Oil prices hit four year high: Latest news on the Middle East conflict on 9 March
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $...
The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump intends to maintain both a “good working relationship” with China and a “very strong alliance” with Japan, even as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
During a press briefing on Thursday (11 December), White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stressed that Japan remains a crucial ally of the United States, noting the "personal relationship" between President Trump and Japanese leaders, alongside their ongoing trade relations.
“Japan is a great ally of the United States as evidenced by their personal relationship and our continued trade relations with Japan,” Leavitt said.
While tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated in recent years, Trump has maintained that it is in the best interest of the United States to cultivate a productive relationship with China. Leavitt reiterated that Trump believes his positive rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping is beneficial for the U.S., with the President emphasising the importance of having a cooperative relationship with China, particularly amid the current geopolitical climate.
"With respect to China, the president also has a good working relationship with President Xi, which he believes is a good thing for our country, and he believes that the United States should be in a position to have a good working relationship with China while maintaining our very strong alliance with Japan," she added.
The statement comes at a time when relations between China and Japan have been strained, particularly over territorial disputes and economic competition in the region. Despite these tensions, the Trump administration is committed to balancing relations with both nations, underscoring the U.S.'s strategic position in the Asia-Pacific region.
As global power dynamics continue to shift, the U.S. seeks to navigate its alliances with both China and Japan carefully, maintaining strong bilateral relations with both, despite their competing interests.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment