(2026-05-16). South Korea opposes Iran's reported plan to charge Hormuz transit fees. tribune.com.pk 
South Korea's oceans minister is opposed to Iran's reported move to impose fees on ships passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, calling the action a violation of international law, media reports said Friday. | Speaking at a news conference in the southeastern port city of Busan, Hwang Jong-woo said the waterway is an international shipping route where free navigation must be guaranteed, according to Yonhap News. | "Charging shipping tolls in the strait is practically equivalent to blocking the waterway," said Hwang, adding that, unlike the man-made Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz consists o…
(2026-05-16). Araghchi: BRICS look at Iran with Different Eyes after "American Failure" juancole.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) — The BRICS (a broad geopolitical group including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates) held a summit for foreign ministers in New Delhi on May 14-15 that was overshadowed by the relatively fruitless Trump meeting with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Iran, which attended as an observer, was naturally a big subject of conversation. | The Hormuz blockade is affecting different BRICS countries differently. India, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia are suffering with high energy and gasol…
(2026-05-16). US-China summit brings no respite in global war. wsws.org The meeting took place in the shadow of the US attack on Iran that had been launched less than three months earlier.
(2026-05-16). UAE says it needs no protection from outside, vows to defend sovereignty. tribune.com.pk 
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Friday that it does not seek protection from any party and is capable of deterring aggression, while reaffirming its right to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. | The remarks were made by Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar during a meeting of BRICS bloc foreign ministers in New Delhi, according to state news agency WAM. | Al Marar rejected Iranian accusations and criticism directed at the UAE and dismissed attempts to justify attacks targeting the country and others in the region, saying such actions violate the UN Charter, international law, and princ…
(2026-05-16). Iran's foreign minister warns US of rising economic costs from 'war of choice'. tribune.com.pk 
The US will face growing economic consequences from its "war of choice" on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister warned on Saturday. | On X, Araghchi said Americans would be forced to bear the rising costs of a conflict with Tehran. "Put aside gas price hike and stock market bubble. Real pain begins when US debt and mortgage rates start to jump," he said. | He also pointed to growing economic pressures inside the US, saying auto loan delinquencies had already reached a more than 30-year high. | "This was all avoidable," Araghchi added. | Americans are told that they must absorb rocketing costs of war of choice on…
(2026-05-16). Slashing Climate, Weather and Ocean Research to Pay for 32 Hours of Iran War. juancole.com ( The recently proposed budget from the Trump administration includes a $1.6 billion cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reduction would eliminate NOAA climate, weather and ocean res…
(2026-05-16). South Asia, the Iran war and the bankruptcy of bourgeois nationalism. wsws.org This speech was delivered by Deepal Jayasekera, General Secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), and Dilaxshan Mahalingam, a leader of the IYSSE (Sri Lanka), at the 2026 May Day Online Rally, organized by the WSWS and the ICFI.
(2026-05-15). Trump leaves Beijing with few wins, many warm words for Xi. geo.tv 
US President Donald Trump poses for photos with China's President Xi Jinping during a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026. — AFPXi warns mishandling of Taiwan issue could lead to conflict.Iran war 'should have never happened', Beijing says.Leaders meet for tea and…
(2026-05-15). Trump says made 'fantastic trade deals' with Xi. geo.tv 
US President Donald Trump is greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026. — ReutersXi calls visit a milestone.Trump touts Boeing deal.China urges lasting Iran ceasefire.BEIJING: President Donald Trump said he had made "fantastic…
(2026-05-15). Trump and his CEOs want China's business — but has Asia moved on? scmp.com US President Donald Trump's landmark visit to China comes as the US-Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest instalment of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we explore the massive upswing in capital expenditures across Asia that is driving a broad shift in economic power. | When US President Donald Trump made his…
(2026-05-15). Israel, Lebanon say extending ceasefire despite new strikes. al-monitor.com Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire and hold new talks on a political settlement, the United States announced Friday, even as Israel carried out new strikes that it insists are not subject to the truce.Israel has been pounding Lebanon and invaded its south in response to fire from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia movement that is not part of the ceasefire diplomacy.Envoys from Israel and Lebanon's government, which has struggled to restrain Hezbollah, met for two days in Washington and said they would extend the ceasefire that was set to expire Sunday.
(2026-05-15). Lebanon and Israel extend ceasefire despite new strikes. scmp.com Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire and hold new talks on a political settlement, the US announced on Friday, even as Israel carried out new strikes that it insists are not subject to the truce. | Israel has been pounding Lebanon and invaded its south in response to fire from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shia movement that is not part of the ceasefire diplomacy.
(2026-05-15). Pezeshkian's Diplomacy: Iran Balances Resistance, Regional Outreach and Global Pressure. ummid.com Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has sharpened Tehran's diplomatic messaging amid escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and mounting pressure from the United States.
(2026-05-15). Headlines for May 15, 2026. democracynow.org House Narrowly Rejects Latest War Powers Resolution to End Trump's Attacks on Iran, CENTCOM Commander Denies U.S. Killed Civilians in Iran: "No Way That We Can Corroborate That", Iran's Foreign Minister Asks BRICS Nations to Unite Against U.S. "Bullying", Trump Departs China Without Agreements on Taiwan, Iran or Strait of Hormuz, CIA Chief Travels to Havana as Cuba's Oil Reserves Run Dry Amid U.S. Fuel Blockade, UNICEF Says Israeli Attacks Have Killed or Wounded 59 Children in a Week, Despite Ceasefire Deal, Israeli Nationalists March Through Jerusalem's Old City, C…
(2026-05-15). Why China didn't hand Trump a breakthrough on Iran. al-monitor.com Trump's landmark three-day visit to China — the first for a US president since 2017 — included plenty of fanfare, flattery and awkward selfies but failed to produce deals or breakthroughs on Iran.
(2026-05-15). Fact check: Trump and Obama did not get differing receptions during their state visits to China. tribune.com.pk 
Multiple accounts were sharing a video on the social media platform X since May 13, 2026, comparing the reception given to United States President Donald Trump during his state visit to China with that of his predecessor Barack Obama. However, the clip is actually from the latter's visit to China for the G20 Summit in 2016, which was not a state visit. | Trump arrived in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026, for a state visit. He was greeted by officials at Beijing Capital Airport to begin high-stakes meetings with President Xi Jinping regarding trade and international issues, including Iran, trade, and Taiwan. | X…
(2026-05-15). The role of Australian imperialism in the war on Iran and China. wsws.org This speech was delivered by Cheryl Crisp, Socialist Equality Party (Australia) national secretary, at the 2026 May Day Online Rally, organized by the WSWS and the ICFI.
(2026-05-15). 'A reckless act': Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit. al-monitor.com Just as UAE-Israeli relations were deepening through cooperation against Iran, the Israeli prime minister publicly embarrassed Abu Dhabi by revealing his March visit.
(2026-05-15). Media miss: The questions never asked behind the US-Israel war on Iran. asiapacificreport.nz 
ANALYSIS: By Alison Broinowski of Declassified Australia Most of the Western media refuse to join the dots and explain Israel's decades-long obsession with defanging Tehran. The war in Iran is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has planned for four decades. He has always wanted Israel to extend from Egypt to the Euphrates and in the…
(2026-05-15). Iranian filmmaker Farhadi condemns Middle East war, protest massacres. al-monitor.com Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi condemned Friday both the killing of civilians in US and Israeli attacks on his country and the "massacring" of protesters by the Islamic republic. Farhadi, who travelled from Tehran last week, trod a fine line when asked for his thoughts about events in his war-hit homeland at the Cannes Film Festival, where his latest film, the French-language "Parallel Tales", received its premiere.
(2026-05-15). Rep. Jared Golden Joins GOP to Block House Iran War Powers Resolution Yet Again. truthout.org Maine Democratic Congressman Jared Golden was the target of fresh ire late Thursday after casting his party's sole vote against a war powers resolution in the US House aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's disastrous war against Iran. Though Golden, who is not seeking reelection this year, was an original cosponsor of the resolution ( H.Con.Res.75) offered by fellow Democratic Rep. |
(2026-05-15). Epic Fury, strategic failure: America's Iran debacle. independentaustralia.net 
(2026-05-15). Iran to hold pre-World Cup training camp in Turkey: media. al-monitor.com The Iran team will head to Turkey for a training camp before taking part in the World Cup in the United States, local media reported Friday."The next phase of the national team's preparation is set to be hosted in Antalya, Turkey," Iranian Football360 website reported, adding that the squad would then travel to their World Cup base in Tucson, Arizona.Antalya also hosted the Iran team for training and matches in March.
(2026-05-15). Mélenchon 2027: A presidential campaign that holds back workers' mobilization. wsws.org Sunday, May 3, Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced on TF1 a candidacy not to mobilize workers against austerity and the war against Iran but to smother that mobilization within a nationalist orientation toward French capitalist institutions.
(2026-05-15). French imperialism, the war on Iran and the EU assault on migrants. wsws.org This speech was delivered by Alex Lantier, Parti de l'égalité socialiste (PES) national secretary, at the 2026 May Day Online Rally, organized by the WSWS and the ICFI.
(2026-05-15). UAE fast-tracks new oil route as Strait of Hormuz closure hits global supplies. geo.tv 
(2026-05-15). Govt slashes petrol, diesel prices by Rs5. tribune.com.pk 
The federal government on Friday reduced the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel by Rs5 per litre each for the next week, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division. | Under the revised prices, high-speed diesel will cost Rs409.58 per litre, while petrol will be available at Rs409.78 per litre. | The Petroleum Division said the revised prices would take effect from midnight and remain applicable for the next week. | This marks the first reduction in fuel prices in recent weeks after successive hikes linked to the fuel crisis triggered by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the confli…
(2026-05-15). The Hormuz Choke Point and the Twilight of Petroleum. fpif.org After British troops had beaten German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's tank forces at the Second Battle of El Alamein in Egypt on November 4, 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill The same might now be said about humanity's struggle to defeat t…