On GPS: A new era in the Middle East?
In the second part of this conversation, Fareed asks Johns Hopkins' Vali Nasr and Columbia University's Nadav Eyal about how the US' direct involvement in the conflict could transform the geopolitics of the Middle East.
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CNN
10 minutes ago
- CNN
What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it so significant?
While there have been no major disruptions to the global oil supply so far, the attacks on Iran – by Israel and then the US – have rattled investors, sending oil futures soaring by around 10%, among fears Iran could retaliate by disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. From the perspective of the global economy, there are few places as strategically important. The waterway, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. It's the only way to ship crude from the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. Iran controls its northern side. About 20 million barrels of oil, about one-fifth of daily global production, flow through the strait every day, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which called the channel a 'critical oil chokepoint.' On Sunday evening, following US airstrikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities, Brent crude, the global benchmark, briefly surged above $80 per barrel, according to Refinitiv data, the first time that's happened since January. Before the conflict, prices had largely hovered between $60 and $75 a barrel since August 2024. Brent last traded at $78.2 per barrel, while WTI, the US benchmark, was at $75.06. Whether oil prices will climb further now depends on Iran's response. Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at energy investment firm Tortoise Capital, told CNN that a potential disruption to the Iran-controlled sea route would cause oil prices to surge toward $100 per barrel. A functioning Strait of Hormuz is 'absolutely essential' to the health of the global economy, he said. A prominent adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has already called for the closure of the Strait. 'Following America's attack on the Fordow nuclear installation, it is now our turn,' warned Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, a well-known conservative voice who has previously identified himself as a 'representative' for Khamenei. Geographic leverage over global shipping gives Iran the 'capacity to cause a shock in oil markets, drive up oil prices, drive inflation, collapse Trump's economic agenda,' Mohammad Ali Shabani, an Iran expert and editor of the Amwaj news outlet, told CNN. When it comes to moving oil, the Strait is actually much narrower than its 21-mile official width. The navigable shipping lanes for massive supertankers are only about two miles wide in each direction, requiring vessels to pass through both Iranian and Omani territorial waters. A closure of the Strait will be particularly detrimental to Asian economies which rely on the crude oil and natural gas shipped through the route. The EIA estimates that 84% of the crude oil and 83% of the liquefied natural gas that moved through the Strait of Hormuz last year went to Asian markets. China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, sourced 5.4 million barrels per day through the Strait of Hormuz in the first quarter this year, while India and South Korea imported 2.1 million and 1.7 million barrels per day, respectively, according to the EIA's estimates. In comparison, the US and Europe imported just 400,000 and 500,000 barrels per day, respectively, in the same period, according to the EIA. On Sunday, India's Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri sought to reassure jittery investors on X that the country has 'diversified' its oil supplies in the past few years. On Sunday, India's Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on X that the country has 'diversified' its oil supplies in the past few years. 'A large volume of our supplies do not come through the Strait of Hormuz now. Our Oil Marketing Companies have supplies of several weeks and continue to receive energy supplies from several routes,' he said. 'We will take all necessary steps to ensure stability of supplies of fuel to our citizens.' CNN's John Towfighi, Nadeen Ebrahim, and Rhea Mogul contributed reporting.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Clerk who denied same-sex marriage licenses in 2015 is still fighting Supreme Court's ruling
The Kentucky county clerk who became known around the world for her opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage is still arguing in court that it should be overturned. Kim Davis became a cultural lightning rod 10 years ago, bringing national media and conservative religious leaders to eastern Kentucky as she continued for weeks to deny the licenses. She later met Pope Francis in Rome and was parodied on 'Saturday Night Live.' Kim Davis denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples Davis began denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015. Videos of a same-sex couple arguing with Davis in the clerk's office over their denial of a license drew national attention to her office. She defied court orders to issue the licenses until a federal judge jailed her for contempt of court in September 2015. Davis was released after her staff issued the licenses on her behalf but removed her name from the form. The Kentucky Legislature later enacted a law removing the names of all county clerks from state marriage licenses. Davis cited her Christian faith Davis said her faith forbade her from what she saw as an endorsement of same-sex marriage. Faith leaders and conservative political leaders including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and then-Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin rallied to her cause. After her release from jail, Davis addressed the media, saying that issuing same-sex marriage licenses 'would be conflicting with God's definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. This would be an act of disobedience to my God.' Davis declined a request for an interview from The Associated Press for this story. A man who was denied a license ran for her office In 2018, one of the men who had confronted Davis over her defiance ran for her office. David Ermold said he believed people in Rowan County were sick of Davis and wanted to move on. When he went to file his papers for the Democratic primary, Davis, a Republican, was there in her capacity as clerk to sign him up. Sitting across a desk from each other, the cordial meeting contrasted the first time they met three years earlier. Both candidates lost; Ermold in the primary and Davis in the general election. She has not returned to politics. 10 years later, Davis wants the Supreme Court to reconsider same-sex marriage Davis' lawyers are attempting again to get her case before the Supreme Court, after the high court declined to hear an appeal from her in 2020. A federal judge has ordered Davis to pay a total of $360,000 in damages and attorney fees to Ermold and his partner. Davis lost a bid in March to have her appeal of that ruling heard by a federal appeals court, but she will appeal again to the Supreme Court. Her attorney, Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel, said the goal is affirm Davis' constitutional rights and 'overturn Obergefell.'
CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
What's next for Vance Boelter, suspect in Minnesota lawmaker shootings, as he heads to court
A look at what is next for Vance Boelter, suspect in Minnesota lawmaker shootings A look at what is next for Vance Boelter, suspect in Minnesota lawmaker shootings A look at what is next for Vance Boelter, suspect in Minnesota lawmaker shootings As grieving continues for Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the long recovery continues for Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, law enforcement and prosecutors are moving forward with prosecuting suspect Vance Boelter. It's a case filled with sensational and cruel details, also with heroism by police and the victims who tried to fight back. There is evidence a plenty: abandoned weapons registered in Boelter's name, shocking surveillance images of the masked suspect at the victims' door, a journal with a hit list and even a handwritten note addressed to the FBI signed with Boelter's signature, admitting to the crimes. Court documents say there is also video of the attack on John and Yvette Hoffman, who, along with their daughter, Hope, tried to fight off the attacker. Federal and state prosecutors have filed very similar charges in federal and state courts. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says she wants the state case to go first, but so far, the hearings have been in or scheduled for federal court. "Normally, these things are worked out and discussed ahead of time. However, now that he is in federal custody, he is not going back to state. I highly doubt they would allow him to make a court appearance," defense attorney Joe Tamburino, who is not affiliated with the case, said. Federal prosecutors say it's possible Boelter, who has not entered a plea yet, could face the death penalty. That decision will be made in Washington by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Already this year, she has decided in another sensational murder case with Minnesota ties that Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, will face a possible death sentence. Bondi decides whether or not to seek the death penalty in all federal prosecutions that would qualify for it, and murder qualifies for it. In the only court appearance so far, Boelter was given a taxpayer-paid public defender, the judge saying an evaluation of Boelter's finances will be needed. But Magistrate Judge John Docherty said the charges against Boelter are so serious that he probably will permanently end up with a public defender. Boelter comes to court with more assets than most. He owns a spacious home in Green Isle, Minnesota, an hour southwest of Minneapolis. According to Zillow, the home is worth $520,000 and has 3,800 square feet and 11 acres. It was purchased in 2023 for $520,000. In court, Boelter said it is paid for. Boelter also reported he owns seven cars and has $20,000 to $30,000 in cash, and has at least 50 guns. They are considerable assets, considering he had what he descibed as a par- time job making $540 a week. "I don't know of any practitioner in Minnesota that could actually handle that because we haven't had a death penalty since 1906," Tamburino said. "There are a number of federal public defenders in the country who are qualified to do this, so im sure that was part of the factor." Boelter's next federal court appearance is in St Paul this Friday. You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
