World

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed and it will fire on any ship ​trying to pass, Iranian media has reported About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran. It links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and …

The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions ‌on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and top military officials over their role in ongoing fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and called for their immediate withdrawal from the mineral-rich region. Rwanda has long rejected allegations from Congo, the United Nations, and Western powers that ​it supports the AFC/M23 rebel group, which staged …

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration officials told congressional staff in private briefings Sunday that U.S. intelligence did not suggest Iran was preparing to launch a preemptive strike against the U.S., three people familiar with the briefings said. The administration officials instead acknowledged there was a more general threat in the region from Iran’s missiles and proxy forces, two of the …

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose sharply Monday as U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. military installations around the Gulf sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain. Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East would slow or grind to a halt. Attacks throughout …

VIENNA (AP) — Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday alleged that airstrikes by the United States and Israel targeted the Natanz enrichment facility in his country. That contradicts an assessment by the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi who said that “up to now” the agency has “no indication” that nuclear facilities have been hit in …

President Donald Trump on Monday declared that the joint U.S.-Israeli operation to “crush the threat” in Iran is “ahead of schedule,” stating that many of the regime’s military leaders were eliminated in about an hour. Trump provided an update on “Operation Epic Fury” during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, vowing that the U.S. will “easily prevail” …

Nine Israelis have been killed and 27 others injured in an Iranian missile strike that directly hit a building in Beit Shemesh in west Jerusalem on Sunday, local media reported. The daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing Israel’s ambulance service MDA, said the injured include four people who sustained critical injuries in the attack. The emergency service added that several people remain …

Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a blatant violation of human moral principles and international law, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. Putin said that Khamenei will be remembered in Russia as an outstanding statesman who helped raise bilateral ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership. Putin expressed deep condolences over the killing of …

  “The killers of the Imam of the nation will not escape severe, decisive, and deterrent punishment.” Dozens of retaliatory strikes targeting US and Israeli positions have been launched in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday. The Tasnim news agency, a semi-official news outlet linked to …

The Nigerian Government has called for immediate de-escalation and maximum restraint in the Gulf region following coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran. In a press release issued on Saturday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, the government expressed deep concern over the rising tensions and warned of the risk of further escalation with …