World Echo

Iran has considered striking US military assets in Europe if US President Donald Trump escalates the war, as Tehran weighs options to expand the conflict beyond the Middle East, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Citing two people close to the Iranian government, the British daily said Iranian forces had assessed potential strikes on US assets in southeastern European countries, including Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of its Bezmer air base by US refuelling aircraft. Cyprus, where a British air base was hit by a drone in March, has also been considered among potential targets in the event of a renewed US offensive, according to one of the sources. Iranian forces have separately examined the possibility of targeting subsea fibre-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz in the event of further escalation, the report said. One source told the Financial Times that Tehran was preparing options to expand the conflict if Trump followed through on previous threats to...

Gaza remained the world’s deadliest place for humanitarian workers for the third consecutive year, with 186 aid personnel killed in 2025, the United Nations humanitarian office said Wednesday. Sudan ranked second, with 71 aid workers killed during the year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement marking World Humanitarian Day. Worldwide, 907 humanitarian workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025, setting another record for violence against aid personnel, according to figures from Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database. Although the annual death toll fell slightly to 350, the UN humanitarian office said the overall level of violence showed no sign of easing. A further 322 aid workers were injured and 235 kidnapped. Read: UN urges support for Afghan women “More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” said Tom Fletcher, UN under-s...

Syria on Tuesday strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes targeting Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase in the eastern countryside of Idlib province as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry called the attack “an unjustified act of aggression, a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region.” “The continuation of these Israeli attacks since December 8, 2024, at a time when Syria has exercised restraint and worked to consolidate stability and avoid escalation, once again demonstrates the Israeli occupation’s attempts to undermine these efforts and drag the region toward further tension and instability,” the ministry said. 📍 Israeli warplanes carry out four airstrikes on the abandoned Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria’s Idlib province 💢 No ...

President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to the lowest level of his presidency, ‌with an overwhelming majority of Americans concerned the US war with Iran will last a long time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday. Just 33% of respondents in the four-day survey said they approved of Trump's performance in the White House, while 64% disapproved. Trump's approval rating, down from 35% in a poll that closed earlier this month and ​lower than at any point in his current term, has now tied the lowest level of his prior term reached in December 2017. After ​returning to the White House in 2025 with just under half the country approving of his presidency, Trump's popularity ⁠this year took a hit after he ordered strikes on Iran alongside US ally Israel. The ensuing conflict paralysed a fifth of the global oil trade, ​triggering a surge in the price of gasoline that is weighing on US households - and on Trump's Republican allies defend...

Saudi Aramco resumed oil loading from inside the Strait of Hormuz last week and has more tankers waiting to load as the state energy giant offers spot heavy crude cargoes, according to shipping data and trade sources. On Monday, the world's top oil exporter offered some Asian refiners Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude cargoes for loading via ship-to-ship transfers off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates this month. It had halted sales for weeks following attacks on its tanker fleet in the Strait of Hormuz during an escalation of the US-Iran conflict last month. The resumption of Saudi exports could help ease the tight supply of heavier grades that produce more residue fuel which can be used to refuel ships or can be processed further at refineries to yield higher-quality fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Read: Oil climbs as fading US-Iran peace hopes raise supply risks Three very large crude carriers (VLCCs) — Malaysia Prosperity, Algeria Prosperity and Singapo...

Indonesia has experienced ongoing intense seismic activity since Saturday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake, recording 2,119 aftershocks so far, local media reported. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency warned the sequence could continue for another three to four weeks, Jakarta Globe reported. The aftershocks ranged from 1.3 to 6.2 magnitude, with 24 measuring above 5, and 70 of them were felt by residents, the agency's director of earthquake and tsunami, Wijayanto, said. On Saturday, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara, where the popular tourist hub of Labuan Bajo is located, causing widespread damage. So far, 68 people have been confirmed dead, while 213 others injured, according to the state-run Antara News agency. Meanwhile, authorities have temporarily closed several tourist attractions on Flores for safety inspections, including Rangko Cave in West Manggarai, Wae Rebo Traditional Village in Manggarai, and Kelimutu National P...