Iran
Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open to shipping; Trump says U.S. blockade still active
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 17, 2024. Sayed Mohamed | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Iran on Friday declared the Strait of Hormuz completely open to commercial traffic during the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels […]
Read More
House Dem Sam Liccardo probes suspicious oil trades during Iran war
Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., attends a news conference with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during the House Democrats’ 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, March 13, 2025. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., is probing whether the nation’s top financial regulators are examining […]
Read More
The Nasdaq’s win streak, Netflix earnings, another AI pivot and more in Morning Squawk
1. Peace talks US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images Stocks climbed higher in yesterday’s session after President Donald Trump announced that Israel and […]
Read More
South Korean stocks remain ‘undervalued’, says Goldman after huge rebound from March losses
South Korea’s Kospi index was the best-performing major equity market of 2025, notching a 75% return over the year largely thanks to blockbuster demand for its domestic memory chipmakers. Since then, the index has rallied a further 40%, with April’s performance erasing March’s heavy losses felt during the depths of the Iran conflict. But South […]
Read More
U.S. tech companies ramp up government lobbying amid Iran war uncertainty
U.S. tech companies are ramping up lobbying of government officials at home and further afield amid the Iran war, as they look to defend their interests and map out contingency plans, industry insiders told CNBC. Conflict in the Middle East has thrown the global business sector into disarray, with oil prices skyrocketing and supply chains […]
Read More
Israel’s central bank chief pins hopes on peace as economic shock looms
The Israeli economy is facing a significant hit to growth projections as a result of the Middle East conflict — but its central bank chief is hopeful that a rapid resolution to the wars in Lebanon and Iran can help ease the shock. Speaking with CNBC’s Karen Tso at the IMF-World Bank spring meeting in […]
Read More
Spain touts energy resilience to Iran war as Trump tensions cast shadow over trade
Wind turbines operated by Gamesa Eloica SA near Zaragoza, Spain, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Renewables are helping cushion the blow of higher oil and gas prices in Europe. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo lauded the country’s energy resilience to the Iran war, saying a pivot to solar and […]
Read More
CNBC Daily Open: A ceasefire, but no Strait talk
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted villages on southern Lebanon on April 16, 2026. Kawnat Haju | AFP | Getty Images Hello, this is Leonie Kidd writing to you from London. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily […]
Read More
Asia markets open lower as fragile Middle East ceasefire tempers sentiment
Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday, as cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict tempered sentiment, diverging from Wall Street’s record-setting rally. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the war in Iran “should be ending pretty soon,” reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the conflict. Hours earlier, […]
Read More
Trump says war in Iran is going ‘swimmingly’ and ‘should be ending pretty soon’
President Donald Trump on Thursday said that “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly.” “It should be ending pretty soon,” Trump said at an event in Las Vegas, echoing similarly rosy predictions about the end of the war that he has made since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late […]
Read More