Gulf

U.S. Expands Pressure on Iran as Warplanes Patrol Over Hormuz

The United States military announced Wednesday that it has intensified enforcement of its naval blockade on Iran, saying American forces have redirected dozens of commercial vessels and continue military patrols near the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said 67 commercial ships attempting to enter or leave ...

Iran Says U.S. Must Accept its Peace Plan or Face 'Failure'

Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure, after U.S. President Donald Trump warned the truce in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse. The war, which erupted more than two months ago with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread throughout the Middle East and ...

Iran's Guards hold military drills in capital as ceasefire teeters

Iran's Revolutionary Guards held military exercises in the capital, Tehran, to prepare for any confrontation, state media reported Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump warned a ceasefire in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse. The drills involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, the ideological arm of Iran's ...

Kuwait and Bahrain Announce New Cases Linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Kuwaiti authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of four suspected infiltrators allegedly linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accusing them of attempting to enter the country by sea to carry out “hostile acts” against the Gulf state. According to Kuwait’s Interior Ministry, the suspects admitted ...

Oil Giant Saudi Aramco Says Quarterly Profits Up as Crude Prices Surge

Saudi oil giant Aramco said Sunday its net profit rose by 25.5 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, after the Middle East war sent oil and gas prices soaring. The result comes as uncertainty plagues global markets over the conflict's trajectory, with Iran restricting the passage of hydrocarbons through the strategic ...

CENTCOM says U.S. Forces Disabled Iranian-Flagged Tankers in Gulf of Oman Blockade Enforcement

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced U.S. forces disabled multiple Iranian-flagged oil tankers this week as part of ongoing blockade enforcement measures aimed at preventing vessels from entering Iranian ports via the Gulf of Oman. In a statement, CENTCOM said the operation targeted the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda on May 8, as both vessels ...

Saudi Bases Open to U.S. Despite Hormuz Operation Disagreement

U.S. forces have access to Saudi airspace and bases despite being told not to use them for the now suspended operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, two Saudi sources told AFP on Friday. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a pause in the two-day-old "Project Freedom" to guide ships through the Strait after a flare-up with ...

Iranian Attacks on UAE Continue Amid Hormuz Crisis

The United Arab Emirates said Friday that Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting the country injured three people, marking another serious escalation despite the ceasefire that took effect last month between Iran, the United States, and Israel. In a statement posted on X, the UAE Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems intercepted ...

U.S. Expands Massive Arms Package to Israel and Gulf States

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved $25.8 billion in missile interceptors and other weapons sales to Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates last week, according to a Bloomberg report, significantly expanding a package that Washington had publicly described days earlier as worth roughly $8.6 billion. The sales ...

U.S. Awaits Iran Response to Latest Deal Offer

The United States was waiting on Thursday for Iran to respond to its latest proposed deal to end the war in the Middle East and to reopen the key shipping lane out of the Gulf. Oil prices tumbled five percent after U.S. President Donald Trump said once again that an agreement could be near after positive talks and Iran said it would pass on its ...

Trump Says Pausing Hormuz Operation in Push for Iran Deal

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war. Trump's so-called "Project Freedom" to help vessels leave the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint to the Gulf where Iran has seized control ...