Iraqi

After a week in captivity in Baghdad, US journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed by Iraq's powerful armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah, according to statements from the Iranian-backed group and the United States. News of her release came just hours before the United States and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement, ending more than a month of war. "In recognition of the national stances of the outgoing prime minister, we have decided to release the American defendant Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leave the country…

Gulf crisis deepens as UN warns of mass displacement in Iran and tankers burn off Iraq The United Nations’ refugee agency warned that as many as 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced since the war began almost two weeks ago, as fresh maritime attacks sent oil prices surging back above $100 a barrel and widened fears of a prolonged global energy shock. “This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs,” the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said,…

U.S.-Iran war widens with tanker strikes, Hormuz blockade and oil-price shock as allies weigh record reserve release The United States and Iran signaled no quick end to their war as suspected Iranian attacks on fuel tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and fresh strikes across the Middle East kept the world’s busiest oil chokepoint effectively shut and sent crude higher. Nearly two weeks into a joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign, about 2,000 people have been killed — mostly Iranians and Lebanese — and global shipping and energy…

Iraqi Militia Threatens to Halt Oil Exports, Europe's Winter Energy Security at Stake BAGHDAD, Iraq — An influential figure from Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has sounded a grave alert about the ripple effects of potential warfare in the Middle East on global energy resources. Sharing his thoughts over social media, he proclaimed, "If war erupts, not a single barrel of oil or cubic meter of gas will exit the Middle East. Winter looms…