by Sam Flores

The panic was audible in the sailor’s SOS message shortly after a US missile hit a tanker off the coast of Oman. “We have fire on board. We have fire on board and vessel is sinking,” began the frantic call of the sailor on board the Marivex. “Please help. Please help. We have fire on board … All crew Indian, 24 crew. All crew Indian. Please help quickly. Please, we need immediate help.” To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices The message to Indian authorities was released by an Indian seafarer’s union earlier this month, as the US military targeted commercial shipping vessels in the Gulf of Oman while enforcing a US naval blockade. The Marivex crew were lucky. All 24 sailors were saved by the Omani navy on June 8. But a day later, the US military killed three Indian sailors on board the Settebello in the Gulf of Oman in the third such attack in a week, forcing India’s foreign ministry …

U.S. and Iran reach deal to end the Mideast war, with agreement set to be signed Friday

U.S. and Iran reach deal to end the Mideast war, with agreement set to be signed Friday

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. Daniel Heuer | Reuters The U.S. and Iran have agreed on a deal to bring their nearly four-month war to an end, with both sides declaring the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday. “Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED,” Sharif said in a post on X. Pakistan has served as a mediator between the two countries. “The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, 19 June in Switzerland,” Sharif said. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that a deal had been reached soon after the prime minister’s announcement. In a post on Truth Social, the president said: “The deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.” “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, …

Trump to meet with Mideast and Ukraine leaders at G7, officials say

Trump to meet with Mideast and Ukraine leaders at G7, officials say

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, May 27, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Middle Eastern leaders and attend a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the G7 summit in France next week, senior U.S. administration officials said on Saturday. Trump is scheduled to travel to Evian, France, for the G7 summit early Monday after attending Sunday’s mixed-martial-arts event at the White House. He will speak to a number of European leaders with whom he has squabbled over trade, tariffs, Ukraine and NATO since his return to the White House early in 2025. Trump will participate in a working session on Tuesday with Zelenskyy and G7 leaders. The meeting comes at a time when Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed and Ukraine seeks more military funding from its allies. One of the senior U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity about Trump’s trip, said Russian gains have “more or less stopped.” “We want …

Predicted global hunger crisis becoming a reality as Mideast war drags on, UN warns

Predicted global hunger crisis becoming a reality as Mideast war drags on, UN warns

Published by Sam Flores

“Pessimistic” predictions that the Middle East war could push tens of millions more people into acute hunger if drawn out are being proven right, the United Nations said Friday. A few weeks after the US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 sparked the conflict and plunged world energy markets into turmoil, the UN’s World Food Programme warned that soaring oil prices were devastating global food security. If oil prices were to remain around $100 per barrel until the end of June, an estimated 45 million more people worldwide would face acute hunger, the WFP warned in March. Read moreHormuz domino effect: How the Middle East crisis affects food, flights and global supply chains They would come in addition to the nearly 320 million people considered acutely food insecure at the start of the year, it said. Weeks of complicated talks marked by sharp rhetoric and flare-ups of violence have not managed to reach a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is critical to oil supplies. And now, nearly three …

Mideast war imperils Sri Lanka’s economic recovery: IMF

Mideast war imperils Sri Lanka’s economic recovery: IMF

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: Sri Lanka’s recovery from its worst economic meltdown is under threat from the effects of the Middle East war, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday (May 28), a day after granting a US$695-million bailout instalment. Tough economic reforms since Sri Lanka’s sovereign default in 2022 have placed the country in a better position, IMF mission chief Evan Papageorgiou told a news conference in Washington. But the Iran war as well as the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which struck in November, “are weighing on the economy and have tilted the risks firmly to the downside,” Papageorgiou said. Surging oil prices due to the war, launched by the United States and Israel on Feb 28, have heavily impacted many import-dependent Asian countries including Sri Lanka. The island secured a US$2.9-billion, four-year bailout in early 2023 after months of acute shortages in the previous year led to street protests that toppled then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The IMF’s board approved on Wednesday two reviews of Sri Lanka’s loan programme, making US$695 million in additional loans immediately available. The IMF …

Futures Fall, Oil Rises As Mideast Violence Flares Up

Futures Fall, Oil Rises As Mideast Violence Flares Up

Published by Jenni Sidey

US futures are but well off session lows, as part of a weaker risk tape after the US and Iran exchanged strikes, fueling doubts whether an end to the war is imminent and crushing hopes for a Hormuz deal (gasp). Overnight, US forces carried out airstrikes on an Iranian military site which Centcom described as “purely defensive” and designed to maintain the ceasefire; it also imposed new sanctions to prevent Tehran from profiting from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran targeted the American airbase from which the attack originated. Centcom said that Kuwait also intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward it. While S&P futures initially tumbled as much as 0.5% on the news in overnight trading, they since recovered much of the losses, but were still down 0.2% as of 8:00am, with Nasdaq futures down 0.5%. In premarket trading, Mag7 names are mostly lower as Semis are sold and Software bid post earnings releases. Defensives and Energy are the notable outperformers as the market resumes its US / Iran playbook; EM likely to …

Pilgrims kick off Haj as Mideast peace deal hangs in the balance

Pilgrims kick off Haj as Mideast peace deal hangs in the balance

Published by Sam Flores

But amid the spiritual euphoria experienced by the pilgrims in the days ahead of the Haj, authorities in the kingdom signalled their readiness. A video posted on social media by the Saudi defence ministry showed advanced air defence batteries positioned on the outskirts of Mecca. “The air defence forces are responsible for protecting the skies over the holy sites and dealing with all aerial threats, ensuring the safety and peace of mind of the guests,” read the post. Many pilgrims who spoke to AFP expressed their hope that peace would prevail soon. “The war in Iran has affected the entire world. Nobody wants wars or harm to countries and peoples,” said Mohammed Chahada, an Egyptian in his 50s, as he walked through a crowd exiting the Grand Mosque. RITUALS The Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. During the Haj, men wear a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers regardless of their social status or nationality. Women must wear …

UN Lowers Forecast for Global Economic Growth in 2026 Over Mideast Energy Crisis

UN Lowers Forecast for Global Economic Growth in 2026 Over Mideast Energy Crisis

Published by Sam Flores

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Responding to Middle East crises and rising oil prices, the United Nations on Tuesday lowered its forecast for global economic growth and raised the prospects for inflation this year. U.N. economists said global GDP growth is now forecast at 2.5% for 2026, down from 2.7% in January, and they said it could fall to only 2.1% “in a more adverse scenario.” That would be one of the weakest growth rates this century, outside of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global financial crisis of 2008, Shantanu Mukherjee, director of economic analysis in the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said at a news conference. On a somewhat positive note, he said, “we are not close” to a recession, but life can get harder for billions of people, and some countries may see their economies contract. Global inflation is projected to rise to 3.9% this year, 0.8% higher than forecast in January, before the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran. Iran responded by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway …