Strait of Hormuz blockade should continue says Iran's new Supreme Leader: Middle East conflict on 12 March
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U....
Uzbekistan and Russia are preparing to sign a contract for the construction of Uzbekistan’s first large-scale nuclear power plant by March 2026.
The plant will be located in the Farish district of Jizzakh region and will include four reactors: two VVER-1000 (Generation III+) units and two smaller RITM-200N reactors, each rated at about 55 MW. Construction is planned to proceed in several stages.
Abduzhamil Kalmuratov, head of Uzbekistan's Directorate for Nuclear power plant construction, confirmed the plans saying, “We plan to sign the contract before the end of the first quarter of 2026. It is a long, delicate and detailed process; we must consider localisation volumes, determine who will supply what, and calculate logistics.”
Project documents state that the scheme will prioritise local participation, with up to 70% of the workforce expected to be Uzbek.
Authorities estimate the construction phase could involve around 20,000 workers and include development of supporting infrastructure such as housing, schools and public facilities in nearby communities.
The nuclear project comes as Russian gas deliveries to Central Asia have increased this year. Supply to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have risen by about 15% in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Also, in 2024 Gazprom delivered 5.64 billion cubic meters of gas to Uzbekistan, up from 1.28 billion in 2023.
Officials describe the nuclear project and expanded gas cooperation as complementary elements of a broader energy diversification strategy.
In the short term, gas supplies are intended to meet immediate demand; in the longer term, the nuclear station is expected to provide stable, low-carbon baseload capacity.
The 32 countries belonging to the Internatioanl Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil on Wednesday (11 March), in efforts aimed at bringing down the price of crude oil, which has soared since fighting between Iran, Israel and the U.S. started at the end of February.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
More than 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced after clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces intensified along the border, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Norwegian police apprehended three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday's (8 March) bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, in an attack investigators have branded an act of terrorism.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said Iran should continue ‘blocking the Strait of Hormuz’ in his first statement since his election, read out on Iranian State television on Thursday (12 March).
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war compensation, and international guarantees against any future invasion as conditions for ending the U.S.–Israel war with the Islamic Republic.
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