Embargoes and economic sanctions

France’s navy intercepts sanctioned Russian tanker in Mediterranean

Helicopters approach a tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, in a photo released by French defence forces.

US imposes sanctions on Iran over crackdown on protesters

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

India’s Reliance in talks for US permit to buy Venezuelan oil, sources say

Venezuelan oil supplies could help replace some Russian supplies to India, which is under pressure from US President Donald Trump to stop importing Russian oil.

How Iran sanctions and a currency crash triggered mass protests

Iran is facing a wave of anti-government protests amid a deepening economic crisis, fuelled by rising prices of basic goods such as eggs and cooking oil, a sharp decline in the national currency, driven by regional tensions with Israel and the US, as well as longstanding US and EU sanctions.

While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 8, 2026

In a post on X, the US military’s European Command said the Trump administration had seized the vessel for violating US sanctions.

News analysis

Protests, ailing economy, Trump threats: Iran’s regime might struggle to survive

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei greeting a crowd during a ceremony in Tehran, on Jan 3, 2026, after protests across the country. PHOTO/EPA/IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER OFFICE HANDOUT

Iran, Venezuela found kinship in anti-American ideology, evading US sanctions

Iran shipped Venezuela 25 million barrels of oil and gasoline products, totaling about US$2.5 billion between 2021 and 2023.

Venezuela moves to cut oil output due to US export embargo

The Guinea-flagged oil tanker MT Bandra, which is under sanctions, is partially seen alongside another vessel at El Palito terminal, near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela on Dec 29, 2025.

US issues fresh sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil sector

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Russia pledges ‘full support’ for Venezuela against US ‘hostilities’

In an image provided by the Department of Homeland Security, a U.S. military helicopter flies over the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday tried to intercept an oil tanker linked to Venezuela that is now fleeing away from the Caribbean Sea, according to three U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation, days after President Donald Trump said he would crack down on sanctioned vessels involved in the country’s oil trade. (Department of Homeland Security via The New York Times) — NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. —

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.