Tag - iran

 
 

IRAN

With U.S. President Donald Trump desperately seeking a deal to end the Iran war before he lands in Beijing for his May 14 to 15 visit, China could seek to use his weakened position to extract concessions on key issues.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 8, 2026
Trump heads for Xi summit overshadowed by Iran war
With U.S. President Donald Trump seeking a deal to end the Iran war before he lands in Beijing, China may seek to use his weakened position to extract concessions on key issues.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa (second from left) and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii (far left) attend a high-level economic dialogue with the European Union in Brussels on Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2026
Japan and Saudi Arabia to set up energy security task force
Discussions at the task force are slated to start early next week.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda (center) attends a monetary policy meeting with other high-ranking officials in Tokyo on April 28.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2026
Japan pulls out the stops to halt the yen’s slide
While the yen’s dive has been abetted by speculators, the real causes of the currency’s weakness are structural.
An oil refinery in Germany on Thursday. Oil supplies are set to tighten further even if the U.S. and Iran reach a deal to end their war.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 8, 2026
Oil supply shock to worsen as inventories fall further even if conflict ends
The rapid depletion of commercial stockpiles and emergency reserves has come at a time when ‌stockpiles are typically ‌built in preparation for the Northern Hemisphere summer.
People share a parasol in Ginza district during high temperatures in Tokyo in 2025. El Nino is forecast to bring drier conditions and hotter weather later this year.
ENVIRONMENT
May 8, 2026
Asia heat waves spell double trouble for economies hit by oil shock
El Nino could bring higher temperatures and dry weather to countries from India to New Zealand, driving up food costs.
Sany electric heavy trucks at a depot in Tangshan, China, on April 1
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2026
Iran war to accelerate China’s shift to electric trucks from diesel
Some energy consultancies ‌now expect the decline in diesel use in China to accelerate faster than previously forecast.
The Nikkei stock average rose 5.6% to close at a record high of 62,833.84 Thursday, ending above 62,000 for the first time.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2026
Japan’s Nikkei soars to a record on U.S.-Iran deal optimism
The tech-heavy Nikkei 225 Stock Average advanced 5.6% to close at a record high of 62,833.84, ending above 62,000 for the first time ever.
Shirts of the Iranian national soccer team are displayed in a shop in Tehran on April 23.
SOCCER
May 7, 2026
Iranian FA says it will meet FIFA over World Cup in coming days
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been in question since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February.
People chant during a rally in Tehran on May 6.
WORLD / Politics
May 7, 2026
U.S. and Iran inch towards short-term deal to end fighting
The emerging plan centers on a short-term memorandum rather than a comprehensive peace deal.
The Port of Fujairah has become one of the United Arab Emirates' economic lifelines since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
BUSINESS
May 7, 2026
Gulf’s fragile trade lifeline hangs on two eastern UAE ports
They are now handling the bulk of the UAE’s seaborne trade in place of ​the major terminals on the western coast inside the Gulf.
The semiconductor industry and related electronics sector together account for around 17% of Taiwan’s economy.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
May 7, 2026
Hormuz crisis shows gaps in Taiwan’s high-tech ‘silicon shield’
The factors that make Taiwan an economic powerhouse — its successful technology industry and artificial intelligence-driven chipmaking — are also the ones making it vulnerable.
In this courtroom sketch, Cole Tomas Allen, a suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, sits in the courtroom during a hearing after being charged with attempting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington on April 30.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 7, 2026
Iran war possible motive for Trump shooting suspect: U.S. intelligence report
The assessment sheds new light on the U.S. government’s search for a motive in the foiled attack on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.
A man runs past national flags of ASEAN member states outside a media center in Cebu on Tuesday, ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit to be held this week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 7, 2026
Energy crisis front and center as ASEAN leaders prepare for summit
The energy crisis will force Manila leadership to craft a ​regional response while preventing regional conflicts in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia from slipping down the agenda.
Vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off southern Iran on Monday
WORLD
May 6, 2026
Iran says safe transit of Strait of Hormuz will be possible with U.S. ending threats
⁠Safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz will be ensured ​with ‌U.S. threats ‌coming to ​an end and new procedures in ⁠place, the Revolutionary ⁠Guard’s navy said Wednesday.
U.S. Navy warships sail in an undisclosed location on April 27. A one-page memorandum of understanding reportedly under discussion between the U.S. and Iran has been described by sources as requiring both sides to lift restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
WORLD
May 6, 2026
U.S. and Iran closing in on memorandum to end war, sources say
The memorandum was disclosed hours after U.S. President Donald Trump paused a three-day-old naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, citing progress in peace talks.
Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks to reporters in Paris on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 6, 2026
Japan to boost joint oil stockpiles with UAE
The United Arab Emirates and Japan agreed to promote cooperation to ensure a stable supply of crude oil as the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy transportation hub, remains closed.
A U.S. flag is held up as Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful from the popemobile ahead of his inaugural Mass in Saint Peter’s Square, at the Vatican on May 18, 2025.
WORLD
May 6, 2026
A year into papacy, Pope Leo finds his ‘clarion voice’
The first U.S.-born pope, who sharply denounced war and despotism on a recent four-nation Africa tour, is expected to release his first in-depth teaching document this month.
The Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 2.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2026
U.S. unveiled plan to reopen Hormuz hours before Trump shelved it
The U.S. president was warned it risked escalating a conflict he is eager to bring to an end.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at a news conference in the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2026
Rubio calls Hormuz resolution a test for U.N., urges against vetoes
Russia and China vetoed a previous U.S.-backed Bahraini resolution that appeared to open a path to legitimize U.S. military action against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping exit after their meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2026
Trump says Xi ‘respectful’ on Iran, downplaying strains
A high-stakes summit of the leaders this month comes as the Iran war brings fresh tumult to the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

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