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DUBAI, April 11 (Reuters) - A senior Iranian source said on Saturday the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets ​held in Qatar and other foreign banks, but a U.S. official swiftly denied the assertion. The senior Iranian ‌source welcomed the purported U.S. move as a sign of "seriousness" in reaching a deal with Washington in talks in Islamabad.    The source said it was one of Iran's demands "in messages conveyed to the U.S. side" and that Tehran had received a ​U.S. agreement to release the assets. The source, who declined to be named due to the ​sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that unfreezing the assets was "directly linked to ensuring ⁠safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz", which is expected to be a key issue in ​the talks. The senior source did not give a value for the assets that Washington had agreed to ​unfreeze. A second Iranian source said the United States had agreed to release $6 billion of frozen Iranian f...

Twenty-one hours was not enough to end 47 years of hostility between Iran and the US. The historic high-level talks in Islamabad, during a pause in weeks of grievous war, were always unlikely to end any other way. Calling this marathon negotiating session a failure belies the scale of the challenge in narrowing wide gaps on complex issues ranging from age-old suspicion about Iran's nuclear programme to new challenges this war has thrown up - most of all Iran's control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, whose closure is causing economic shocks worldwide. To do a deal, they also needed to overcome a deep chasm of distrust. A day ago, it wasn't even certain the two sides would meet, and even more, sit down in the same room. A longstanding political taboo was broken. The urgent question now is: what happens next? What happens to the contested two-week ceasefire which pulled the world back from US President Donald Trump's alarming threat to destroy a "whole ...

CAIRO, April 12 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has restored full oil pumping capacity through the East-West pipeline  to about seven million barrels per day, it ‌said on Sunday, days after providing an assessment of damage on its energy sector from attacks during the Iran conflict .  The ministry said energy facilities and ​the pipeline affected by attacks  during the conflict have ​recovered and restored operational capacity. Saudi did not specify who ⁠launched the attacks, but the kingdom has intercepted many ​Iranian missiles and drones in recent weeks. The strikes also disrupted operations  ​at key oil, gas, refining, petrochemical and electricity sites in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Yanbu Industrial City. OUTPUT RECOVERY TO HELP SUPPLY CONTINUITY Saudi ​said on Thursday the attacks had cut its oil production ​capacity by around 600,000 barrels per day and throughput on its East-West ‌Pipeline ⁠by about 700,000 bpd. The East-West Pipeline has been...

A federal appeals court said Saturday that President Donald Trump can move ahead for another week with construction of a massive new White House ballroom while judges consider the project. The 2-1 order from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is a temporary win for Trump in a protracted legal fight  over whether he has the authority to build the ballroom on the site of the former East Wing without express approval from Congress. The appeals court said work on the project can continue until at least April 17. The court sent the case back down to a federal judge who initially ruled against it, saying he needed to look closer at the White House’s argument that construction must continue for national security and safety reasons, and adding that the appeals court couldn’t scrutinize the notion on a “hurried record.” “It remains unclear whether and to what extent the development of certain aspects of the proposed ballroom is necessary to ensure the safety and security of th...

The World Bank has commended the management of the Dangote Group for the foresight it demonstrated in investing in the 650, 000 barrels per day Refinery, which, according to him, has protected Nigeria against global energy deficiencies from ongoing unrest in the Middle East. World Bank President Ajay Banga told Reuters in an interview on Friday that Nigeria, ​which had long faced problems, stood to benefit from a $20 billion investment made by the Dangote Group in refineries, which had actually ​increased output during the war, ⁠and was now supplying aviation fuel to neighboring countries. “Nigeria should be breathing a sigh of relief. They’ve built up the ability to have energy security for themselves through that huge investment,” he said. “It’s actually a really good example of the right thing being done in terms of energy self-sufficiency for them, but also for their neighbours.” According to him, the war in the Middle East will have a cascading ...

US intelligence indicates that China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to  Iran  within the next few weeks, according to three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments. It would be a provocative move considering Beijing said it helped broker the fragile ceasefire agreement  that paused the war between Iran and the US earlier this week. President Donald Trump is also set to visit China early next month for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The intelligence also underscores how Iran may be using the ceasefire as an opportunity to replenish certain weapons systems with the help of key foreign partners. Two of the sources told CNN there are indications that Beijing is working to route the shipments through third countries to mask their true origin. The systems Beijing is preparing to transfer are shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, the sources said, which posed an asymmetric threat to low-flying US military ai...

First Lady Melania Trump has denied connections to Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at the White House that any claims linking the two "need to end today". In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the first lady called for congressional hearings for survivors of Epstein's sex trafficking. She also denied online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation". It is unclear what prompted the announcement. There was no prior indication from her office that she would make a statement on Epstein, and the White House did not share the topic earlier when her remarks were put on its daily schedule. She said she had not been a victim of Epstein, with whom she only briefly "crossed paths" in 2000. "I have never had any knowledge of Epstein abuse of his victims," she said. "I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant." She also denied knowing Ghi...

In the hours before the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US was announced, there were some small signs of hope from Pakistan. Speaking anonymously, a Pakistan source told the BBC that the talks continued "at pace", with Pakistan operating as an intermediary between Iran and the US. Those conducting the negotiations from Pakistan's side consisted of "a very small circle" and that the mood was "sombre and serious but still hopeful that a cessation of hostilities will be the outcome. There are a few hours left." The source said they were not part of that small circle. Pakistan has acted as an intermediary between Iran and the US over the last few weeks, passing messages between the two. It has a historic relationship with Iran, a shared border and regularly refers to its "brotherly" relationship with the country. As for the US relationship, President Trump has referred to the head of Pakistan's armed forces, Field Marshall...

The Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has called on US President Donald Trump to extend his deadline for two weeks "to allow diplomacy to run its course". He also asks for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, he writes: "Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future. "To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. "Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture. "We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region." ~ BBC

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The war in the Middle East  will lead to higher inflation and slower global ​growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund told Reuters on Monday, ahead of a forecast for the world economy planned by the global lender for ‌next week. The war has triggered the worst-ever disruption  in global energy supply, with millions of barrels of oil production shuttered due to Iran's effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for shipping one-fifth of the world's oil and gas. Even if the conflict is swiftly resolved, the IMF is set to reduce its forecast for economic growth and bump up its outlook for inflation, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, said. The war is expected ​to dominate discussions among finance officials from around the world at next week's spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington. The Fund is expected to release ​a range of scenarios in its upcoming World Economic Outlook due o...

ABUJA, April 7 (Reuters) - Nigeria's economy ​is resilient and set to grow in the first half of 2026 despite the Iran war , the World ‌Bank said on Tuesday, adding that rising fuel costs and persistently high inflation risk squeezing incomes and slowing poverty reduction. Business activity remains in expansion territory with the U.S./Israel-Iran conflict so far lifting prices but leaving output largely intact, World Bank Nigeria lead economist Fiseha ​Haile said during a presentation in the capital Abuja. "Overall business activity has been expanding over the past few ​months, suggesting the impact on growth has been relatively contained. But the shock is still ⁠being felt through higher inflation," Haile said. President Bola Tinubu, now in his third year in office, has rolled out ​Nigeria's most ambitious economic overhaul in decades by ending costly fuel and energy subsidies, devaluing the currency and changing the ​tax system to stabilise an economy bat...