Output drops of around 25% are expected as the US aims to shift energy flows, Tom Luongo has said US President Donald Trump is making “a big move towards controlling the marginal barrel of oil,” attempting to shift the world’s energy focus from the Persian Gulf region to the Gulf of Mexico, “where oil tankers are now lining up,” geopolitical analyst Tom Luongo told RT in an interview on Wednesday. A sharp drop in OPEC oil production is an expected result of US strategy to reshape global energy flows away from the Strait of Hormuz, he said. Luongo, publisher of the Gold Goats ‘n Guns newsletter, warned the fallout would hit countries reliant on Middle East crude the hardest, with Europe being the biggest loser. According to him, Trump is trying to “rewire the world in some fundamental way” by challenging the reliance on the Hormuz choke point. Read more Iran considering easing Strait of Hormuz restrictions – Reuters “If you can’t move the oil, then it ...
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran is ready for dialogue, but won’t let Washington impose its terms The US is in discussions on staging a second round of peace talks with Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. The first direct meeting between the sides since the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 took place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, at the weekend, but delivered no breakthrough. Tehran blamed the failure of the negotiations on Washington’s “unrealistic demands,” while the US reacted by announcing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for Iran-linked vessels. Speaking about the possibility of another round of talks during a briefing on Wednesday, Leavitt noted that “those discussions are being had, but nothing is official until you hear it from the White House.” “We feel good about the prospects of a deal... and it’s obviously in the best interest of Iran to meet the president’s demands,” she added. The talks “would very likely...
Slovenia is preparing a referendum on withdrawal from the bloc as Trump’s threats deepen internal divisions Slovenia’s newly elected parliament speaker has announced plans to hold a referendum on withdrawing the country from NATO, as the US‑led military bloc reels from its worst internal crisis in decades with Washington threatening to pull out from the organization entirely. The leader of the Truth Party, Zoran Stevanovic, was elected as the head of the lower house last week. Speaking to public broadcaster RTVSLO, he stated that a vote on leaving the bloc was a campaign promise he intends to keep. “We promised the people a referendum on the issue of leaving NATO, and we will hold this referendum,” Stevanovic said. The speaker also signaled a possible visit to Moscow “in the near future,” stating he would like to “build bridges and cooperate well with all countries, regardless of the wall that has been built between the West and the East.” The push for a NATO exit vote comes as ...
Tehran wants to make a deal “very badly,” the US president has claimed The conflict between the US and Iran is close to being settled, President Donald Trump has claimed, adding that the second round of peace talks between the two sides could take place in the next few days. The US president gave interviews to several outlets on Tuesday, where he detailed Washington’s stance on the negotiations with Tehran. Washington’s delegation, led by Vice President J.D. Vance , met with Iranian diplomats in Islamabad, Pakistan over the weekend. The discussions, however, did not result in any breakthroughs. The US reacted by announcing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for Iran-linked vessels. Tehran said the negotiations had failed because of Washington’s “unrealistic demands.” The conflict, which started with a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, is “very close to being over,” Trump told FOX Business anchor Maria Bartiromo. However, he again threatened Tehran with a resumption of US...
The assistance comes as the South Asian nation faces pressure to repay $3.5 billion to the UAE Saudi Arabia has pledged $3 billion in financial aid to Pakistan, the South Asian country’s finance minister has said. Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia has committed $3 billion in additional deposits, with disbursement expected in the coming week. He is currently in Washington attending the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings 2026. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will head to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for an official visit. Riyadh’s assistance comes as Islamabad prepares to repay $3.5 billion to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this month. Saudi Arabia Announces USD 3 Billion Additional Support, Extends USD 5 Billion Deposit: Finance Minister Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, has informed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has committed USD 3 billion in additional deposits, with… pic.twitter.com/E8...
Majorities should dictate the bloc’s common foreign policy, the European Commission president has insisted The time has come for the EU to remove individual member states’ veto power on the bloc’s foreign policy decisions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has insisted. Von der Leyen issued the call less than 24 hours after her long-time opponent, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, lost power in a general election to the pro-EU Tisza party led by Peter Magyar. Orban, who is a staunch critic of Brussels, used the unanimity requirement to stall numerous EU policies during his time in office. In recent months, Budapest has been vetoing the bloc’s €90 billion ($105 billion) emergency loan for Ukraine, citing Kiev’s reluctance to resume supply of Russian oil to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline. Von der Leyen insisted on Monday that “moving to qualified majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systemic blockages, as we have seen in the pa...