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July 12, 2026
 

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MIDDLE EAST

A satellite image of side-by-side ships at sea, off the coast of Sohar, Oman, on June 9
WORLD
Jun 17, 2026
The U.S. is using an Iranian smuggling tactic to sneak oil out of the Gulf
At least 116 ships have been involved in an oil shuttling technique long used by Iran to skirt sanctions, according to shipping data and satellite imagery.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for the official greeting ahead of a work lunch as part of the Group of Seven summit, in Evian, eastern France, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2026
Qatar plans to rapidly restart LNG output after Strait of Hormuz reopens
The country is aiming to restore most of its export capacity within two months.
A French Navy officer observes an oil tanker. The U.S., which is short on demining capabilities that it can deploy to the Middle East, needs the help of its allies to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is free of mines and safe for navigation, a European official has said.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Europeans wary of committing naval power to Hormuz quickly
The U.S. is short on demining capabilities and needs the help of its allies to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is free of mines and safe for navigation, a European official has said.
An Iranian woman holds Iran's flag during a rally in Tehran on April 29.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Iran deal includes $300 billion fund, much of it already committed, source says
The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to ​conclude a final deal.
An Iranian woman celebrates in Tehran’s Valiasr Square on Monday. The U.S.-Iran agreement may bring a temporary end to hostilities but is unlikely to resolve the underlying tensions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2026
Peace with Iran won’t end conflict in the Gulf
Fundamentally, the deal will mark more of an intermission than a conclusion: It would entrench rather than end the struggle between America and Iran.
People walk along a street with Iranian flags and a poster bearing images of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on March 9.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
With war likely over, Iranian rulers must face demands of embittered population
Iran’s powerful hard-liners and ordinary people both have high expectations, conflicting demands ​and little patience.
Traffic moves past the Iranian national flag displayed on a building at Enghelab square in Tehran on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 16, 2026
Polymarket traders clash over $345 million Iran peace market
Bets on a peace deal are in limbo because it was not clear if the announcement was enough to meet the conditions written into Polymarket’s contracts.
People wave Iranian and Iraqi flags outside the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad on June 15 following the announcement of a deal to end the war between Iran and the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2026
Trump, Iran and the wily ‘art’ of the digital deal
For Tehran, the lack of ceremony allows it to minimize internal political backlash by portraying the deal as a temporary technical arrangement rather than a binding concession.
Shipping flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain significantly down compared to prewar levels, though a growing number of oil tankers and other ships have been transiting the waterway under the cover of darkness in recent weeks.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 16, 2026
Shippers and oil giants seek clarity on U.S.-Iran peace deal
While U.S. President Donald Trump has posted on social media that ships are starting to move through the strait, there are still urgent questions to answer.
A billboard displaying Iran's national flag at Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday. The nation remains a formidable and undefeated force.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 16, 2026
Persian Gulf recalibrates as Iran emerges intact from war
The region has emerged from one of its most dangerous crises in decades with Iran politically emboldened and Persian Gulf confidence in U.S. protection deeply shaken.
President Donald Trump points his finger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands during a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Netanyahu and Trump on collision course as U.S. and Iran agree to halt war
The goals of both leaders remain unmet, with serious clashes remaining between them over Lebanon.
An Iranian woman waves a national flag next to a billboard depicting slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Valiasr Square in Tehran on June Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2026
Trump’s Iran accord offers exit from war — and fresh political risks
The move exposes the U.S. president to criticism from within his party, skepticism from allies and questions over whether the deal will hold.
A drone view of the oil tanker HELGA berthed at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra on April 24. What started as a supply shock following the U.S.-Israel-Iran war has become a demand story.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2026
Peak oil demand arrives sooner than expected
Amid the disruptions caused by the US-Israeli-Iran war, countries have begun adapting to life with less oil.
Urea, ammonium phosphate, and potassium chloride — raw materials for chemical fertilizers — are almost entirely imported in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2026
Fertilizer prices rise in Japan due to Strait of Hormuz squeeze
While shortages like those for naphtha have yet to emerge, warnings of an international shortage have been issued amid uncertainties in the Middle East.
In a post on social media platform X, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she welcomes a U.S.-Iran peace deal as a major step toward bringing the situation in the Middle East to a close.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Japan welcomes U.S.-Iran peace deal
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed hopes for a final agreement on outstanding matters, including on Iran’s nuclear issue, to be reached as soon as possible.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2026
Trump veers toward exit in Iran war but risks loom
The deal appears short of many of the goals Trump outlined in the early days of the conflict, leaving the U.S. looking strategically worse off than it did before he went to war.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Iran and U.S. agree to halt war and reopen Hormuz, sending oil prices tumbling
While still a framework, the deal marked the biggest breakthrough toward resolving a conflict that has killed thousands and upended energy markets.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Trump says he’ll sign deal with Iran to reopen Hormuz Sunday
Trump has vowed dozens of times that an agreement to end the war that began in February is near, only for none to materialize so far.
A woman walks past a banner with a picture of the late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran on June 7.
WORLD
Jun 14, 2026
U.S. and Iran inch closer to deal, but timing remains unclear
While U.S. bombings heavily degraded Tehran’s military, experts say the war has left Iran’s hardliners more entrenched than before.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks before signing a proclamation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 14, 2026
Trump to meet Mideast partners on sidelines of G7 in France
The U.S. president will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt as well as India.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

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

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