Tehran, Iran – The United States has reinforced its naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports, amid the escalating military confrontation between them.
The US blockade on Iran was first imposed in mid-April and remained for over nine weeks. It was only lifted after the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June to end four months of fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran immediately began exporting tens of millions of barrels of crude oil, much of it stored on supertankers anchored close to its oil terminals. However, after the recent resurgence in military strikes over control of the Strait of Hormuz, Washington rescinded oil and banking waivers issued as part of the MoU and prevented vessels linked to Iran from returning to port to load more Iranian oil.
Since the MoU effectively fell apart due to recent strikes, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has redirected several ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz. It also launched a strike to disable the Curacao-flagged supertanker Belma, which had allegedly been transporting Iranian crude during the war.
Iran has also been accused of striking ships in the waterway, leading to the US bombing Iranian coastal areas.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged the previous blockade drastically reduced Iranian crude exports. Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a TV interview at the end of June that “we did not export even one barrel” during the blockade.
Energy analyst Hamidreza Shokouhi told Al Jazeera that the new US siege means that at least 1.5 million barrels per day of Iranian oil exports will be taken off the market. That has contributed to pushing oil prices up to around $90 per barrel and sustained conflict could cause further increases.
“That means more pressure on global strategic reserves, which have already been tapped during the war and are facing unprecedented pressure,” he said.
Washington’s insistence on vessels using the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz close to the coast of Oman for the duration of the MoU has contributed to the current military escalation, the analyst said.
Shokouhi noted that Iran responded to the siege by trying to ensure that no other regional country could export their oil via the strait, piling pressure on the US and its allies.
“When the US acts this way, Iran also moves in the direction of not prioritising the economy and using the leverage at its disposal,” Shokouhi said.
Seven nights of tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran have quickly escalated and intensified as the week progressed.
The attacks left a trail of destruction in both Iran and countries across the region, with Kuwait and Bahrain heavily targeted by Iranian missiles and drones in recent days.
The US military has also heavily targeted provinces across Iran, particularly areas in the south closer to the strait.
Civilian infrastructure – including bridges and tunnels, ports and dock facilities, power stations and water plants – have been systematically hit, along with military sites. Some have speculated that could be in preparation for a ground invasion of Iranian coastal regions.
The Aq Tekeh railway bridge in the northern Iranian province of Golestan was among the first targets to be struck by US forces last week after the fighting re-erupted.
Iranian authorities said damage to the bridge was quickly repaired, but the strike signalled US willingness to attack potential import-export routes to exacerbate the impact of the naval blockade.
Aq Tekeh is on the Gorgan-Incheh Borun line, which connects Iran to the east, including Turkmenistan, Russia and China. It is where food and other essentials are imported from Central Asia and Iranian goods are exported, such as iron ore and polyethylene.
The previous US naval blockade had also significantly impacted goods and markets in Iran, making everyday life for over 90 million people more difficult.
Although there were no widespread shortages of staples, Iran’s inflation rate – already one of the world’s highest – surged. The price of some basic foodstuffs, such as eggs, chicken and cooking oil, has more than tripled compared to a year ago.
Price increases have also damaged other sectors of the Iranian economy and industries.
“Our sales are very inconsistent. The market is struggling to find prices, there’s too much instability and uncertainty about the future,” said Borzou, a merchant dealing in industrial motors and equipment at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.
“It looks like most distributors here are still tapping into imported inventories from before, we don’t know what to expect in a few months since many of these goods came through China and the UAE and not all can be imported through inland routes,” he told Al Jazeera.
There has also been intense pressure on the Iranian rial from the renewed military escalation and reimposition of the naval blockade.
The rial changed hands for over 1.93 million against the US dollar in Tehran’s open market on Saturday, the first day of the Iranian week, registering a new all-time low.
The Tehran Stock Exchange continued its downward trend over the past week, with its main index losing another 120,000 points or 2.4 percent on Saturday to stand at 4.77 million.
Iran’s armed forces have warned they will retaliate against any US strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure by attacking similar targets in regional countries hosting US military bases.
“Let’s not forget that the US and Israel started attacks against infrastructure, when they hit South Pars gas fields, Tehran’s oil depots and the petrochemicals in Mahshahr,” said energy analyst Shokouhi.
Utilising help from the Houthi group in Yemen, Tehran could also cause significant disruptions to shipping in the strategically important Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen’s coast – if US President Donald Trump realises his threat to hit more civilian infrastructure in Iran such as power plants and bridges.
“Trump’s actions over recent months, and particularly over recent days, have only made the situation more intractable and the outlook more uncertain. The current situation cannot continue for much longer, but it is broadening the scope of the conflict and that is concerning,” Shokouhi said.
NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani was at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Friday against the New York Yankees, five days after receiving an injection in his left knee. And he’s penciled in to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Ohtani received an orthovisc shot in his knee to lubricate the joint and relieve irritation, manager Dave Roberts said, and did not have it drained.
“It gives him some relief in his knee which we were hoping to get,” Roberts said. “Then the four days off with no activity which gives it a chance to settle in.”
Ohtani was expected to be in the lineup for all three games against the Yankees. He planned to play catch and throw off the mound in the coming days, and the team would monitor his response before finalizing pitching plans.
Taking the mound Wednesday would give Ohtani more recovery time heading into the team’s day off. When asked if Ohtani would shoulder two-way duties Wednesday, Roberts said, “We’ll see when we get there.”
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits his 300th career home run against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on July 7.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
When it isn’t possible to have Ohtani pitch before a day off, Roberts would like to rest him the following day.
“It’s all contingent on how his knee is feeling,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s second-half workload. “I think we are certainly more prepared to back off on the workload if it calls for it. But Shohei wants to be out there as much as he possibly can.”
Asked if Ohtani would need offseason surgery, Roberts said: “I would highly doubt that.”
Coming out of the break, the Dodgers shuffled their rotation to have Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Yoshinobu Yamamoto face the Yankees in that order.
That leaves left-handed starters Eric Lauer and Justin Wrobleski (not necessarily in that order), to face the Phillies before Ohtani would take the mound.
The Dodgers are shutting down catcher Will Smith from all baseball activities for a week as he continues to deal with a lingering neck injury. That pushes his return timeline back to at least August, if not later.
“It was flaring up, wasn’t recovering — however you want to word it,” Roberts said. “He didn’t feel like he was making any improvement.”
Smith has been sidelined since early June because of what he described as an inflamed disk. He initially treated it with rest and then an injection. But it still was bothering him during his latest buildup.
“I talked to the trainer, Thomas [Albert], today and he said that Will doesn’t feel any pain,” Roberts said. “Now with that, I think we’re in a much better spot.”
Dodgers utility player Kiké Hernández (strained left oblique) was set to begin a rehab assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday. And left-hander Blake Snell was scheduled to take the mound for two innings Saturday in his first minor-league rehab start since undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow.
The MLB schedule got off to a smoky start out of the All-Star break. With wildfires in Canada raising air-quality concerns in the Northeast and Midwest on Thursday, the New York Mets’ game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia was moved up an hour.
The smoke cleared over Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon.
“I know that the players got a players’ union text that says it’s a full go,” Roberts said. “They feel good about it. The league feels good. I haven’t heard anything otherwise.”
With a lockout widely expected to start Dec. 1 and no guarantee of an agreement in time to preserve the 2027 season, take MLB’s schedule announcement Thursday with a grain of salt.
Should collective bargaining negotiations wrap up in time, however, the Dodgers are set to open the season at Dodger Stadium on March 25 against the Atlanta Braves.
They end the season on the road, facing a pair of division rivals in the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks from Sept. 21-26.
phuttaphat tipsana/iStock via Getty Images
Healthcare equipment maker Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is due to report second-quarter earnings on July 15, with analysts expecting a quarter of solid growth.
The consensus EPS Estimate for Intuitive Surgical is $2.50, representing a 14.2% Y/Y jump. On the revenue side, ISRG is projected to
During their first two games, Panama have taken a dynamic approach depending on the phase of play the game is in.
From opposition goal-kicks, Panama have stepped up to press aggressively in a 4-4-2 shape.
If the opponents have quality on the ball and find themselves in possession higher up the pitch, Panama’s high press falls into a mid-block, and they move from a 4-4-2 into a 5-3-2. Their focus is on making it hard for teams to play through them.
As Croatia, in particular, grew into the game, Panama took an even more defensive approach.
Their 5-3-2 became a 5-4-1, a shape they adopted with a deeper defensive line for large parts of the game.
So what does this mean for England?
The couple was left by the disappointing ‘reality’ of Barcelona (stock image)(Image: JohnnyGreig via Getty Images)
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia in northeastern parts of Spain, is a popular for Brits looking for a weekend break or a summer escape, thanks to its mix of buzzing city life, Mediterranean coastline, and world-famous architecture. And it’s not only Brits who are drawn to the Spanish city, as it welcomed around 16 million tourists last year alone, a 2.9 per cent rise from 2024.
But officials in the city have warned that tourism levels have resulted in residents being priced out due to the number of homes being converted into holiday lets. In a bid to tackle the problem, the city ramped up its tourism tax in April 2026, with a charge of up to £10.91 (€12.50) per night for holiday rentals, up from £5.45 (€6.25) previously.
Yet this doesn’t appear to have deterred visitors, as countless holidaymakers regularly flock to social media platforms like TikTok to share their experiences in Barcelona.
But many have discovered it’s worlds apart from what they might have imagined. Among them are Lara and Laurens, a Dutch couple who chronicle their travels on TikTok.
In a recent clip, they revealed how their dream vision of Barcelona had been ‘ruined’ because of the sheer amount of roadworks under way during their stay.
The pair kicked off by outlining their ‘expectations’ for the trip. This included soaking up the stunning architecture across the city, enjoying sangrias, and people-watching while strolling along the lively streets.
And Lara went on to reveal the ‘reality’ of a trip to Barcelona, which featured an abundance of roadworks, building sites, and makeshift pedestrian routes flanked by wire fencing, all making way for construction projects taking place on the pavements and roads.
“Would you still visit Barcelona right now?” Lara and Laurens asked viewers in the caption of the video.
Lara wasn’t alone in her observations either, as viewers quickly descended on the comments section to share their own experiences of visiting the beloved Spanish city. “This! And every single water fountain was turned off when we went,” one person shared.
A second viewer chimed in: “Yep! I was there recently and tons of construction going on!” Another added: “Pffff no nice. I hope you can enjoy your travel.”
Not everyone agreed, however, with one person pointing out: “That’s ONE street.” Another echoed the sentiment, writing: “It’s just one street by the market! Everything else is great!”
“I’m here right now. It’s a beautiful city. All cities have construction here and there,” one further commenter remarked.
“How dare cities upgrade their infrastructure while you’re on vacation!” someone else wrote.
Lara was quick to respond, saying: “Haha no it’s great that they’re doing it. It was just a lot on the same time. Still love Barcelona.”
A massive $166 billion in corporate tariff refunds sounds nice, but could take years to process.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling invalidating the Trump administration’s tariffs was a positive outcome for companies, but refunds may take years to materialize.
The Supreme Court decided in February that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency illegally collected $166 billion from 300,000 importers. Logically, companies should get refunds, but lawyers don’t expect a smooth process. Importers should be prepared to wait for one year, even 18 months, according to TD Securities.
The federal agency set up an online portal called the Automated Commercial Environment to handle refunds. Once the agency accepts a company’s claim, it issues refunds within 60 to 90 days.
That’s the short-term optimistic resolution, but history shows a lot of things could go wrong. In 1998, the Supreme Court announced that the government had to return $750 million in fees collected between 1993 and 1998. It took years to get done.
The CBP is set up to collect money quickly—but it doesn’t easily send it back. Companies must document a proper claim on the new portal. Some small business owners don’t understand the complex customs terminology, while others can’t even log in to the new portal due to technical glitches. Let’s say that the agency and the company don’t agree about the amount of the refund. The importer must submit new documentation and begin a second review process. Companies could even be forced to go to court.
CFOs should be ready for a long, fastidious process. The financial expert should set up a cross-functional task force—including tax, accounting, procurement, and supply chain experts—to review the data and audit all the company’s entries. When the time comes, the task force will be able to answer any CBP question.
The online portal created by the CBP agency focuses on importers, but they are not alone. Consumers could also say that they were overcharged because of the tariffs. The federal government ignores them, but some states don’t. Taking matters into his own hands, Illinois Democrat Governor JB Pritzker, in a letter to the Trump administration posted on soicial media, demanded an $8.7 billion refund—that’s $1,700 for each Illinois household affected.
08:20, 25 May 2026Updated 08:20, 25 May 2026
Sunbeds in Benidorm are reported to be “empty” (stock image)(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Every now and then we witness something that blows us away, and one man was recently left floored after seeing an unexpected sight in Benidorm. According to him, the sunbeds have been “empty” recently and the scene is quite something to behold.
Harry, known as Harry Tokky on TikTok, claimed he’s never seen Benidorm beach so “empty” before as he shared footage of disregarded sunbeds and a super quiet atmosphere. Known for sharing his adventures in Spain, he’s someone who knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the popular holiday destination, but this is a sight he perhaps didn’t anticipate to witness recently.
It comes as people reported a difference at the travel hotspot a few months ago. Back in December, someone else told of how the strip appeared to be super quiet too.
In the clip, Harry said: “I can’t believe it. Benidorm is deserted. Have you ever seen so many empty sunbeds in May in Benidorm? Because I haven’t.
“I know what it is. It’s because they charge people for the sunbeds. It’s got to be. Would you pay for a sunbed here in Benidorm?
“It’s currently 26 degrees. It’s absolutely gorgeous in Benidorm. Why on earth would nobody be taking a sunbed? Honestly, answer me that question.
“It’s really quiet down here today. It really is. I’ve never seen so many sunbeds. Normally this beach is absolutely rammed – you can’t even move, but there are a lot of sunbeds available.”
The video got several people talking, as it’s been viewed hundreds of times. They had all sorts of things to say about the situation, but not everybody agreed with Harry’s theory.
One person said: “Flights aren’t cheap anymore. Checked a few times over the last month and that’s what I found anyway.”
Another added: “When I come back, I’m sitting on my towel.” A third replied: “Getting too expensive.”
However, others had different ideas and thought the price was quite reasonable. Some also noted they’ve seen the beach packed in recent days.
Someone else replied: “It’s a decent price to come and go all day if you want to.” Another noted: “And yet when I was there today it was rammed. What time was this, 6am?”
A different person noted: “It was packed earlier.” One more also said: “Depends what time of day it is.”
According to reports, you have to pay to reserve a sunbed on Benidorm’s beaches, such as Levante and Poniente. It’s said to be €6 (£5.18) per sunbed and €6 per parasol per day.
There’s no need for advance reservations as you pay the attendant on the beach, and your ticket allows you to use your chosen spot all day. While it’s not clear if this is the only reason they’ve been claimed to be so “empty”, it’s one theory presented by people.
It’s clearly still a travel hotspot though, as Benidorm welcomes over three million visitors annually, making it a super popular tourist destination. In fact, the city’s overall population swells by up to 12 times during peak periods.
The council has been contacted for more information.