WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that China had been an unreliable global partner during the Middle East war by hoarding oil supplies and limiting exports of certain goods, much as they hoarded medical supplies during the pandemic.

Bessent told reporters he had spoken with Chinese officials about the issue. He dodged a question about whether the dispute would derail U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to visit Beijing at the end of the month, but said Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a very good working relationship.

ANKARA, April 14 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Hungarian election winner Peter Magyar in a phone call on Tuesday that he believed Turkey-Hungary ties would progress further as he congratulated him on his victory, the Turkish presidency said.

In a statement, the presidency said Erdogan also told Magyar he wanted to deepen the strategic partnership between the NATO allies.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Alison Williams)

By Joshua McElwee

ANNABA, Algeria, April 14 (Reuters) - Pope Leo warned of the risk of democracies sliding into "majoritarian tyranny" on Tuesday, in a letter issued by the Vatican two days after U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the pontiff on social media.

The first U.S. pope, writing to participants of a Vatican meeting about the use of power in democratic societies, said democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted in moral values.

Gaza's civil defence agency said on Tuesday four people, one of them a toddler, were killed in an Israeli strike in the northern part of the Palestinian territory.

Violence continues to grip the war-torn Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire which came into effect on October 10, with both Israel and Hamas regularly accusing each other of violations.

The IMF cut its 2026 global growth projection Tuesday, warning that the world economy could be "thrown off course" by war in the Middle East -- as the conflict roils commodity markets and sparks higher prices.

The global economy is set to grow by 3.1 percent this year, said the International Monetary Fund in its World Economic Outlook report, released during its spring meetings in Washington.

By Samia Nakhoul and Maayan Lubell

DUBAI, April 14 (Reuters) - The Iran war was meant to deliver a defining victory over Tehran that would secure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's place in history. More than six weeks into the conflict, he has been unable to translate military might into political gain.

Despite Israel's overwhelming firepower, its enemies across every front have been weakened but not neutralised. Even after heavy Israeli-U.S. airstrikes and the loss of senior leaders, Iran remains intact and defiant.

CAIRO, April 14 (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike on a police vehicle in Gaza City on Tuesday killed at least four people, including a child, health officials in the territory said, in the latest violence overshadowing a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Medics and witnesses said the attack at Nafaq Street in Gaza City set a police car ablaze and that residents and rescue workers rushed to search for possible casualties. It was unclear how many of the dead may have been policemen.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that US-Iran peace talks could resume this week, while Israel and Lebanon agreed to launch direct negotiations, signaling movement on two key fronts in efforts to ease the Middle East conflict.

The parallel diplomatic openings come even as violence persisted, underscoring both the fragility of the process and Washington's push to stabilize a region shaken by the over-six-week war.

GENEVA, April 14 (Reuters) - International humanitarian groups said on Tuesday they had sent emergency relief through overland routes to Iran, some of their first deliveries of aid since U.S.-Israeli strikes began in late February.

Aid workers say needs are high in the wake of six weeks of strikes, but stocks of emergency humanitarian supplies became stuck in Dubai warehouses as shipping and air routes were blocked by the expanding conflict.

At least three ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the Hormuz Strait despite a US military blockade, but some vessels taking the route later turned back, maritime tracking data indicated Tuesday.

They were among at least seven Iran-linked vessels that passed through the strait after Washington's blockade came into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday, according to maritime data provider Kpler.