Around 20,000 seafarers remain trapped and unable to leave in and around the Strait of Hormuz, said International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.
Warning signs of a regional escalation emerged on Sunday as US President Donald Trump intensified his rhetoric toward Iran, the United Arab Emirates reported a drone strike near its Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, and Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones that entered its airspace from Iraq.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s response to a US peace proposal as “totally unacceptable,” dealing a fresh blow to efforts to end the conflict and raising the risk of renewed instability in the Gulf, where shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.
Saudi Arabia’s Northern International Highway continues to serve as one of the Kingdom’s most strategically important transport corridors, reinforcing regional trade links and cross-border mobility across the Middle East and beyond.
Fresh diplomatic momentum is building around possible talks between the United States and Iran, with both sides signalling cautious openness even as they stop short of confirming direct engagement.
Oil production across the Gulf, sharply curtailed by the Iran conflict, is expected to stage a strong recovery within months once the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens, according to Goldman Sachs, offering a measure of optimism for regional energy markets.
Gulf women continue to strengthen their presence in the development journey of GCC countries, supported by a young population base and growing participation in the labour market, according to a GCC-Stat report.
France and the Gulf Cooperation Council states will meet in Paris on June 18 and 19 June for Vision Golfe, a high-level forum designed to accelerate trade, investment and strategic cooperation between the two regions.
Fresh diplomatic signals from Tehran and Washington have raised cautious optimism about a potential deal to de-escalate tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and end the war.
Canada has emerged as the clearest winner from current geopolitical disruption in incentive travel planning, while the Gulf States is seeing the sharpest fall in confidence, according to the latest SITE Pulse Survey.
