Turkish foreign minister to visit Qatar for talks on Iran war
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan will visit Qatar on Tuesday for talks on the Iran war, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday.
Mr Fidan will discuss the war’s impact on the Gulf and efforts to ensure navigational safety in the Strait of Hormuz.
Nato member Turkey, which neighbours Iran, has been in close contact with the US, Iran and mediator Pakistan since the start of the conflict. It has called for an end to the conflict, while condemning attacks on Iran and criticising Tehran’s strikes on Gulf states as unacceptable.
Mr Fidan will voice Ankara’s expectation for navigational safety to be ensured on the Strait of Hormuz and point to the critical need of doing so for regional security and economic stability, the source told Reuters news agency.
He is expected to “state that permanently resolving the conflict in the Gulf is the most urgent priority and exchange views on diplomatic initiatives to achieve this,” the source added.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks to reporters at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 19 (Reuters)
Alex Croft11 May 2026 11:16
Sam Kiley analysis | A humiliated Trump will be played by China
Donald Trump had expected a “big fat hug” from China when he visits Xi Jinping this week in thanks for reopening the Straits of Hormuz.
He won’t get one though because he’s failed to end the throttling of Beijing’s oil supplies. Good news for China because Trump is indifferent to his own failure.
Bad news for Taiwan. Bad news for the West. Bad news for US allies around the world. Bad news for democracies in general.
The US president will arrive for his summit with China exasperated that he has achieved none of his many and varied war aims in Iran. He will arrive having been humiliated by a weaker but dogged regime that survives in Tehran.
The results are likely to be a sudden shift in the tectonic plates of geopolitics to China’s advantage and Beijing has done almost nothing to deliver it.
The key to understand this lies in Trump’s psychology. Vain and peevish he has blundered, alongside Israel, into a war with Iran that had obvious dangerous consequences, and now has to find a way to get out of it without looking weak.
He has threatened to reinforce failure with a genocidal threat to wipe out a whole civilization.
But when he is in the room with Xi, it is membership of the club that Trump wants, needs, most. He needs to feel that he is an equal, or a first among equals, among the world’s most powerful and unhindered authoritarian leaders and he’ll do almost anything to win their approval.
Alex Croft11 May 2026 10:55
Watch: Crowd erupts in cheers as Kamala Harris criticizes ‘unauthorized’ Iran warCrowd erupts in cheers as Kamala Harris criticizes ‘unauthorized’ Iran war
Alex Croft11 May 2026 10:35
China condemns US sanctions on companies with alleged Iran links
China has voiced strong opposition to the US sanctions for three China-based companies that Washington claimed enabled Iran’s military operations.
The sanctions, Beijing says, are illegal and unilateral.
“We have always required Chinese enterprises to conduct business in accordance with laws and regulations, and will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.
“The pressing priority is to prevent by all means a relapse in fighting, rather than using the war to maliciously associate and smear other countries.”
Alex Croft11 May 2026 10:05
Oil tanker with Iraqi crude crosses Strait of Hormuz
An oil tanker loaded with Iraqi crude oil has crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, Tehran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency has said.
The Agios Fanourios I passed through Iran’s designated route in the Strait and is now bound for Vietnam, it reported.
It had previously been reported that it had crossed by switching off trackers to avoid Iranian attacks.
A drone view shows the Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arriving in Iraq’s territorial waters off Basra, Iraq, April 17 (Reuters)
Alex Croft11 May 2026 09:45
In pictures: Israel launches fresh attacks on Lebanon
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon as seen from Marjayoun, May 11 (Reuters)
Lebanon’s health ministry on May 10, 2026, raised the overall death toll from Israeli strikes since war erupted to 2,846 killed, including 108 health and emergency workers (AFP/Getty)
An United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) armoured vehicle armored vehicle patrols the southern Lebanese border area of Marjayoun (AFP/Getty)
Alex Croft11 May 2026 09:28
South Korea condemns attack on Strait of Hormuz cargo ship
South Korea’s presidential Blue House has condemned the attack in the Strait of Hormuz against a cargo ship operated by one of its shippers.
In a statement, it said it would respond once it had identified the source of the attack.
South Korean experts have conducted an initial forensics of the damage to the port stern, a senior Blue House official told reporters.
The attack had led to a fire in the vessel’s engine room.
Alex Croft11 May 2026 09:10
Our peace offer is generous and legitimate, says Tehran
We’ve heard from Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, who has spoken out on Iran’s proposal to end the war with the US.
“Our demand is legitimate: demanding an end to the war, lifting the (US) blockade and piracy, and releasing Iranian assets that have been unjustly frozen in banks due to U.S. pressure,” Mr Baghaei says in a news conference.
Washington, he says, is continuing to uphold unreasonable and one-sided demands.
“Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and establishing security in the region and Lebanon were other demands of Iran, which are considered a generous and responsible offer for regional security,” he adds.
Alex Croft11 May 2026 08:57
Report: Britain set to lose 163,000 jobs in 2026 as Iran war sparks economic crisis
Britain faces a projected loss of 163,000 jobs this year, with lower-income regions set to bear the brunt of the economic fallout from the Iran war, a new report warns.
The Item Club’s latest regional outlook highlights South Wales and the Humber, two of the UK’s most economically vulnerable areas, as those most likely to endure severe job market difficulties over the coming year.
These regions, heavily reliant on manufacturing and construction, are particularly susceptible to the sharp energy price increases and supply chain disruptions stemming from the Middle East conflict. The report forecasts job reductions of 5,700 in South Wales and 2,800 in the Humber by 2026.
Tim Lyne, economic adviser to the Item Club, explained: “Some of the lowest income regions will feel the biggest effects of the manufacturing and construction sectors reducing headcount in the face of rising energy prices and supply chain disruption. While consumers in these areas typically have less rainy-day savings, which will reduce spending in the retail and hospitality sectors.”
Overall, the report predicts a 0.4% decline in UK employment this year, equating to 163,000 net job losses. This downturn is attributed to a pullback in consumer spending, escalating costs for fuel, energy, materials, and ingredients, alongside significant shipping disruptions.
Alex Croft11 May 2026 08:19
Iran executes man convicted of spying for CIA and Mossad
Iran executed a man convicted of spying for the US and Israeli intelligence services, the judiciary’s Mizan news outlet reported on Monday.
Mizan identified the man as Erfan Shakourzadeh, saying he had worked at a scientific organisation involved in satellite activities and had shared classified scientific information with foreign intelligence services.
According to rights group Iran Human Rights Society, Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old graduate of aerospace engineering, was arrested in 2025 and was forced into his confession.
Shweta Sharma11 May 2026 08:02