LIVE UPDATES: Conflict in the Middle East (May 1, 2026)

WASHINGTON/DUBAI - A senior United Arab Emirates official said on Friday Tehran could not be trusted over any unilateral arrangements it makes for the Strait of Hormuz, in a sign of deep mistrust on all sides as efforts to end the Iran war remained at an impasse.

Two months into the conflict, the vital sea channel is still largely closed because of an Iranian blockade and the U.S. Navy is blocking exports of Iranian crude oil. The blockade has choked off 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies, pushing up global energy prices and increasing concerns that there will be an economic downturn.

A ceasefire has been in place since April 8 but reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was to be briefed on plans for new military strikes to compel Iran to negotiate pushed global oil prices up to a four-year high at one point on Thursday.

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump faces a deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it, but the date is most likely to pass without altering the course of a conflict that has lapsed into a standoff over shipping routes.

Ending the war appears highly unlikely.

Instead, analysts and congressional aides said they expect Trump to notify Congress that he plans a 30-day extension or disregard the deadline, with his administration arguing that a current ceasefire with Tehran marked an end to the conflict.

Even before the fuel price shock brought by the Middle East conflict, Filipinos were already concerned about controlling the increase in prices of basic goods and services and increasing the salaries of workers, according to the results of an OCTA Research survey released Friday.

The Tugon ng Masa survey, conducted from March 19 to 25, showed that inflation was the top urgent national concern of 45% of Filipinos, followed by salary increase (33%), graft and corruption in government (26%), and access to affordable food such as rice, vegetables, and meat (24%). 

LONDON — The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold on Thursday and set out a range of possible economic impacts from the Iran war, the worst of which might entail "forceful" rate rises while less damaging outcomes may not require any increase at all.

Facing deep uncertainty about the duration of the conflict and the damage it will wreak on Britain's economy, the Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 to keep the BoE's benchmark Bank Rate at 3.75% as only Chief Economist Huw Pill sought a hike to 4%.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - The United Arab Emirates' withdrawal from OPEC weakens the group's control over global oil markets and potentially risks widening a rift with Gulf neighbour Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the crude producers' organization.

From diverging oil policies to geopolitical tensions over Yemen and Sudan, and growing economic rivalry, the UAE and Saudi Arabia's relationship had been heading for a showdown for a while now, according to analysts.