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July 24, 2026
 

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Jonathan Saul
With the Strait of Hormuz already shut, a Houthi attack on vessels or ports in the Red Sea would leave the Middle East's two main oil export routes disrupted simultaneously.
WORLD
Jul 17, 2026
Iran tells Houthis to close Red Sea gateway if U.S. hits power network, sources say
Any threat to the Red Sea and its Bab al-Mandab gateway risks exacerbating the global energy crisis and underscores the explosive risks stemming from a new round of warfare.
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, in February.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2026
Iran exploring oil sales to Japan, with buyers seeking longer sanctions waiver
Three Japanese buyers were looking at possible crude oil purchases from Iran, ?their first since 2019, said two Iranian sources.
U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, on Monday.
WORLD
Apr 23, 2026
U.S. intercepts three Iranian oil tankers in Asian waters, sources say
Washington has imposed a blockade on Iran¡¯s trade by sea while Iran has fired ?on ships ?to prevent them sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
A vessel is seen in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman¡¯s Musandam province, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2026
Iran proposes allowing ships to exit Oman side of Hormuz free of attack, source says
The proposal hinges on whether Washington is prepared to meet ?Tehran¡¯s demands, the ?source added.
Children watch a tanker at anchor off the coast of Muscat, Oman, on March 18. The Strait of Hormuz is used by roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supply and is currently blocked by Iran, a more formidable adversary than Yemen's Houthis.
WORLD
Mar 25, 2026
Failure to secure Red Sea shipping casts shadow over Strait of Hormuz plan
Absent the strait¡¯s reopening, shortages will become more acute, ?threatening higher ?costs for energy, food and numerous other products worldwide.
A tanker sits anchored in Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, on March 12.
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2026
Lured by profits, some shipowners brave mines and missiles to sneak oil past Iran
Tactics deployed by shipowners so far include switching off AIS ship-tracking transponders in the hope that vessels become less visible to Iran¡¯s military, and traveling at night.
Tankers are visible in the background as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Mar 5, 2026
Iran could disrupt the Strait of Hormuz with drones for months
Closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world¡¯s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes, has been one of Iran¡¯s main objectives.
Crude oil tankers at Maracaibo Lake in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Monday
WORLD
Jan 14, 2026
U.S. files for warrants to seize more Venezuela-linked oil tankers: sources
The exact number of seizure warrants the U.S. has filed for, and how many it has already received, ?is unclear, the sources said, ?but dozens have been filed.
A satellite image shows the Skipper tanker, north of Guadeloupe, on Dec. 12.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2025
U.S. eyes additional coast guard assets to seize fleeing tanker, sources say
The dayslong pursuit highlights the mismatch between the Trump ?administration¡¯s desire to seize sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela and the limited resources of the coast guard.
U.S. forces jump down onto an oil tanker seized by the United States off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.
WORLD
Dec 12, 2025
U.S. to seize more tankers off Venezuela¡¯s coast after taking one, sources say
The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela and comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro¡¯s ouster.
The Magic Seas cargo ship docked at a port in Ampelakia, Salamis Island, Greece in August 2022
WORLD
Jul 8, 2025
Crew wounded and missing off Yemen as Houthis strike Greek bulk carrier
The latest attacks highlight a growing operational risk to commercial operators whose vessels have called at Israeli ports.
Hamas militants carry grenade launchers at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, amid a ceasefire between the two sides, in the central Gaza Strip, in February.
WORLD / FOCUS
Jun 28, 2025
Battling to survive, Hamas faces defiant clans and doubts over Iran
Hamas fighters are operating autonomously under orders to hold out as long as possible but the Islamist group is struggling to maintain its grip.
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran in November.
WORLD
May 10, 2025
Iran to send Russia launchers for short-range missiles
The delivery of the Fath-360 launchers ¡ª if it occurs ¡ª would help support Russia¡¯s war in Ukraine and reaffirm deepening security ties with Iran.
Cargo ships are loaded with containers at the port of Bangkok on April 3.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 10, 2025
U.S. exits carbon talks on shipping and urges others to follow
A State Department spokesperson confirmed that Washington would not be ¡°engaging in negotiations¡± at the U.N.¡¯s International Maritime Organization.
Smoke and flames rise from a collision between an oil tanker carrying fuel for the U.S. military and a cargo ship off the northeastern coast of England on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 11, 2025
Tanker hired by U.S. military ablaze off U.K. after hit by container ship
There has been no indication of any malicious activity or other actors involved in the incident, security sources say.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami reviews military equipment during an IRGC ground forces military drill in the Aras area, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, on Oct. 17, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2024
Iran¡¯s Revolutionary Guards extend control of oil exports, sources say
All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards.
Yisrael Medad, an activist and writer on Israel's political right, looks at a book in his home in the Israeli settlement Shilo, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Nov. 13.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2024
Israeli settlers set sights on Trump support for full control of West Bank
Settlers have celebrated Trump¡¯s nomination of a clutch of officials known for pro-Israel views.
Men run for cover after an Israeli strike on the Mreijeh neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Oct 5, 2024
Countdown to Middle East war? How the region can step back from the brink
Brakes remain to halt a regional fall into a wider conflagration that would lock Israel and Tehran into escalating conflict and suck in other nations.
The Panama-flagged oil tanker Blue Lagoon I transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul on June 14.
WORLD
Sep 3, 2024
U.S. military says Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers in Red Sea
The Houthis first launched aerial drone and missile strikes on the waterway in November, in solidarity with Palestinians under assault in Israel¡¯s war on Gaza.
A drone view of Neve Daniel, a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on March 12
WORLD
Jul 22, 2024
Israeli settlers court Republican religious right after Hamas attacks
While Donald Trump has suggested U.S. policy could change, neither he nor the Republican Party have been explicit about their position toward?a Palestinian state.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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