TOPIC

/ location

Iran

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Iran. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Tehran

Head of State

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Head of Government

President Masoud Pezeshkian

PBOC governor Pan Gongsheng appears with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF. Photo: handout

China trade

China presses IMF for quota reform, better surveillance of advanced economies

PBOC head urges IMF to ‘stand against protectionism’ amid effects from tariffs, Iran war.

15 minutes ago

Malaysia

Delays, rising costs hit Asia’s trade as Gulf crisis spills beyond oil

43 minutes ago

China energy security

China’s trade with Iran, Gulf states plunges as Hormuz crisis hits energy flows

1 hour agovideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Is Malacca Strait at risk from Hormuz ‘chain reaction’ after Iranian warning?

Chinese analyst says the Mideast crisis has made the world start ‘thinking about the security of shipping routes again’.

1 hour agovideocam

Iran’s senior adviser Ali Akbar Velayati says, “the era of imposing security from across the oceans has come to an end” before stating that security in the Malacca Strait, pictured, is guaranteed. Photo: EPA

China GDP

First tariffs, now war: how Asia is facing a second year of economic shocks

Global institutions forecast slower growth in Asia-Pacific this year, as the Iran war and tariff risks combine to disrupt global trade.

4 hours agovideocam

SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong Sevens breaks records, Strait of Hormuz uncertainty: 5 weekend reads

From Iran’s effective low-cost missile to rugby fever in Hong Kong, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

3 hours ago

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war escalates as Houthis threaten to sever Saudi oil exports

Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.

6 hours ago

Armed Houthi loyalists attend a rally in Yemen last month demanding a resumption of attacks against Red Sea shipping. Photo: Xinhua

Banking & finance

Hong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Iran conflict

The city’s safe-harbour appeal for capital and investments grows as China’s support strengthens its edge while Dubai faces pressure.

20 Apr 2026 - 10:47AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

20 Apr 2026 - 9:20AM

Banking & finance

Cash holdings rise amid war, but Asia remains key for wealthy: Schroders CEO

High-net-worth clients continue to seek opportunities in Asia, taking a longer-term view despite global uncertainties, Richard Oldfield says.

20 Apr 2026 - 7:30AM

Schroders Group CEO Richard Oldfield at the company’s Hong Kong office in Admiralty on April 15. Photo: Eugene Lee

Crime

LA woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

Shamim Mafi is accused ‘brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition’.

6 hours ago

Los Angeles International Airport, where Iranian national Shamim Mafi was arrested on Saturday. Photo: AP

China-EU relations

Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

The Belgian political scientist on what the Iran war and the transatlantic collision reveal about Europe’s place in a fast-changing world.

20 Apr 2026 - 10:05AMvideocam

Middle East

Israel vows to level homes in Lebanon, counter threats with ‘full force’

Israel’s military unveils a map of its new southern ‘forward defence line’, days after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect.

1 hour ago

Britain

UK probing whether Iran proxies behind arson attacks on London Jewish sites

Counterterror police investigate what a rabbi called a ‘sustained campaign’ of attacks against the Jewish community of the UK.

4 hours ago

Burnt ambulances in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London on March 23. Photo: AFP

Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

19 Apr 2026 - 9:46PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Exclusive | Iran keen on deal with US but has higher ‘pain tolerance’: think tank chief

Mohamed Amersi, who is close to Iranian negotiators, says regime is prepared for long haul and will not give up its missile programme.

20 Apr 2026 - 4:10AMvideocam

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

3 hours ago

United States

Asian Angle | The Thucydides Trap is a lie created to justify a US-China war

Ancient Greece offers no lessons for Asia. The Global South must stop letting America’s war machine write history.

19 Apr 2026 - 1:30PMvideocam

Iranian women walk past a memorial in Tehran to a school that was targeted by a US air strike in February killing 165 children and staff. Photo: EPA

Donald Trump

Pope Leo seeks to defuse tensions with Trump, says not trying to debate him

The pontiff clarified that his Cameroon comments weren’t aimed at Trump amid media misinterpretations.

19 Apr 2026 - 11:32AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Russia’s Lavrov says balance of power shifting to emerging economies

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov said the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by the US had ‘come to an end’.

18 Apr 2026 - 11:42PMvideocam

Focus

The rupture: how Europe fell out of love with America

Many believed the transatlantic alliance could weather another term of Trump, but a year and a half on those hopes have largely faded.

19 Apr 2026 - 1:32AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Closed? Open? Closed? Why is Iran changing course on the Strait of Hormuz?

Tehran is looking for room to manoeuvre on bigger issues as a ceasefire deadline looms next week, observers say.

19 Apr 2026 - 1:26AMvideocam

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz seems to be a tactic by Iran to gain leverage in future talks with the United States. Photo: EU/Coperniucus Sentinal-2 via Reuters

China-Middle East relations

Lesson for China? Iran’s low-cost 358 missile takes out million-dollar US assets

Price of successful ‘drone killer’ said to be one-tenth that of conventional air-defence munitions with comparable range and firepower specs.

18 Apr 2026 - 9:30PM

Britain

UK’s counterterror police probe another London arson attack

The fire in Hendon on Friday follows another arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley on Wednesday.

18 Apr 2026 - 8:47PM

US, Israel war on Iran

How China’s military could learn vital lessons from war in Iran

The US-Israeli attacks are a ‘massive learning opportunity’, a Middle East analyst tells a seminar held in Shenzhen.

18 Apr 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

The US has warned it is ready to resume attacks on Iran. Photo: AFP

United States

Iran reimposes shipping restrictions on Strait of Hormuz

The waterway has ‘returned to its previous state’, Tehran says, accusing Washington of banditry and maritime piracy.

19 Apr 2026 - 1:21AMvideocam

Shipping restrictions have changed again in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important waterways. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Iranians fear ‘pressure will 100% increase’ after US, Israeli strikes stop

Iranians are worried that an agreement with the US will free the regime to return to asserting control over its people.

18 Apr 2026 - 3:05PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Hong Kong wants to be a global gold vault. Does the Iran war create an opening?

Geopolitical risk is driving a rethink of where bullion is stored – and Hong Kong’s unique status is drawing attention.

3 hours agovideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Iran

China presses IMF for quota reform, better surveillance of advanced economies

PBOC head urges IMF to ‘stand against protectionism’ amid effects from tariffs, Iran war.

Delays, rising costs hit Asia’s trade as Gulf crisis spills beyond oil

China’s trade with Iran, Gulf states plunges as Hormuz crisis hits energy flows

Is Malacca Strait at risk from Hormuz ‘chain reaction’ after Iranian warning?

Chinese analyst says the Mideast crisis has made the world start ‘thinking about the security of shipping routes again’.

First tariffs, now war: how Asia is facing a second year of economic shocks

Global institutions forecast slower growth in Asia-Pacific this year, as the Iran war and tariff risks combine to disrupt global trade.

Hong Kong Sevens breaks records, Strait of Hormuz uncertainty: 5 weekend reads

From Iran’s effective low-cost missile to rugby fever in Hong Kong, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Iran war escalates as Houthis threaten to sever Saudi oil exports

Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.

Hong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Iran conflict

The city’s safe-harbour appeal for capital and investments grows as China’s support strengthens its edge while Dubai faces pressure.

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

Cash holdings rise amid war, but Asia remains key for wealthy: Schroders CEO

High-net-worth clients continue to seek opportunities in Asia, taking a longer-term view despite global uncertainties, Richard Oldfield says.

LA woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

Shamim Mafi is accused ‘brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition’.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

The Belgian political scientist on what the Iran war and the transatlantic collision reveal about Europe’s place in a fast-changing world.

Israel vows to level homes in Lebanon, counter threats with ‘full force’

Israel’s military unveils a map of its new southern ‘forward defence line’, days after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect.

UK probing whether Iran proxies behind arson attacks on London Jewish sites

Counterterror police investigate what a rabbi called a ‘sustained campaign’ of attacks against the Jewish community of the UK.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

Exclusive | Iran keen on deal with US but has higher ‘pain tolerance’: think tank chief

Mohamed Amersi, who is close to Iranian negotiators, says regime is prepared for long haul and will not give up its missile programme.

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

Asian Angle | The Thucydides Trap is a lie created to justify a US-China war

Ancient Greece offers no lessons for Asia. The Global South must stop letting America’s war machine write history.

Pope Leo seeks to defuse tensions with Trump, says not trying to debate him

The pontiff clarified that his Cameroon comments weren’t aimed at Trump amid media misinterpretations.

Russia’s Lavrov says balance of power shifting to emerging economies

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov said the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by the US had ‘come to an end’.

The rupture: how Europe fell out of love with America

Many believed the transatlantic alliance could weather another term of Trump, but a year and a half on those hopes have largely faded.

Closed? Open? Closed? Why is Iran changing course on the Strait of Hormuz?

Tehran is looking for room to manoeuvre on bigger issues as a ceasefire deadline looms next week, observers say.

Lesson for China? Iran’s low-cost 358 missile takes out million-dollar US assets

Price of successful ‘drone killer’ said to be one-tenth that of conventional air-defence munitions with comparable range and firepower specs.

UK’s counterterror police probe another London arson attack

The fire in Hendon on Friday follows another arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley on Wednesday.

How China’s military could learn vital lessons from war in Iran

The US-Israeli attacks are a ‘massive learning opportunity’, a Middle East analyst tells a seminar held in Shenzhen.

Iran reimposes shipping restrictions on Strait of Hormuz

The waterway has ‘returned to its previous state’, Tehran says, accusing Washington of banditry and maritime piracy.

Iranians fear ‘pressure will 100% increase’ after US, Israeli strikes stop

Iranians are worried that an agreement with the US will free the regime to return to asserting control over its people.

Hong Kong wants to be a global gold vault. Does the Iran war create an opening?

Geopolitical risk is driving a rethink of where bullion is stored – and Hong Kong’s unique status is drawing attention.

Open Questions | ‘Saying you’re a geopolitical actor doesn’t make it so’: Sven Biscop on Europe

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China