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Gulf of Oman

Two small fishing boats are shown in the near ground with large oil tankers off in the distance.

Iran bypasses Hormuz Strait to export crude oil

Energy

Iran Thursday began exporting crude oil for the first time in the Gulf of Oman, bypassing the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

A large military drone is shown with a white top and dark underside.

Iran, US in war of words after US drone shot down

Conflict
An oil tanker is shown from above with a red deck and being sprayed by water by a second, adjacent boat.

Tanker attacks seen as calibrated but risky Iranian response to US sanctions

Conflict & Justice
The Royal Opera House in Muscat, the capital of Oman.

Oman is fusing its traditional culture with modern touches… and pulling in tourists

Culture

Iran warns U.S. not to send aircraft carriers to Persian Gulf; Navy doesn’t back down

Iran, U.S. tangle over Straits of Hormuz as U.S. admits there are ‘red lines’ Iran can’t cross

Iran says that if the U.S. goes forward with its threat to impose sanctions on the country’s central bank, which could cripple its oil exports, then it will shutdown the Straits of the Hormuz. The U.S. says that’s just one red line that should Iran cross would trigger military actions.

The World

Tensions Between Washington and Tehran Continue to Rise

Arts, Culture & Media

Iranian leaders blame the US and Israel for the assassination Wednesday of an Iranian nuclear scientist. American officials, on the other hand, are publicly warning Iran not to cross a couple of “red lines.”

Top of the Hour: Leon Panetta Draws Line With Iran, Morning Headlines

The U.S. is warning Iran not to follow through on a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta tells soldiers at Fort Bliss Texas, blocking the Strait is just one action by Iran that would provoke a response.

Dutch Queen Beatrix Sparks Controversy Over Headscarf

Global Politics

For the Geo Quiz we are looking for one of the cities in the Arab world where Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands paid a visit and got into trouble because of what she was wearing.

Iran Threatens US Aircraft Carrier

In the wake of revelations about its nuclear program, many Western powers have discussed sanctioning Iran’s petroleum exports. On Tuesday, Iran stepped up its saber-rattling, warning that if an American aircraft carrier returned to its base via the Strait of Hormuz, it would face the “full force” of the Iranian navy. Roughly one fifth of […]