World Echo

Iran's military command stated on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial vessels, in a statement carried by Iran's Mehr news agency. "From this moment on, due to insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed for the passage of all types of vessels," the military said. "Any passage [of ships] will be targeted." Iran’s Mehr news agency reports that Iran’s top joint military command has ordered the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial vessels. Any vessel attempting passage will be targeted, it added. pic.twitter.com/18xOPDmfLb — Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) June 11, 2026 Iranian media said two US ships were fired on, but US Central Command denied that the strait was closed or any of its ships were struck, saying commercial ships were still transiting the strait despite Iran's warnings. Iranian ...

China on Thursday renewed its call for the US and Iran to halt fighting and return to dialogue. Beijing is "gravely" concerned about the situation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters. Military conflict will only "escalate the situation," and resuming military action will not resolve any fundamental issues, he said. "The sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of regional countries should be respected and safeguarded," Lin said, urging relevant parties to stop military actions, resume dialogue and negotiations, respond to the mediating efforts of relevant countries, and achieve a ceasefire at an early date. Lin said that China has maintained contacts with relevant parties, including Iran, since the outbreak of the conflict and "has made efforts for promoting peace talks." Over the past two weeks, the US and Iran have exchanged attacks intermittently as tensions escalated across the region. Earlier today, Iran...

China on Wednesday reiterated its call on Washington and Tehran to stop escalating tensions after the US launched fresh attacks on Iran. “China is deeply concerned” over the latest situation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that American forces launched air strikes against Iranian military targets in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter on Monday. Read: Iran will 'not hesitate to exercise' right to self-defence: foreign ministry Later, Iran’s military headquarters said early Wednesday that attacks had been launched on some US bases in the region in response to American strikes on southern Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US opted to test Tehran's determination. However, Lin called on the warring sides to “remain calm, exercise restraint, stop escalating tensions, take concrete actions to ease tensions.” Lin asked ...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz. The exchange, after US President Donald Trump said that Iran had downed a US Apache helicopter near the strait, marks one of the most significant escalations since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April. "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," Trump told ABC News on Tuesday. The US military said it targeted Iranian air defences, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites in what it described as a "proportional response" to the downing of the helicopter, whose two crew members were rescued. Read: Iran will 'not hesitate to exercise' right to self-defence: foreign ministry The tit-for-tat attacks, just days after Iran exchanged fire with Israel...

The leaders of North Korea and China adopted a "far-reaching blueprint" for bilateral ties during Xi Jinping's recent visit to Pyongyang, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Wednesday. China's president made a rare visit to diplomatically isolated North Korea on Monday after hosting a series of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in Beijing. The trip also came at a time of unusually warm relations between North Korea and Russia, where Pyongyang has sent soldiers and munitions to assist Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Kim and Xi "expressed satisfaction and deep emotion over the fact that they provided a far-reaching blueprint for the development of the relations", KCNA reported. During the two-day trip, "the countries further deepened the revolutionary friendship and close comradely relationship and affirmed their steadfast will to develop the traditional DPRK-China friendly...

Multiple accounts on X, including pro-Iranians based on their past posts, have been sharing a video since Monday claiming to show massive Iranian strikes destroying two Israeli airbases and five military camps and eliminating several senior Israeli leaders. However, the video is old from March and no such targets were destroyed. The conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel carried out coordinated airstrikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, including missile systems and nuclear-related facilities. The strikes marked a significant escalation in tensions between the countries, following a period of heightened regional instability and previous confrontations. Israel and Iran traded fire on Monday, seriously testing a fragile truce and threatening hopes for a deal to end the Middle East war. The new attacks, including a strike on an Iranian petrochemical complex, came hours after US President Donald Trump called on Israel to refrain from re...