Tag - iran

 
 

IRAN

Amy Van Duyn at the liquor store where she works in Wiggins, Colorado, on May 11
WORLD / Politics
May 17, 2026
Trump says Iran war is worth the economic pain. These rural voters agree.
In two dozen recent interviews along Colorado’s Highway 52, Trump voters echoed the president’s logic.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a dinner event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on May 11.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 16, 2026
Trump’s geopolitical brinkmanship has hit a wall with Iran
The continuing impasse with Iran comes as Trump faces domestic pressure over high U.S. gasoline prices and his own low approval ratings.
Smoke rises behind buildings following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre, in Lebanon, on Friday.
WORLD
May 16, 2026
Israel and Lebanon say extending ceasefire despite new strikes
Envoys from Israel and Lebanon’s government met for two days in Washington and said they would extend the ceasefire that was set to expire Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before his departure from Beijing Capital Airport on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 15, 2026
Trump claims ‘fantastic trade deals’ as summit with China’s Xi wraps up
The U.S. leader touted what he portrayed as economic wins at a summit that was overshadowed by Xi’s warning of the possibility of conflict over Taiwan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters about her phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2026
Trump gives Takaichi ‘detailed explanation’ of talks with China’s Xi
Trump called his Japanese counterpart from aboard Air Force One on Friday, with Taiwan and other matters facing the Indo-Pacific region believed to have been discussed.
U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a friendship walk through Zhongnanhai, the tightly guarded headquarters of China’s ruling Communist Party, in Beijing on Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2026
Strategic stalemate: Xi and Trump summit to test limits of managed competition
By the time U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China ended, it was clear that the relationship had moved into one where Beijing operates from a position of assumed parity.
Japan’s corporate goods prices in April posted their biggest rise in 12 years, driven by higher oil and naphtha prices, the Bank of Japan said.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2026
Japanese producer prices jump by the most since 2014, backing case for rate hike
The measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 2.3% in April from a month earlier, a full point above the highest estimate in a survey of economists.
U.S. President Donald Trump inspects a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
WORLD
May 15, 2026
Trump says he is losing patience with Iran after talks with China’s Xi
Talks aimed at ending the conflict have stalled, with Iran refusing to end its nuclear program or relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping visit the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on Friday.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2026
A sigh of relief as Trump visits Xi
Trump will declare the meeting a win for his diplomacy and credit his personal relationship with Xi. The Chinese leader will be less effusive.
A Volkswagen e-Golf charges at a kiosk outside an elementary school in Escondido, California. A group of corporate bosses and senior bankers has issued a report underlining how clean energy systems are structurally immune to the type of shock caused by the current Middle East crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
May 15, 2026
Clean energy seen as ‘structurally immune’ to Hormuz-style shock
The war in Iran may ultimately strengthen the case for renewables.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely blocked since the Iran war began in late February and has been subject to an international diplomatic arm wrestle ever since.
BUSINESS
May 15, 2026
Hormuz oil flows creep higher as more supertankers exit
Four ships each hauling 2 million barrels of mostly-Iraqi crude have exited since May 10 — a rate close to 2 million barrels a day — according to vessel tracking data.
A man fuels up his vehicle at a gas station during a gas giveaway event in Chicago last month. More than 6 in 10 Americans say their household's finances have taken a hit from higher gas prices, according to a poll taken in May.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2026
White House scrambles for gas-price relief as Iran war drags on
Gasoline prices are averaging more than $4.50 a gallon nationwide, and historically, $4 per gallon has been a level that triggers public backlash and economic anxiety.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2026
Takaichi to meet with South Korean President Lee on Tuesday
Takaichi and Lee are slated to meet at the president’s hometown of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province.
U.S. President Donald Trump takes part in a welcome ceremony with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 14, 2026
Xi warns Trump that Taiwan missteps could lead to U.S.-China conflict
The meeting also saw the Chinese leader emphasize a “new positioning” of ties with, highlighting Beijing’s growing confidence in its ability to grapple with the U.S.
The Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumba on April 8
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2026
War turmoil saps Asian reserves with Philippines and India hit most
The slide in reserves adds to evidence that Asia has been one of the biggest losers from the Middle East conflict due to its reliance on energy imports.
Fighters with the Kurdistan Workers' Party line up during a disarmament ceremony marking a significant step toward ending the decades-long conflict between Turkey and the outlawed group in the Qandil mountains, Iraq, on Oct. 26, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2026
Iran war throws wrench in peace process between Turkey and Kurdish militants
Ankara and the ‌Kurdistan Workers’ ‌Party have dug in to watch the fallout of the Iran war, each refusing to move next and stalling ​efforts to end the four-decade conflict.
F-15SA fighter jets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 25, 2017. The Saudi strikes on Iraq were carried out by Saudi ‌air force fighter ‌jets on Iran-linked militia targets near the kingdom's northern border with Iraq, one Western official says.
WORLD
May 14, 2026
Saudi warplanes struck militias in Iraq during war, sources say
The strikes are part of a broader pattern of military responses around the Persian Gulf that stayed mostly hidden during a conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Many municipalities across Japan say buzz online and anxiety over the situation in the Middle East has led to people panic buying garbage bags.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 13, 2026
Designated trash bags run low in Japan as fears grow over supply shortages
Reports of a naphtha shortage have driven some to hoard city-designated trash bags needed in some areas to dispose of waste.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed industry minister Ryosei Akazawa to work to further increase the rate in July of crude oil procurement from sources outside the Middle East.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2026
Japan to procure 70% of its oil for June from outside Middle East
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also instructed industry minister Ryosei Akazawa to work to further increase the rate of crude oil procurement from alternative sources in July.
Calbee will start selling potato chips in black and white packages due to a naphtha-derived ink shortage amid the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Calbee’s switch to black-and-white packaging brings home impact of Iran war
The government maintains that there is enough naphtha for local industries, though bottlenecks have been identified.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival