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Russia and Ukraine are preparing another major prisoner exchange, with officials from both sides working to fin...
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene in the escalating Gulf conflict, warning that only he could prevent it from spreading further.
"I tell President Trump: nobody can stop the war in our region in the Gulf but you," Sisi said at the Egypt Energy Show 2026 conference in Cairo. "Please, Mr. President, please. Please help us stop the war. You are capable of doing so."
Speaking alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to the press, Sisi framed his appeal as a call for humanity and peace. "I speak to you in the name of humanity and in the name of everyone who loves peace - and you, Mr President, are among those who love peace," he said.
Sisi warned that the conflict could trigger severe economic shocks. “I fear that targeting energy facilities, whether production sites or refineries, will have very serious repercussions for the global economy and fuel prices,” he told the conference. He added that market analysts had warned “the price of a barrel of oil could reach more than $200, and this is not an exaggeration.”
He also cautioned about the potential fallout for global food supplies, pointing to disruptions in fertiliser exports. “Wealthy countries might be able to absorb this, but for middle-income and fragile economies it could have a very, very severe impact on their stability,” Sisi said.
Egypt has long received U.S. military aid and support from wealthy Gulf states. The country has condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab states and pushed diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider regional war. Sisi credited Trump with helping end the war in Gaza, noting that he had previously told the U.S. president that only he could bring peace ahead of the ceasefire in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.
The appeal comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf, with Iran’s recent threats against energy facilities and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz - a key oil route handling around a fifth of global supplies. Addressing the conference virtually, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi described Iranian actions as a threat to the world.
"The brutal Iranian threats against energy facilities and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz constitute not only a blatant violation of international law but also a direct threat to global energy," he said.
GCC member states - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain - have faced drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, further heightening fears of regional instability.
Sisi’s remarks came shortly before Trump threatened strikes on Iran’s electricity plants and Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub.
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv wants peace but will not surrender to Russia, as foreign leaders joined Independence Day events marking 35 years since Ukraine’s independence.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Pakistan is stepping up efforts to protect its trade and energy supplies as the Iran war disrupts shipping through the Persian Gulf, driving up freight costs and putting pressure on key export routes.
Government officials, investors and technology leaders have gathered in Tashkent for the inaugural Silk Road Finance and Technology Forum, a new platform aimed at exploring how financial technology can drive economic growth across Central Asia.
Türkiye has established four sub-commissions to oversee the implementation of a new legal framework tied to the disarmament of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Central Asia is moving beyond experiments with digital assets as governments begin putting new forms of digital money into practice.
Parents in Gaza are being urged to stop their children flying kites after Israel threatened tougher military action over those drifting across the border.
Armenia is “free” to leave the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said. He made the remarks after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he would be “very pleased” if the Russian-led military alliance expelled Armenia.
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