20 hours ago
Heavy explosions in Strait of Hormuz as tankers may have hit mines, Iranian media says
DUBAI — Several powerful explosions were reported in the southern passage of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, possibly after oil tankers struck naval mines, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported, citing military sources. The explosions occurred minutes earlier in the southern passage of the strategic waterway, according to the broadcaster The sources said oil tankers using “unauthorized” routes may have hit mines deployed in the area. The report did not provide details about the number or identities of the tankers, possible casualties or damage. The reported explosions come amid heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has warned vessels against using routes not authorized by Tehran. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy official said Iranian forces have been carrying out operations every night in the Strait of Hormuz against vessels Tehran considers to be violating its rules. Speaking to Iran’s Fars news agency, Ali Mohammadi, political deputy of the IRGC Navy, said the force had maintained “complete and absolute” surveillance of the strait since the first day of the war and would continue both offensive and defensive operations. He also rejected figures cited by US President Donald Trump and media outlets about the amount of oil passing […]
21 hours ago
Interpreting Russia’s Position Towards The Islamic NATO
While Russia officially has no problem with the Islamic NATO and even hopes that it’ll one day include Iran to fulfill Russia’s regional collective security vision, it would be inaccurate to claim that Russia is naïve about the latent threat that this bloc could pose as a result of Turkiye’s rivalry with Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opined in early September on his country’s position towards the Islamic NATO in response to a question about the role that Russia could play in restoring stability to West Asia. He began by referencing Russia’s over-two-decade-old collective security vision for the Gulf, which he also brought up earlier this spring during the Third Gulf War, since it’s an enduring part of its regional policy. Lavrov then said that the latest conflict imbued this concept with a fresh sense of urgency. It was in this context that he mentioned the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement and added that “Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, which formulated that concept of collective security and a defence alliance, have pointed out that it is also open to other countries.” He then declared that “At some stage, provided this structure also coordinates conditions on which Iran could be involved […]
1 day ago
Iran Says More Tankers Struck By Mines, After Trump Declared He Won’t Bomb Before Midterms
In late night hours (Tehran time), Iranian state media has announced more attacks on ships in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Fars: Military sources shows that several heavy explosions occurred minutes ago in the southern passage of the Strait of Hormuz, which was caused by violating oil tankers hitting mines spread in the area from the sea; Fars reports At the same time Iran’s President Pezeshkian stated Thursday that negotiations with the US are not completely dead yet. “We exchanged proposals with America through intermediaries and introduced some amendments, And importantly, “despite US attacks, we never left the negotiating table,” he said. “We are currently compiling proposals, and after the final text is prepared, we will review it through mediators and convey all proposals.” Meanwhile, more of these piecemeal reports and claims: US military has drafted options for three days of strikes as President Trump hesitates, according to NYT NEW: Just moments ago, the IRIB stated that “several heavy explosions” occurred after tanker(s) struck MINES in the Strait of Hormuz. It should be fairly noted that Iran has erroneously claimed that vessels struck mines previous along the Omani Route, but at the same time… President […]
2 days ago
Syria’s Jolani May Send Troops To Yemen To Fight Houthis
Syria is said to be “cautiously” considering sending troops to assist Saudi Arabia in the fight against the Houthis in Yemen, Reuters and others are reporting Wednesday. An anonymous US official described that this was a focus of conversation between Syria’s self-declared President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the two met in Riyadh on Tuesday. Ironically it was the Saudis that heavily supported Sharaa’s rise and overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in the first place. Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani was the founder and leader of Syrian al-Qaeda (Nusra Front, later Hayat Tahrir al-Sham). He had also fought Assad while initially under ISIS, and had taken control of Idlib. So while for many years foreign fighters flowed from Saudi Arabia into Syria, now the jihadi pipeline looks to go in the opposite direction. The hardline Sunnis of the new Damascus government are well-known for viewing all Shiites as ‘apostates’ – and so there could be plenty of willing participants to go and fight the Houthis, who are Shia and backed by Iran. Some reports speculate there are already thousands of Syrian mercenaries as well as ‘volunteer’ fighters on the ground in Yemen. “Options being considered […]
2 days ago
Putin Praises Iran’s ‘Courage’ As US Gloats Over Oil Blockade & ‘Zero’ Exports
The Trump administration has been busy boasting that it has brought Iran’s economy to its knees through the navy enforced oil blockade and through sweeping ‘Economic D-Day’ sanctions, but in direct contradiction to this, Russia is busy hailing Tehran’s ‘courage’. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call Wednesday, on the occasion of Putin’s birthday, wherein the two leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation, per readouts from both sides. Putin pointed to their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty as staying steadfast, despite “current developments and events in the region” – a reference to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States. Russia supports these diplomatic efforts, Putin continued, and “Iranian friends can be assured” that Moscow is ready to help, he informed Pezeshkian. And crucially there was this line which is a direct provocation to Washington: Putin also praised what he called Iran’s “courage” in the face of attacks. Also, according to Iranian state media, “Putin pointed to the Iranian nation’s historic and epic steadfastness in the face of enemy aggression, stating that Iran’s courage has been put at the focal attention of many countries across the world.” It must be remembered that US anonymous officials […]
4 days ago
Houthis Attack Multiple Saudi Airports, Wounding Bystanders – Warn Civilian Infrastructure Now In Crosshairs
Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, or Houthis, have over the past 48 hours been targeting airports along with Aramco sites within Saudi territory, and have warned further that civilian infrastructure will increasingly be fair game in retaliation for the Saudi blockade imposed on Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree also declared Tuesday that this is the result of the ongoing Saudi bombing campaign. The kingdom’s Abha International Airport in the southwest of the country has come under fresh missile attack on Tuesday. “We reiterate our warning to all international airlines regarding the consequences of continuing to operate flights within Saudi airspace, as it has become a theatre for our military operations – with the exception of the airspace over the Holy Sites in Mecca and Medina,” the Iran-aligned rebel group said in a statement. The Saudi government didn’t immediately confirm the attack, but it follows Monday night attacks on airports in Jazan and Najran with several injuries and damage reported, according to Al Jazeera. Riyadh and its international airport were also targeted. While King Khalid International Airport saw flight delays and gate closures, there’s been no official confirmation of damage there, other than some open source claims of possible destruction. But casualties have been reported […]
4 days ago
Iran Seeking To Increase Range Of Missiles: ‘Keep Enemy At Greater Distance’
Just days ago President Trump told a Republican audience at a rally that Iran “is ready to fold up,” and again expressing his belief the war will end “right after the election,” though he also said “maybe before the election” – in reference to the midterms. But Tehran on Monday is seeking to reassert its defiance and military readiness in the wake of Trump threats, announcing that the “enemy’s next mistake” is going to “bring new fronts and surprises” – according to state media. One key development being touted relates to the Islamic Republic’s missiles. Not only have Iranian officials in the recent past touted that production never stopped even during active bombing campaigns, but now there’s a new push to increase the range of projectiles. Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia has said in an interview with Fars that technicians are working on fast increasing the range of the country’s missiles. “In this war we concluded that we must definitely upgrade the range of our missiles, and we have now moved in that direction,” Akraminia said. This is in order to keep the “enemy located at greater distance.” The furthest distance the Iranians are believed to have targeted in the conflict is the […]
4 days ago
Trump says that the Iran war will end soon, though strikes in the Strait continue; European bourses set for a firmer open – Newsquawk EU Market Open
US President Trump said he is always open to direct talks with Iran and that it will all work out regarding the Saudis and Houthis. US President Trump said the Iran war will end soon and that the US secured the Strait of Hormuz; UKMTO separately reported a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait. APAC stocks traded mostly higher following the positive handover from Wall St; European equity futures indicate a higher cash market open. Crude futures were range-bound amid a slew of geopolitical headlines; 10yr UST futures traded little changed after yesterday’s retreat as the curve bear steepened. DXY remained afloat after gaining yesterday against most G10 FX peers amid the continued rise in long-term US Treasury yields. Looking ahead, highlights include German Factory Orders (Aug), EZ Retail Sales (Aug), US ADP Employment Change Weekly, Atlanta Fed GDP (Q3), EIA STEO. Speakers include BoE’s Mann, ECB’s Zigman, Elderson & Cipollone, Fed’s Williams, Bowman & Schmid. Supply from the UK, Germany & the US. IRAN CONFLICT US TRADE EQUITIES TARIFFS/TRADE NOTABLE HEADLINES APAC TRADE EQUITIES FX FIXED INCOME COMMODITIES CRYPTO NOTABLE ASIA-PAC HEADLINES DATA RECAP GEOPOLITICS RUSSIA-UKRAINE OTHER EU/UK NOTABLE HEADLINES
5 days ago
“In The Name Of God”: Yemen Leader Orders All-Out Offensive Against Iran-Backed Houthis
Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces have been preparing for a major offensive against Iran-backed Houthis, whose latest advances along Yemen’s western coast have tightened their control over coastal areas and disrupted a critical maritime chokepoint known as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Bloomberg now reports that the operation is underway. The outlet reports that Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, ordered all branches of the armed forces into active combat operations on Sunday. “All state military, security and civil institutions as of this moment are mobilized and on high alert until the mission is completed and victory is achieved,” Al-Alimi said on Sunday. He said the operation would continue “until the liberation of the country from the grip of the terrorist Houthi militia.” Our reporting on Saturday indicated that more than 100,000 Yemeni pro-government troops were set to mobilize for the offensive. Last month, the ease and speed of Houthi gains proved humiliating for the Saudi coalition in Yemen. The Houthis largely stayed out of the US-Israeli war against Iran. But by midsummer, the terror group had announced a blockade of Saudi ships in the critical maritime chokepoint in response to what it described as a “siege” of […]
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