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US-Israel war on Iran

US-Israel war on Iran
Latest news and updates on the US and Israel's strikes on Iran, in which Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, and Iran's responses.
A customer pumps gas at a petrol station in Katy, Texas in the US on August 17. Photo: AFP
Energy

As oil tops US$97, US-Iran war escalation has markets bracing for supply risks

Fresh military strikes in the Middle East have sent energy prices surging, leaving traders to grapple with renewed volatility.

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US-China relations

Xi, Trump and Putin may hold trilateral meeting at next Apec forum, Kremlin says

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United States

Trump puts pressure on squeezed US oil refiners to ease pump prices

Middle East

US military carries out new strikes on Iranian targets as hostilities flare

Iran targets American interests in Gulf states after US forces attack Iranian air defence sites, radar systems and maritime assets.

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A warplane prepares for flight operations aboard a US aircraft carrier on the day US Central Command carried out air strikes against Iranian military targets. Photo: CENTCOM via Reuters
United States

Trump’s North Korea hope, China’s rocket force: 7 global relations reads

From plans that could upend the US elections to Canada tariffs, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in August 2026.

China travel

China’s 3 major airlines bet on global demand to offset deep losses: analysts

Chinese carriers choose low fares, long-term expansion as regional conflicts and weak domestic demand affect revenues.

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US sanctions on China

Opinion | Why US sanctions threats against China aren’t credible

Weaponising global payments against Beijing risks triggering a major shock at home – one America’s fragile debt and stock markets cannot afford.

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A sign displays national debt at a bus stop in a neighbourhood in Washington, D.C., on August 20. Photo: Getty Images / TNS
US-China relations

Editorial | Don’t let Iran sanctions derail US-China engagement

The US push to isolate Iran economically puts Beijing in the crosshairs. Ahead of Xi Jinping’s state visit, both sides must contain the fallout to protect vital broader ties.

US-China relations

Trump praises China for being ‘relatively inactive’ in Strait of Hormuz crisis

US president also says he has ‘a lot of respect’ for Chinese leader Xi Jinping and believes feeling is mutual as planned summit in US nears.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

US targets China’s global trade surplus at G20 meeting ahead of Xi-Trump summit

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent raises concerns over China’s ‘excessive imbalances’ just weeks before crucial bilateral meeting.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
United States

Trump to meet US oil executives as Iran war keeps fuel prices high

White House pushes for increased refining capacity after announcing huge US stake in Venezuela oil.

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A sticker depicting US President Donald Trump pointing to high prices at a fuel pump. Photo: AFP
SCO

Xi, Putin vow to deepen strategic ties after meeting at SCO summit

Xi said relevant departments from both sides are implementing initiatives he and Putin discussed during Putin’s state visit to China in May.

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PetroChina

PetroChina’s first-half profit jumps 22% despite Iran war oil supply crunch

As LNG and EV adoption bite into traditional fuel sales, higher global crude prices help the state-backed giant deliver strong earnings.

Iran

Open Questions | Trita Parsi on why US air strikes strengthened Iran’s hand

Iranian-born and Washington-based expert analyses Tehran’s leverage, China’s non-intervention strategy and shifting Persian Gulf alliances.

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Illustration : Brian Wang
Iran

US strikes Iranian launchers in first action in a month, triggering retaliation

Tehran targets American bases in Jordan; UAE intercepts drone as regional tensions spike again.

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A sculpture of Iranian military members overlooking the Strait of Hormuz in Bandar Abbas. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | Will US threats over Iran be the last straw for Beijing?

China’s measured stance since the Xi-Trump summit in May is reaching a tipping point as US pressure mounts.

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Donald Trump

Trump steps up stunts as US midterms loom

From a row with Canada to proposed talks with North Korea’s Kim, is the US president trying to distract voters from his unpopular Iran war?

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China-Middle East relations

China’s Middle East policy at a crossroads 6 months into US-Israeli war on Iran

Gulf states are rethinking their strategy after coming under attack, but observers say Beijing does not want to commit itself too deeply.

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Smoke billows over the town of Mangaf, south of Kuwait City, following an Iranian strike in June. Photo: AFP
United States

Iranian leaders admit economic toll of war with US as trade drops 35%

With the war now at the six-month mark, the Trump administration has stepped up efforts to punish Iran financially with an ‘economic D-Day’.

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US-China relations

US Treasury sanctions Hong Kong-based firm over Iran money laundering ties

Kameng Trading Ltd allegedly acted as front company to help Iran’s Pedram Pirouzan Exchange House access international financial system.

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Donald Trump

As Iran war hits six-month mark, Trump says he’s ‘not in a hurry’

The president’s ‘little excursion’ in the Middle East grinds on, despite his earlier promise to voters to keep the US out of ‘endless wars’.

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A woman holds a poster mocking US President Donald Trump during a rally in Tehran, Iran, in April. Photo: TNS
US-China relations

Opinion | US and China must team up to keep maritime trade routes free and safe

The Strait of Hormuz crisis shows neither state benefits when key waterways can become instruments of political pressure or economic coercion.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Iran

Iran’s supreme leader remains unseen 6 months after war began

Reportedly disfigured in air strikes, Mojtaba Khamenei is said to delegate daily authority while holding final say.

Middle East

Hormuz deal presses pause on Iran conflict, but fears of ‘forever war’ remain

Tehran is likely to stick to its guns in the hopes that the US midterms will bring about a Republican defeat, analysts say.

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China-Middle East relations

Open Questions | Iran expert on China’s balancing act amid conflict with US and Israel

Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute says Beijing was wise to stay out of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which he believes could spark up again.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
US military

US Patriot missile shortage in Europe ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war

In the event of a Russian ballistic missile assault, Nato could be forced ‘to take punch after punch in the mouth’.

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A US Army air defence artilleryman conducts maintenance on an MIM-104 Patriot missile system at an undisclosed location in the Middle East, in an image released in June. Photo: US Army via AFP
Mainland China

China and Iran sanctions: Beijing’s red lines and retaliation options

Washington’s new measures seen testing a recent bilateral detente with Beijing, and room for escalation remains, threatening trade, payments and supply chains.

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Iran

Iran endures 6 months of US strikes as Trump’s policy hits ‘Desperation Day’

‘I don’t think the administration is any closer to finding a way out of this,’ an ex-diplomat says, as Tehran bets time is on its side.

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