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Oil and natural gas prices surged as Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks by Tehran forced shutdowns of energy facilities across the Middle East and snarled shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. A sustained rise threatens to undercut the global recovery, stoke inflation and lift U.S. gasoline prices — a political risk for President Donald Trump and Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections. Brent crude futures jumped as much as 13% to $82.37 a…

Middle East unrest grounds flights as Dubai shutdown and airspace closures strand thousands of Irish passengers Thousands of Irish holidaymakers are among the hundreds of thousands of air passengers stranded worldwide after unrest in the Middle East triggered sweeping flight cancellations and airspace closures. Dubai International Airport — the world’s busiest international hub and a key transit point for Irish travelers heading to Asia and Australia — is in a third consecutive day of disruption, rippling through schedules…

When Donald Trump threatens Iran with “force never been seen before,” the words do more than light up headlines. They signal a strategy of coercive diplomacy that has defined the most fraught chapters of U.S.-Iran relations this century, raising the stakes across a Middle East already primed for miscalculation. Rhetoric at that volume can deter, but it can also lock leaders into escalatory paths, unsettle markets and embolden hard-liners on both sides who thrive on grievance and spectacle. The central question is not whether…

Trump weighs strikes on Iran as Vance rules out long Middle East war WASHINGTON — Vice President J.D. Vance said Thursday that while the White House is considering targeted military strikes in Iran — focused on nuclear facilities and long-range missile sites — President Donald J. Trump and senior officials still prefer a diplomatic path to ease tensions. In an interview with The Washington Post, Vance stressed that even if the administration authorizes limited action, the United States will not be drawn into an open-ended…

Arab states condemn U.S. envoy Mike Huckabee for ‘take it all’ remark on Israel’s biblical borders Arab governments on Saturday condemned as “absurd,” “reckless” and contrary to international law remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee endorsing Israeli control from the Nile to the Euphrates — a span that would encompass swaths of multiple sovereign states, including the occupied West Bank. Huckabee made the comments in a podcast interview released Friday with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson. Citing “divine…

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s emir spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss de-escalation and regional security as tensions between Washington and Tehran sharpen, the royal court said Wednesday. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump reviewed “the current situation in the region and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and strengthening regional security and peace,” according to a statement from the emir’s office. The two leaders also discussed “supporting diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving crises…

Mogadishu’s first modern bowling alley rolls a fragile normal into Somalia’s capital On a recent evening in Mogadishu, the sharp crack of falling pins echoed under neon lights as a circle of friends filmed each other’s turns and burst into laughter. They were young, many born or raised abroad, taking in a scene that was once unimaginable in a city long defined by checkpoints and curfews: carefree recreation in public. The Feynuus Bowling Center, which opened last year, has become a symbol of Mogadishu’s cautious revival — a…

WASHINGTON — A U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, the Pentagon’s Central Command said, even as President Donald Trump said Washington is engaged in talks with Tehran to defuse tensions across the Gulf. U.S. Central Command said the drone, identified as a Shahed-139, “aggressively approached” the carrier and continued toward it despite measures taken by U.S. forces in international waters. CENTCOM said the jet acted in self-defense. The command did not…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces, backed by international partners, have killed at least 150 Al-Shabab militants in more than two weeks of operations in the Middle Shabelle region, Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said Tuesday. Fiqi said the campaign concentrated on the Jabad Godane area and surrounding settlements, which he described as a strategic militant hub. He said the dead included six senior commanders of the al-Qaida-linked group. “By the grace of God and the bravery of the National Army, and with…

Saudi Arabia is knitting together an ambitious web of defense partnerships stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, a bid to harden regional security as faith in Washington’s umbrella frays and rival Gulf capitals jostle for influence. From talks with Egypt and a potential pact with Somalia to deepening ties with Pakistan and possible alignment with Turkey, the moves revisit a familiar idea with new urgency: an “Islamic NATO.” The latest stitch came in Davos, where Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal…