By Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi and Asif Shahzad
DUBAI, April 28 (Reuters) - Two months into a war with the U.S. and Israel, Iran no longer has a single, undisputed clerical arbiter at the pinnacle of power — an abrupt break with the past that may be hardening Tehran’s stance as it weighs renewed talks with Washington.
By Daniel Flynn
KYIV, April 28 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has leveraged Ukraine's expertise in drone warfare into a series of successful diplomatic deals during visits to the Middle East and Europe, showcasing how Kyiv is using military prowess to boost its diplomatic clout.
This month alone, Ukraine has signed defence and drone deals in Germany, Norway and the Netherlands, following long-term security partnerships with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in late March.
The United Arab Emirates will withdraw from the OPEC and OPEC+ oil cartels to focus on "national interests", it announced on Tuesday, causing fresh shockwaves as energy prices soar over the Middle East war.
The UAE, one of the world's top oil producers, which has previously chafed at OPEC production quotas, will pull out on Friday, a statement carried by the official WAM news agency said.
The UAE has been an OPEC member through the emirate of Abu Dhabi since 1967, four years before the former British protectorate became a country.
WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran has said it was in a state of collapse and wants the United States to open the Strait of Hormuz while it sorts out its leadership.
It was not clear from Trump's social media post how Iran had communicated that message and no immediate comment from Iran was available.
April 28 (Reuters) - A superyacht owned by Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov was able to transit the blockaded Strait of Hormuz after undergoing maintenance in Dubai because neither Iran nor the United States objected, a source close to Mordashov said on Tuesday.
It has been unclear how the multi-deck pleasure vessel, worth over $500 million, gained permission to sail on Saturday through the commercially important waterway at the heart of the U.S.-Iran conflict, where traffic has been severely restricted since February.
By Yousef Saba
April 28 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has pursued an assertive foreign policy and carved its own sphere of influence across the Middle East and Africa, a strategy in the spotlight after it withdrew from OPEC and OPEC+ on Tuesday.
The grouping of oil exporters has traditionally served as an important forum for Gulf monarchies.
Below are key facts about the UAE’s foreign policy strategy and its role in specific countries.
WHAT IS THE UAE'S STRATEGY?
CAIRO/GAZA, April 28 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes killed three Palestinians, including a 9-year-old boy, in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, health officials said.
Medics said an Israeli drone killed the child, Adel Al‑Najjar, in eastern Khan Younis in the south of the enclave, while an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in Gaza City, killing two people and wounding several others.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on either incident.
At Nasser Hospital’s morgue, relatives arrived to bid farewell to the small, white‑shrouded body of Najjar.
LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday sought to uphold a ban on pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, which it has designated a terrorist organisation, after a court ruling that the move unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression.
Palestine Action, which had increasingly targeted Israel‑linked defence companies in Britain with a particular focus on Israel's largest defence firm Elbit Systems, was proscribed under terrorism laws last year.
DUBAI, April 28 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it quit OPEC and OPEC+, dealing a heavy blow to the oil exporting groups and their de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, at a time when the Iran war has caused a historic energy shock and unsettled the global economy.
The stunning loss of the UAE, a longstanding OPEC member, could create disarray and weaken the group, which has usually sought to show a united front despite internal disagreements over a range of issues from geopolitics to production quotas.
LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - British police said on Tuesday they were investigating a suspected arson attack at a memorial wall in a north London area which is home to a large Jewish community, amid a recent spate of incidents in the British capital.
London's Metropolitan Police said the investigation was being led by Counter Terror Policing, though it was not being treated as a terrorist incident.
They said that no arrests have been made and that the memorial wall was not damaged.
