live U.S. to apply measures 'never seen before' on Iran, Trump official says
The U.S. will impose "never seen before" measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, Washington's Treasury Secreta...
Azerbaijan's state-owned company, SOCAR, has started supplying natural gas to Austria and Germany, the company has confirmed.
Starting this month, gas produced in Azerbaijan is being transported via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and flowing into markets in central Europe.
SOCAR said the move represents an important step in diversifying its export destinations. With these additions, 16 countries now receive Azerbaijan’s pipeline gas.
The company described the deliveries as consistent with Azerbaijan’s broader strategy to increase its presence in European energy markets and strengthen its reputation as a reliable supplier.
Many European Union member states have sought to reduce reliance on Russian gas in recent years, prompting efforts to secure alternative sources.
Germany has already been deepening its energy ties with Baku. In mid-2025, SOCAR signed a 10-year gas supply contract with the German state-owned company Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), under which deliveries are set to begin later that year.
The infrastructure enabling these deliveries is part of a much larger project. The Southern Gas Corridor consists of multiple pipelines that brings gas from Azerbaijan’s offshore Shah Deniz field across Georgia and Türkiye before reaching Europe. The corridor was completed in stages, with TAP’s connection to the Italian network beginning commercial deliveries in 2020.
SOCAR said it will continue to expand its gas marketing activities in Europe and the Middle East in line with President Ilham Aliyev’s gas strategy.
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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