live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
The Board of Peace created by U.S. President Donald Trump will hold its first leaders meeting on 19 February in Washington, a U.S. government official confirmed, marking the board's formal debut after weeks of global scrutiny.
The confirmation followed an Axios report stating the gathering would also serve as a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction.
The official did not give further details and referred additional questions to the White House, which has yet to comment. Axios reported that the session will take place at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told supporters at a campaign event in Szombathely that he would travel to Washington in two weeks for the meeting.
Trump launched the board in late January, positioning it as a vehicle to resolve conflicts worldwide after first outlining its role in Gaza.
The United Nations Security Council authorised the board in mid-November to work with partner states on an international stabilisation force in the strip.
A fragile ceasefire, approved by Israel and Hamas as part of a Trump plan, took effect in October and has been breached many times since, leaving more than 550 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers dead.
Governments have reacted cautiously to the invitation to join. Some Middle Eastern allies of Washington have stepped in, while many of its longstanding Western partners have kept their distance.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not respond to a request for comment on the planned meeting.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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