Pakistan tightens security in Islamabad ahead of US-Iran talks

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Iran gets first Hormuz toll -

A senior Iranian parliament official said on Thursday that Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strategic Strait of Hormuz in its war with the United States and Israel. 

"The first revenue received from the Strait of Hormuz tolls was deposited into the Central Bank account," said deputy speaker of parliament Hamidreza Hajibabaei, according to Tasnim news agency. 

- Clearing Hormuz may take 6 months -

A Pentagon assessment said it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines, which could keep oil prices high, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Iran has all but blocked the vital waterway since the start of a war with the United States and Israel, sharply driving up oil and gas prices and disrupting the global economy.

- Hormuz standoff -

Iran vowed it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States continues to blockade its ports.

"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade," said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad.

"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire."

- Iran execution -

Iran hanged a man after he was convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and alleged collaboration with Israel. 

"Sultan-Ali Shirzadi-Fakhr was hanged early this morning for membership in the terrorist group" of the People's Mujahedin Organisation (MEK) and "collaboration with the Israeli regime's spy service," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported.

- Lebanon-Israel meeting -

Israel and Lebanon hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut plans to request a one-month extension of a ceasefire due to expire within days.

Israel stated ahead of the talks that it has no "serious disagreements" with Lebanon, calling on it to "work together" against the pro-Iran Hezbollah, which is notably absent from and opposed to the negotiations. 

- US turns back 31 vessels -

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Wednesday that it had "directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port" as part of its own "blockade against Iran".

It said on X "the majority of vessels have complied with US directions" adding that "most vessels turned around have been oil tankers".

- Oil jumps before easing -

Oil prices jumped four percent before easing Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so long as a US blockade remained in place.

At around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 4.1 percent to $96.73 per barrel. International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 3.6 percent to $105.63. 

Asian stocks mostly fell however, with Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington all down.

- Israel strikes journalists in Lebanon -

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, where a ceasefire is officially in place, killed veteran Al-Akhbar newspaper correspondent Amal Khalil and wounded freelance journalist Zeinab Faraj.

A Lebanese Red Cross official told AFP Faraj was rescued but Khalil died under rubble.

Lebanon's Information Minister Paul Morcos called the targeting of journalists "a grave crime and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law".

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An envoy to US President Donald Trump has asked world football's governing body FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup, according to the Financial Times.

US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told the FT it would be a "dream" to see four-time World Cup winners Italy at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada despite the fact they lost in a qualification playoff last month.

The suggestion was an effort to repair ties between Trump and Giorgia Meloni after the Italian prime minister fell out with the president after criticising his attack on Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war, the newspaper reported.

"I confirm I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA President Gianni) Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I'm an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion," Zampolli told the FT.

Italy missed out on the World Cup for the third successive time after losing a penalty shootout to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their qualifying playoff final.

Iran's participation in the World Cup has been thrown into doubt by the war with the US and Israel that broke out on February 28.

The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) had said in April it was "negotiating" with FIFA to relocate the country's World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico.

But Infantino told AFP last month, while attending Iran's friendly against Costa Rica in Turkey, that Iran will be at the World Cup and that they will play "where they are supposed to be, according to the draw".

Zampolli is an Italian-American socialite, businessman and former modelling agent who claims to have introduced Trump to his current wife Melania Trump.

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Sales of new cars jumped last month in the European Union as consumers turned to electric vehicles as petrol prices soared due to the war in the Middle East, data showed Thursday.

Overall sales rose 12.5 percent in March from the same month last year to 1.16 million vehicles, according to registration data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

That jump helped the market attain a four percent rise for the first quarter overall following declines in January and February.

Sales of fully electric vehicles soared by 49 percent, with plug-in hybrids also jumping 20 percent.

Over the first quarter hybrids were the top choice of European consumers, accounting for 37 percent of overall sales.

Plug-in hybrids accounted for another 10 percent of market share.

The market share of simple petrol motor vehicles slumped to 23 percent in the quarter, down from 28 percent a year earlier.

Fully electric vehicles accounted for just over 19 percent of overall sales.

The ACEA noted the sales performance of electric vehicles varied strongly by country, with Italy, France and Germany posting strong gains.

Petrol prices spiked throughout Europe after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, resulting in a near block on oil exports from the Gulf and leading Iran to retaliate by attacking energy facilities throughout the region. 

Meanwhile, sales in Belgium and the Netherlands fell.

The Volkswagen group kept its top spot in the EU market in the first quarter, with its market share dipping to 26.4 percent despite its sales edging higher.

That was primarily due to Stellantis, whose Fiat, Citroen and Opel brands saw sales surge and boost the group's market share.

Another major European car manufacturer, Renault, saw sales slide in the first due to transportation problems affecting its low-cost Dacia brand.

Sales of Teslas jumped nearly 60 percent from the first quarter of last year when Elon Musk's involvement in the Trump administration turned off European consumers.

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South Korea pushed back on Thursday against criticism of its business environment by US lawmakers, as a rare spat deepens over Seoul's investigation into online retail company Coupang.

US-listed Coupang's South Korean arm operates the country's most popular shopping platform.

But it has faced a backlash since a massive data leak last year exposed the details of over 30 million customers.

South Korean authorities are investigating Coupang for potential negligence and regulatory breaches, and statements from Seoul and Washington this week revealed cracks in the relationship between the longtime allies.

On Thursday, South Korea's foreign ministry said the Coupang probe was "being conducted in strict accordance with our domestic laws and due process", adding that it was not discriminating against American firms.

The statement followed a letter by Republican lawmakers to the South Korean ambassador in Washington, in which they called for an end to "discriminatory regulatory actions" against US businesses.

The letter claimed that South Korea "leveraged a low-sensitivity data leak... as a pretext to launch a whole-of-government assault on Coupang".

It accused Seoul of "indiscriminate raids... punishing fines, unprecedented tax audits, and pressure on public pension funds to divest their Coupang holdings".

The evident strain is remarkable given that South Korea and the United States are major economic and defence partners, with Washington stationing 28,500 troops there to help guard against North Korea.

On Wednesday, Seoul said talks with Washington over a security agreement should proceed separately from issues related to Coupang.

The unusual statement came after multiple South Korean media outlets reported that the United States had threatened to halt high-level security talks unless Seoul guaranteed the legal safety of Coupang Chairman Kim Bom, an American citizen also known as Kim Bom-suk.

The reports said that US negotiators had asked South Korea to lift a travel ban on Kim and ensure that he would not face arrest or detention when visiting the country.

The talks carry high stakes for South Korea, as they would touch on its plan to build nuclear-powered submarines as a deterrent against the North.

Coupang declined to confirm Kim's current whereabouts. South Korea has not confirmed that Washington made any such demands regarding Kim or linked them to the security talks.

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A Pentagon assessment said it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines, which could keep oil prices high, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Iran has all but blocked the vital waterway since the start of a war with the United States and Israel, sharply driving up oil and gas prices and disrupting the global economy.

The strait -- through which one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passes in peacetime -- has remained largely closed during a shaky ceasefire, with the US imposing its own blockade.

Even if hostilities end and the blockade lifts, it could take months to clear the waterway of mines, according to a Pentagon assessment, the Washington Post reported citing officials close to the discussion.

The assessment added that it was unlikely such an operation would begin before the end of the war.

The six-month estimate was shared with members of the House Armed Services Committee during a classified briefing, the Post reported.

Lawmakers were told that Iran may have placed 20 or more mines in and around the strait, some floated remotely using GPS technology which makes them harder to detect, according to the report.

AFP has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Washington Post that its information was "inaccurate."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned of a "danger zone" covering 1,400 square kilometres -– 14 times the size of Paris –- where mines may be present.

Iran's parliament speaker said the Islamic republic would not reopen the strait as long as the US naval blockade remained.

A spokesman for German transportation giant Hapag-Lloyd cautioned last week that shippers needed details on viable routes as they remain fearful of mines.

When the Hormuz strait briefly reopened at the start of the ceasefire this month, only a few ships trickled through amid fears of attacks or mines.

Earlier in April, the US Navy said its ships transited the waterway to begin removing the mines, but that claim was denied by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which threatened any military vessels attempting to cross the channel.

London hosted talks with military planners from over 30 countries starting Wednesday on a UK and France-led multinational mission to protect navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.

The "defensive" coalition is set to discuss plans to reopen the strait and conduct mine clearance operations.

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Tens of thousands of Samsung Electronics workers rallied in South Korea on Thursday to demand higher pay and bonuses, as their threat of a weeks-long strike hung over the technology giant.

Samsung is a major producer of chips used in everything from artificial intelligence to consumer electronics, raising the prospect that the planned walkout could cause severe disruption and losses.

An association of three labour unions held the rally outside the company's plant in Pyeongtaek, south of the capital Seoul, to demand a seven-percent wage hike, the end of a cap on bonuses and other benefits.

"More than 40,000 members" took part, a union official told AFP, declining to be named. Local police did not immediately give an estimate.

Demonstrators waving banners reading "Let's eliminate the bonus cap" and "Change it to be transparent!" gathered in the sunlit streets around the factory, Samsung's largest for making memory and logic chips.

"We will not back down until we are guaranteed a transparent compensation system," said one female union member on stage, drawing applause from the crowd.

The workers are also demanding that Samsung allocates 15 percent of its operating profits for bonuses.

The unions, which represent nearly 90,000 workers in total, have said they will stage a strike from May 21 to June 7 unless a deal with management is reached.

The company said in a statement to AFP that it would "continue to work toward reaching a wage agreement at the earliest possible date".

The dispute comes as South Korean technology firms ride an AI boom that has bumped up national growth, pushed the stock market to record highs and drawn it closer to industry leaders the United States and China.

Samsung's shares have surged nearly 300 percent over the past year, while its rival SK hynix said on Thursday that it had obliterated its quarterly profit record.

Samsung said this year it had begun mass production of next-generation high-bandwidth memory chips, HBM4, seen as a key component for scaling up the vast data centres needed for AI development.

Long staunchly anti-union, founder Lee Byung-chul once vowed never to allow unions "until I have dirt over my eyes".

He died in 1987. Samsung Electronics' first labour union was formed in the late 2010s.

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China's new supply chain regulations could be a "concern" for US firms, the American Chamber of Commerce in China warned on Thursday.

The regulations, released on April 7, allow Chinese authorities to take measures against foreign companies or individuals that "harm China's industrial and supply chain security".

The rules appeared aimed at stopping companies from removing China from their supply chains, AmCham China's president Michael Hart said on Thursday. 

Western governments are increasingly concerned about their reliance on Chinese supply chains, particularly in rare earths, which China dominates.

The minerals are critical for a wide range of products from everyday consumer electronics to weapons, and Chinese export curbs during a blistering trade war with the United States last year sent shockwaves across industries.

"There's a little bit of irony as China continues to build up its own supply chain to make sure it's not reliant on others," Hart told a news conference launching his group's annual report on American business in China.

Most US companies are not moving manufacturing out of China, he said, but some were looking to diversify, and if the new rules restrict those moves, it would be a "concern".

- 'Increased risks' -

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) criticised the provisions as "unclear and vague" earlier this month, saying their implementation "increases the risk of doing business in or with China".

They "leave open the possibility that several legitimate commercial decisions" could be construed as threatening China's supply chains, it said.

"The threat that individual employees could be punished through exit bans is concerning," the EUCCC added.

Hart said more clarity on the rules' implementation was needed.

China accounts for around 90 percent of global production of rare earths, and the elements are expected to be a key talking point at a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, scheduled for mid-May.

They could reach agreements on aviation, agriculture and food export restrictions, but major diplomatic or economic deals are unlikely, AmCham China's chairman James Zimmerman said Thursday.

"We are not anticipating any grand bargains. We're not anticipating any huge breakthroughs," he said.

AmCham China's report showed US firms in China had seen some regulatory improvements and steps towards a more open economy in the last 12 months, but still face uneven market access and structural pressures on competition and investment.

They also worried about weak demand and squeezed profitability, with China's economic slowdown seen as their top challenge, ahead of US-China tensions, according to AmCham China's business survey released in January.

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Iran vowed it would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the United States continues to blockade its ports, in a tense standoff on Thursday that has dominated the ceasefire in the Middle East war.

While strikes around the region have mostly ceased since the truce began, there has been no letup in the pressure around the crucial trade route, with the two sides exercising their economic leverage in a bid to force the other to back down.

With the ceasefire due to expire earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension at the eleventh hour, to allow more time for peace talks brokered by Pakistan. 

Iran said it welcomed the efforts by Pakistan but made no other comment on Trump's announcement.

"A complete ceasefire only has meaning if it is not violated through a naval blockade," said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad.

"Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire."

Oil prices jumped four percent before easing Thursday, as the foes appeared no closer to holding new negotiations.

Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, even though Iran has not confirmed participation and Vice President JD Vance put his travel to Islamabad on hold Tuesday.

The US leader also claimed that Iran at his request had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over massive anti-government protests in the weeks before the attack.

But Iran's judiciary described his remarks as "false news", saying the women had never faced the death penalty.

- Ships seized -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they forced two ships to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway for about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas flows.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz two violating ships," the Guards said in a statement.

They identified the vessels as the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Francesca and the Liberia-flagged Epaminondas. 

Panama's foreign ministry confirmed the seizure of the MSC Francesca, calling it a "serious attack on maritime security" and an "unnecessary escalation".

UK-based maritime security monitors confirmed that three commercial vessels had reported incidents involving gunboats in the strait.

Among them, a container ship reported being fired upon by a Revolutionary Guards boat 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman, causing damage to the bridge but no casualties, monitor UKMTO said.

CENTCOM hours later announced on X that US forces had since the start of the US blockade of Iran's ports "directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port". 

Under orders from Trump, the US Navy is attempting to block vessels heading to or from Iranian ports, seeking to ramp up pressure on the Iranian economy.

In the midst of the blockade, the Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Secretary of the Navy John Phelan would leave "immediately".

It gave no reason for his sudden departure, the latest removal of a senior officer under Trump's combative Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth.

The US Defense Department said Tuesday that US forces had intercepted and boarded a "stateless sanctioned" vessel. AFP has identified the ship as one linked to Iranian activity. Both sides accuse the other of ceasefire breaches.

- Lebanon-Israel talks -

After the ceasefire with Iran, the United States helped broker a truce between Israel and Lebanon including Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia Muslim movement that had fired rockets into Israel in revenge for the attacks on its patron.

Despite the declared truce, Israeli strikes killed five more people on Wednesday, Lebanese media said.

Amal Khalil, a journalist for the newspaper Al-Akhbar, was killed and her fellow reporter Zeinab Faraj was wounded in an Israeli strike near the border, the paper said.

Israel and Lebanon, which have no diplomatic relations, will hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday.

Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the meeting, a Lebanese official told AFP.

Lebanon will also seek "an end of Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present and a commitment to the ceasefire", the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the talks.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 people since the start of the war, according to Lebanese authorities.

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Contenders for next UN secretary-general made their case this week for a United Nations more invested in peace, but avoided taking positions that could antagonize the member states who will choose the world body's next chief.

Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal's Macky Sall are all hoping to succeed Antonio Guterres on January 1, 2027, when his second five-year term ends.

Each candidate spent three hours this week answering wide-ranging questions from the 193 member states and representatives of civil society.

However, "a lot of diplomats are a bit cynical about the hearings," Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told AFP.

"There is a widespread suspicion that the US and other vetoes in the Security Council will select a winner in private and minimize the Assembly's role in the process."

The question-and-answer sessions, dubbed "interactive dialogues," were introduced in 2016.

The General Assembly, where every member state has a seat, can only elect the secretary-general upon the recommendation of the Security Council, where the five permanent members -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France -- hold veto power.

Much of what the contenders said was "formulaic" but they did send some "important messages," according to Gowan.

He said Grossi emphasized "how fragile the UN is today" and appeared more "radical" than Guterres on reform.

All the candidates stressed the urgent need to restore confidence in a United Nations teetering on the brink of financial collapse. Its relevance has also been called into question in a world facing a level of armed conflict not seen since World War II.

Chile's Bachelet, a former UN human rights chief, said the secretary-general should be "physically present in the field" wherever problems need solving -- a position also taken by Grossi.

Sall, a former president of Senegal, suggested a "reinvented role" so that the UN might "regain its place at the global table."

Some have criticized Guterres for failing to exert influence over conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East.

Grynspan said the next UN chief "needs to take a risk" and lamented: "We have become a risk-conservative organization."

"The UN only fails when we don't try, we have to try," added Grynspan, who as head of UN Trade and Development negotiated a deal that facilitated the export of Ukrainian grain following the 2022 Russian invasion.

- Waiting in the wings -

The candidates acknowledged the link between the UN's three pillars of peace, human rights and development, while emphasizing the organization's primary role in upholding the first tenet.

US President Donald Trump has called for the UN to return to its "original mission" of peace.

Very few of the questions focused on specific conflicts, and the candidates largely refrained from answering in concrete terms, preferring instead to invoke a commitment to the UN Charter.

When asked about Gaza, however, Grynspan urged "unrestricted" entry of humanitarian aid and voiced support for a long-term solution for two states to live side-by-side in "peace and security."

Sall highlighted the "human tragedy" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Candidates' past stances and actions will undoubtedly influence the final selection.

Republican lawmakers have already called on Washington to block Bachelet due to her defense of abortion rights. 

Grossi, the current head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is involved in sensitive matters such as the response to Iran's nuclear programme.

The five Security Council permanent members remain tight-lipped about their intentions, and other contenders for UN chief might still emerge.

"I think that there are still quite a few candidates circling and waiting to see how things play out" before declaring their candidacy, Gowan said.

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France and "like-minded countries" must work together to avoid becoming "hostages" on critical minerals used in everything from phones to solar panels, Paris's trade minister said Thursday.

Speaking in Sydney, Nicolas Forissier told journalists that France was working to expand cooperation with Australia -- among the world's top five producers of lithium, cobalt and manganese, essential for goods like rechargeable batteries and aircraft jet engines.

He said democratic nations needed to avoid a situation in which critical minerals "could be weaponised again in this very uncertain and violent trade and economic world".

"We have to organise things so that it's secure," he said.

China dominates the production of rare earths and has threatened to restrict supplies in a tit-for-tat trade war with Washington -- leaving Western nations looking elsewhere.

"What is important is to build something which will last," Forissier said.

"The idea is to find solutions that secure the system and that avoid us, I mean, all our like-minded countries, not to be hostages in the future."

Critical minerals were also a key component of a landmark trade deal between the EU and Australia agreed to last month.

The agreement aims to give Europe better access to these materials, most notably aluminium, lithium and manganese.

The sweeping accord also means the quota of Australian beef allowed into the bloc will increase more than 10 times the current level over the next decade. 

That upset both Australian farmers, who had hoped for more, and their European peers, who had pushed for the opposite.

Asked about domestic concerns around the deal, Forissier said that complaints from farmers in both France and Australia proved the agreement was "balanced".

"For French exporters, especially in certain agro sectors, it's an excellent deal that has been made," he said.

"The discussion has been settled," he added.

"We can say that we obtained as much as possible in the discussions."

"When you have a trade agreement, everybody makes concessions."

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