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...
Indonesia is set to ratify a maritime boundary deal with Vietnam, finalizing EEZ limits in the South China Sea, aiming to ease tensions, assert legal clarity, and reinforce its stance as a non-claimant in ongoing regional disputes.
Indonesia's parliament is expected to ratify a maritime boundary agreement with Vietnam next week, marking a significant step in defining the two nations' exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in the disputed South China Sea. The agreement, reached in 2022 after over ten years of negotiations, outlines the exact coordinates of their EEZs and still requires ratification from Vietnam's parliament.
Lawmaker Nico Siahaan said the formal approval process would begin Monday, with ratification expected shortly after. Indonesia hopes the agreement will reduce ongoing tensions caused by Vietnamese fishing activity in its waters.
International law expert Hikmahanto Juwana noted that the deal effectively disregards China’s expansive claims over most of the South China Sea. China continues to assert control over the area, including parts of other Southeast Asian nations' EEZs, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that rejected its claims, a ruling Beijing does not accept.
Indonesia’s deputy foreign minister, Arif Havas Oegroseno, emphasized that the agreement will offer legal clarity for activities such as patrolling and oil exploration. He added that, as a maritime nation surrounded by neighbors, Indonesia benefits from clearly defined sea boundaries.
While Indonesia signed a maritime cooperation deal with China last year, leading to speculation about a shift in its neutral stance, the Indonesian foreign ministry maintains that it remains a non-claimant state in the South China Sea with no overlapping territorial claims with China.
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.
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.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of August, covering the latest developments.
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.
Taiwan staged military defence drills on Wednesday as China concluded joint naval exercises with Indonesia in waters east of the island.
Washington’s counter-narcotics push is expanding as Colombia’s new conservative government backs deeper security cooperation.
Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has used Pacific Fleet drills to criticise Japan, NATO and possible Western moves against Russian commercial ships. He made the comments during his first visit to Iturup, a Japan-claimed island at the end of the Kuril chain near the island of Hokkaido.
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