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...
Azerbaijan is strengthening its role in international energy projects through foreign investment, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Thursday, describing the energy sector as a central pillar of the country’s economic diplomacy.
Speaking at a press conference reviewing Azerbaijan’s foreign policy outcomes for 2025, Bayramov said energy cooperation was helping the country deepen international partnerships and expand its geopolitical influence.
"Our energy sector is a key tool of economic diplomacy," he said, adding that it had enabled Azerbaijan to build long-term strategic ties with a growing number of countries.
Azerbaijan’s gas export reach has expanded significantly since 2020, Bayramov mentioned, highlighting the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor, which increased the number of countries receiving Azerbaijani gas from two to 14 within five years.
New exports began in 2025, with Azerbaijan supplying between one and two billion cubic metres of natural gas to Syria, marking an expansion of its regional energy engagement.
Azerbaijan is also investing in major energy projects abroad, including in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Türkiye and Uzbekistan, initiatives Bayramov noted were creating economic opportunities while strengthening the country’s strategic reach.
More broadly, the foreign minister said Azerbaijan had pursued an independent, balanced and pragmatic foreign policy in 2025 despite complex global geopolitical conditions, reinforcing both bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
He added that economic diplomacy was closely linked to Azerbaijan’s ambition to position itself as a regional transport, energy and trade hub.
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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