ASEAN to call for open straits as US-Iran war casts shadow Foreign ministers from fuel-stressed Southeast Asia will call for freedom of navigation in international straits when they wrap a week of meetings largely overshadowed by the US-Iran war, according to a draft communique seen by AFP. The draft statement expected to emerge from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathering in Manila will also repeat calls for self-restraint in a Middle East conflict that has carried economic ripple effects throughout the region. The draft communique inserts previously unused language targeting "freedom of navigation in and overflight above straits" while separately calling for "unimpeded" passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Agence France-Presse
US announces civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia The United States on Wednesday announced a landmark deal with Saudi Arabia that would establish a civilian nuclear program in the Gulf country, with Washington insisting the agreement includes safeguards against non-proliferation. Washington has sought in recent years to include any deal concerning a nuclear agreement in a wider strategic play that would see Saudi Arabia normalize ties with Israel, along with the signing of a US defense pact. Agence France-Presse
US, Saudi Arabia sign landmark nuclear power agreement The multibillion-dollar agreement will now undergo congressional review, with expected provisions on uranium enrichment likely to draw scrutiny from some lawmakers. Saudi Arabia
US-Iran strikes: latest developments Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East. The Houthis had threatened to blockade Saudi ports on the Red Sea -- a key route for oil shipments -- while the five-month war had already led to the effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz. Agence France-Presse
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