Iran has formally accused Qatar of holding three air force pilots as prisoners of war since their fighter jets were shot down in March during an attack on the US Al Udeid air base, and has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to examine the case. Qatar denies detaining any Iranian pilots and dismissed Tehran's account as misleading.
Geopolitics
BP, Abu Dhabi's XRG and Qatar's UCC have won the licence for phase two of Venezuela's offshore Loran gasfield, among the first large foreign investments since the US ousted Nicolás Maduro in January.
Economy
The IEA and OPEC both trimmed their oil forecasts on Wednesday, blaming the blocked Strait of Hormuz. Crude fell on Thursday after five days of gains.
Economy
A US helicopter fired on a Panama-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday to enforce Washington's blockade of Iranian ports. Trump claimed full control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Geopolitics
Qatar on Tuesday endorsed the collective defence agreement that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed on Friday in Mecca, calling it a positive step towards greater regional security, Daily Sabah reported. In New Delhi the pact has raised questions over whether Pakistan could use it to build wider security ties with Muslim-majority countries, according to the South China Morning Post.
Geopolitics
The Congolese government has released 15 detainees to a rebel alliance as a confidence-building step in the Doha-brokered process for the east of the country. Al Jazeera reports that it remains contested whether the framework can end fighting that has displaced millions.
Geopolitics
Iran announced on Wednesday that it had agreed with Oman on the coordinates of a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg reports oil held a three-day drop on Thursday.
Geopolitics
Trump said at a Nevada rally on Wednesday that he would rather reach a deal with Iran than kill people. Mediators are redrafting the June memorandum on the Strait of Hormuz; CNN puts the chance of an agreement by Friday at 50 percent.
Geopolitics
US, Qatari and Omani officials say a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come within days, with draft language circulating. The waterway was still shut to shipping on Tuesday, day 158 of the US-Iran war.
Geopolitics
Israeli strikes killed 18 Palestinians in Gaza on Sunday and two more on Monday, one of the deadliest stretches since the October ceasefire.
Geopolitics
An Israeli air strike killed two Palestinians in a car in Gaza City on Monday evening, medics said. The truce's mediators, Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar, condemned Israel's ceasefire violations the same day.
Geopolitics
After its envoy met Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday, the US-led Board of Peace said Israeli forces will leave Gaza only once Hamas has handed over all weapons. Israel refuses to pull back before disarmament, Hamas refuses to disarm before a pullback.
Geopolitics
US President Donald Trump says he cancelled a planned wave of strikes on Iran and that talks with Tehran open on Monday afternoon. Iranian agencies deny any deal on the Strait of Hormuz was reached.
Geopolitics
Israeli air strikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, with Palestinian tallies of the dead ranging from 8 to 18. Israel has still not publicly responded to the US roadmap for Hamas's disarmament.
Geopolitics
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported two incidents involving tankers off Oman on Saturday. One vessel was left inoperative after a projectile struck its engine room.
Geopolitics
Hamas confirmed on Friday that it accepted a US-brokered plan to give up its weapons alongside a phased Israeli withdrawal. Both sides insist the other side must move first.
Geopolitics
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, with Israeli forces withdrawing in phases as weapons are handed over. Hamas negotiator Ghazi Hamad said the movement will not disarm before Israel withdraws. An Israeli official told Reuters the terms do not meet Israel's demand for full demilitarisation first.
Geopolitics
Pakistan secured Iranian agreement for the tanker Al Areesh, idle in the Persian Gulf since early July after loading at Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning, TASS reported. Qatar sent its first LNG cargo through the waterway since one of its tankers was attacked more than three weeks ago, and CENTCOM says it has redirected 24 ships since Iran's blockade began.
Economy
Five months after the United States and Israel began striking Iran, the Financial Times reports that Iran's missile force remains operational and is still hitting targets across the Gulf region. At the same time, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has told President Trump that American munitions stocks make further escalation questionable. President Pezeshkian toured ports, railways and border terminals that US airstrikes damaged, while US public support for the war stays below 40 percent.
Geopolitics
The pause in US and Iranian attacks held for a third day on Monday while mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan worked to restart ceasefire negotiations. President Donald Trump described the contacts as "very deep talks" but warned he would return to "very strong military action" if they fail quickly. Tehran denied it is negotiating directly with Washington and said the United States will not decide the timing of war or peace for Iran.
Geopolitics