标签： Asia

After weeks of escalating tensions and blockades between Iran and the United States at the Strait of Hormuz, this strategically critical narrow waterway has emerged as a defining battleground that could reshape the future of global energy markets and international economic power dynamics. While the U.S. has deployed military escorts for commercial vessels passing through the passage, the military posturing masks a far deeper, long-term transformation unfolding in Persian Gulf energy security.

Beyond the competing bids by Iran and the U.S. to control the global flow of oil, natural gas, helium, and fertilizers exiting the region, a second major disruption has already hit global oil markets: key U.S. ally the United Arab Emirates has formally withdrawn from OPEC, a move widely regarded as a significant blow to the oil cartel’s cohesion and influence.

Against this volatile backdrop, Iran has unveiled plans to introduce new tariffs for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, framing the charges as reparations for damage inflicted by recent regional conflict. Analysts estimate these annual tariffs could generate between $40 billion and $50 billion in revenue for Tehran, providing a much-needed buffer to soften the impact of long-standing U.S. economic sanctions.

The most geostrategically significant detail of the proposed tariff regime is its currency requirement: all charges must be denominated in Chinese yuan, rather than the U.S. dollar. This policy, which already sees informal payments from ships bound for China, India, and Japan, with Iran’s parliament currently working to formalize the framework, could dramatically redraw regional and global power balances. Tehran has also added cryptocurrency as an accepted payment method to expand flexibility. For Iran, the policy is explicitly designed to deepen economic and political ties with Beijing.

To understand the far-reaching implications of this move, it is necessary to revisit the 50-year history of the petrodollar system that has underpinned U.S. global economic dominance since the 1970s. The system was established when Washington struck a deal with Saudi Arabia: the U.S. would provide military protection, and in exchange, Saudi Arabia would price all of its oil exports exclusively in U.S. dollars. The framework quickly spread across all OPEC member states, becoming the global standard for international oil trade. This arrangement cemented the U.S. dollar’s position as the world’s primary reserve currency, a core pillar of U.S. geopolitical power.

Under the petrodollar system, oil-exporting nations accumulate large dollar surpluses from energy sales, most of which are then recycled back into U.S. government securities, equities, and Western sovereign wealth funds. This system finances U.S. budget deficits, keeps Washington’s borrowing costs low, and grants the U.S. substantial financial leverage over oil-producing nations and global markets at large.

If Iran’s yuan-denominated tariff regime takes root, leading economist Antonio Bhardwaj notes that it could set in motion the systematic erosion of the petrodollar system, while establishing the petroyuan as a credible, institutionally embedded alternative for settling global energy transactions. International relations analyst Pakizah Parveen warns the policy could also split the global oil market into two distinct blocs: shipments from nations compliant with Iran’s rules will transact in yuan through the Strait of Hormuz, while non-compliant parties will face sharply higher costs for dollar-denominated oil cargoes.

This split would create an acute dilemma for major U.S. allies including Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, and the Philippines, all of which already face severe economic strain from Gulf region market upheaval. Choosing to pay tariffs in yuan would draw these nations closer to Beijing, reinforcing China’s narrative as a stable, reliable alternative economic partner to the U.S. This shift also mirrors a similar policy Russia adopted in 2025, when it began requiring yuan payments for its oil exports.

While it remains far too early to declare that Iran’s tariffs will trigger full-scale de-dollarization of the global economy, the move represents a clear step toward eroding the dollar’s decades-long global primacy. Any shift away from the dollar by major energy-importing nations directly reduces financial and political dependence on the U.S., while accelerating Beijing’s efforts to fully internationalize the yuan.

Current global economic trends already point to this gradual shift: for the first time since 1996, global central banks now hold more gold in their reserve portfolios than U.S. government debt securities. BRICS bloc members including China, India, and Brazil have all cut their holdings of U.S. assets throughout 2025, as the group works to reduce its dependence on Western financial systems.

Taken together, Iran’s yuan-denominated Strait of Hormuz tariffs mark another clear milestone in the emergence of a multipolar global order, where U.S. preeminence can no longer be taken for granted. While this shift could grant greater strategic flexibility to nations large and small seeking alternatives to U.S.-led global governance, it also introduces a new era of uncertainty for global energy markets and international economic cooperation.

The United Arab Emirates has transferred $100 million to the US-backed Board of Peace to fund the training of a new Palestinian police unit earmarked for deployment in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported in a story citing anonymous diplomatic sources. This single contribution marks the largest individual donation the transitional governance body has received to date, coming after nine initial board members pledged a combined $7 billion, and the United States added an additional $10 billion in commitments during an international donor conference held in February.

Per details shared by a senior U.S. official and a Middle Eastern diplomat, new police recruits will undergo training in neighboring Egypt and Jordan, while a private Emirati security firm has been contracted to build out the full force, which is planned to number roughly 27,000 serving officers. Earlier reporting from the same outlet quoted an anonymous Arab diplomat, who confirmed that former Palestinian civil servants who held roles in Gaza prior to the current conflict will be eligible to apply to join the new force, though all candidates must pass a strict vetting process carried out by Israel’s internal security agency before receiving final approval.

The ongoing violence against Palestinian security personnel in Gaza has persisted even after a ceasefire agreement was reached in October. In the most recently documented violation of the truce on Wednesday, a high-ranking officer with the Palestinian interior ministry was killed in an Israeli strike. Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, at least 837 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, pushing the total death toll from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to at least 72,619, a figure widely cited in regional humanitarian and political reporting.

Ali Shaath, the Palestinian technocrat tapped to lead the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) — the interim technocratic governing body set up to oversee Gaza’s transition — confirmed that recruitment for the new police service is already active across the Strip. Speaking at the February donor conference, Shaath emphasized the urgent need for the force, noting that much of Gaza lies in catastrophic ruin, with widespread destruction leaving acute unmet humanitarian needs and fragile public security. “Large parts of [the] Gaza Strip are severely damaged. Destroyed, actually. Humanitarian needs are acute. Law and order remain fragile. This is not [a] normal operating environment… which is precisely why discipline and prioritisation matter,” Shaath stated. The new police force will operate under the direct oversight of the NCAG.

The initiative aligns with a 20-point plan released by former U.S. President Donald Trump in September that outlines a framework for ending the current war in Gaza. Under that plan, Washington will partner with Arab and international stakeholders to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) that will deploy to the Strip, and work in tandem with the newly trained Palestinian police force.

Amid continuing Israeli strikes on Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, noted in late March that “the truce is holding despite challenges.” Mladenov also confirmed that the NCAG has been formally established and has already “made progress on vetting thousands of civilian police candidates.”

“The National Committee exercises authority solely on an interim basis. The end state is a reformed Palestinian Authority capable of governing Gaza and the West Bank, and ultimately a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” Mladenov explained. He added that the Palestinian security force, operating under the interim national committee’s authority, will enable the dismantling of all armed factions in Gaza and the consolidation of all weapons under a single civilian governing authority.

Several other board member nations — including Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania — have also pledged military personnel to join the international stabilization force that will coordinate with the local Palestinian police service.

The UAE’s $100 million donation comes months after Abu Dhabi drafted plans in February to construct a new administrative compound for Palestinian use in the section of Gaza already under Israeli military occupation. That proposal has already stoked regional tensions, putting the UAE at odds with other regional powers and multiple Palestinian groups, who argue the plan amounts to a de facto partition of Gaza, a outcome they strongly oppose.

This reporting comes from Middle East Eye, a outlet that provides independent, on-the-ground coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa, and surrounding regions.

A dramatic volcanic eruption at Indonesia’s Mount Dukono has sent towering plumes of ash billowing into the sky, capturing global attention after a group of hikers defied official restrictions to climb the active peak. Indonesian authorities confirmed that the small group entered the restricted volcanic zone against explicit public safety warnings, putting their lives at severe risk amid persistent geologic activity at the site.

Mount Dukono, located on the northern tip of Halmahera island in North Maluku province, has a long history of intermittent volcanic activity. Indonesian geological agencies have maintained a standing climbing ban on the volcano for years due to its regular eruptions and unstable terrain, which can trigger sudden ash falls, pyroclastic flows, and volcanic gas releases that pose fatal risks to anyone in the area.

The eruption, which produced the massive ash columns observed by local observers, comes as Indonesia continues to manage activity across its more than 120 active volcanoes. The archipelago nation sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense geologic activity that produces frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Authorities regularly monitor volcanic sites across the country, updating warning levels and closing access to peaks when activity increases to prevent preventable tragedies.

Local officials have not yet released updates on the status of the hikers who entered the restricted zone, nor have they confirmed whether the group was able to exit the area safely after the eruption. Search and rescue teams have been placed on standby, ready to deploy to the mountain once volcanic activity calms enough to guarantee the safety of response personnel. This incident has reignited conversations about the need for stricter enforcement of safety restrictions at Indonesia’s active volcanic sites, as unauthorized visits continue to put both hikers and first responders in danger.

BANGKOK, Associated Press – A massive, exceptionally rare ruby has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar, marking the second-largest rough ruby ever extracted from the conflict-plagued Southeast Asian nation, according to official state media reports released Friday. Weighing in at 11,000 carats – equal to 2.2 kilograms or roughly 4.8 pounds – the gem was pulled from the ground near the famed mining town of Mogok, located in Myanmar’s upper Mandalay region. This area is the undisputed heart of the country’s multi-billion-dollar gem mining industry, which has been swept up in the intense ongoing civil war that has torn through Myanmar since the 2021 military coup.

State-owned publication *Global New Light of Myanmar* confirmed the large ruby was discovered in mid-April, just days after the country’s annual traditional New Year celebration. While the newly unearthed stone is only around half the weight of the 21,450-carat record-holding ruby found in Myanmar back in 1996, industry assessments place its market value far higher thanks to its exceptional color profile and crystalline quality. Gem experts describe the stone as having a vivid purplish-red base hue with subtle warm yellow undertones, a top-tier color grading, moderate natural transparency, and a highly reflective surface that signals premium quality.

Myanmar dominates the global ruby supply chain, producing an estimated 90% of all natural rubies traded worldwide, with most output coming from the Mogok and Mong Hsu mining regions. For decades, gemstones – whether traded through legal channels or smuggled across unregulated borders – have been one of the largest sources of state revenue in Myanmar. However, human rights advocacy groups including London-based research and policy organization Global Witness have long campaigned for international jewelers to boycott all gem imports from Myanmar, arguing that profits from the gem trade have propped up repressive military governments for generations.

The context of this discovery comes amid ongoing political and military upheaval in Myanmar. Earlier this year, the ruling military installed a new nominally civilian government following general elections that were widely dismissed as fraudulent by independent human rights organizations and domestic opposition groups. The election confirmed the continued grip on power of President Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who led the 2021 coup that ousted the elected civilian government. In recent weeks, Min Aung Hlaing and his cabinet held a formal inspection of the giant ruby at the presidential office in the national capital of Naypyitaw.

Beyond funding the national military, gem mining revenue also acts as a core funding stream for the numerous ethnic armed groups that have waged campaigns for regional autonomy across Myanmar for more than half a century, a dynamic that has perpetuated the country’s long-running cycles of internal conflict. Security conditions across major mining regions remain deeply unstable. Mogok, the town where the new ruby was found, was captured in July 2024 by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), a guerrilla group representing the Palaung ethnic minority. Though the TNLA initially took control of and began operating the region’s mines, authority over the area was eventually transferred back to Myanmar’s national military under the terms of a China-brokered ceasefire deal reached in late 2024.

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A powerful explosive eruption at Mount Dukono, one of Indonesia’s most continuously active volcanoes located on the remote island of Halmahera, has left three hikers dead and sparked an urgent ongoing rescue operation, Indonesian authorities confirmed Friday.

A group of approximately 20 hikers departed on their ascent of the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) peak Thursday, openly defying strict public safety restrictions that have long closed the mountain to recreational climbing amid its ongoing high volcanic activity, according to North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu. The group was caught off guard when the volcano erupted at 7:41 a.m. local time, sending a dense ash plume billowing roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) above the crater. Indonesia’s Geological Agency recorded seismic activity from the eruption that lasted more than 16 minutes.

In a national television interview, Pasaribu confirmed the hikers were fully aware of the ban: Mount Dukono has been maintained as a restricted zone under its second-highest government alert level for volcanic risk, but the group proceeded with their climb regardless. When the eruption hit, all 20 hikers became stranded within the dangerous restricted area. Rescue teams were rapidly deployed after an emergency distress signal was detected from the mountain slopes.

As of Friday afternoon, 14 members of the group, including seven foreign nationals, have been successfully evacuated to safety, with five of those rescued sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Three hikers – two Singaporean citizens and one Indonesian national – were pronounced dead at the scene. Search operations are still underway for the remaining missing hikers, who authorities believe are attempting to make their way down the mountain on their own.

Recovery of the three fatalities has been delayed, as recurrent after-eruptions and unstable volcanic conditions have kept rescue teams from safely reaching the impact zone. For years, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has prohibited all human activity within a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius of Dukono’s crater, due to constant risks of flying volcanic bombs, heavy ashfall, and lethal toxic gas emissions. Officials confirmed all members of the hiking group were inside this prohibited zone when the major eruption occurred.

Pasaribu noted that despite multiple warnings posted on hiking trails and shared widely across social media platforms about the active dangers, many outdoor enthusiasts continue to sneak onto the mountain. The main driver of this risky behavior, he explained, is the growing desire among social media users to capture unique content to share online.

Indonesia, which lies along the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire, is home to more than 120 active volcanoes across its archipelago of thousands of islands. Mount Dukono is among its most active, having experienced near-constant low-level eruptive activity since 1933. In recent months, volcanic activity at the peak has intensified significantly. According to Lana Saria, head of the Geological Agency under Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, explosive magmatic eruptions have increased sharply since late March. Between March 30 and the day of the fatal eruption, officials recorded nearly 200 separate eruptions, averaging around 95 eruptive events per day. Friday’s deadly blast ranks among the most powerful of this recent uptick in activity, Saria confirmed.

Ash clouds from the latest eruption, which range in color from pale gray to deep black, are being carried northward by regional winds, Saria said. Authorities have issued warnings that widespread ashfall could impact nearby populated areas, including the larger town of Tobelo. Ashfall poses acute respiratory health risks to local residents, and can also disrupt ground and air transportation as well as normal daily routines. Secondary hazards, including fast-moving volcanic mudflows that can travel down river channels from the volcano’s slopes during heavy rain, are also a major ongoing risk, officials added.

With volcanic activity remaining at elevated levels, government agencies have ramped up continuous monitoring of Mount Dukono. Officials have issued a renewed plea to local residents, tourists, and hiking enthusiasts to remain calm, strictly follow all official safety guidance, and avoid all restricted areas near the volcano while monitoring continues.

On a Friday morning in Indonesia, a sudden eruption of the active Mount Dukono volcano claimed three lives, turning a routine early morning hike into a fatal tragedy that has sparked new debates about public risk perception and enforcement of volcanic safety regulations.

The 1,335-meter volcano, located on Indonesia’s North Maluku island, erupted at 07:41 local time, sending a towering column of volcanic ash 10 kilometers into the sky. Footage captured from the scene shows thick plumes of ash and rocky debris continuing to spew from the volcano’s crater long after the initial blast. Among the hikers on the mountain that morning were 20 people who had ignored repeated official warnings against climbing the volcano: 18 Singaporean and Indonesian hikers, and two local porters. Three members of that group — two Singaporean citizens and one local resident from nearby Ternate — were killed by the eruption.

Search and rescue teams were deployed immediately to extract the remaining hikers. Most of the surviving group members were safely evacuated and transported to local hospitals to receive treatment for eruption-related injuries. The two porters from the original group stayed behind on the mountain to help rescuers navigate the terrain and locate the victims’ remains, which are trapped at higher elevations. As of Friday afternoon, body recovery efforts have been blocked by ongoing volcanic activity, rough, uneven terrain, and repeated explosive blasts from the crater. Aldy Salabia, a local resident assisting with rescue operations, told BBC Indonesian that from the team’s staging shelter, continuous ejection of ash and rock material was clearly visible.

Eyewitness accounts from other hikers on the mountain that morning have added context to the tragedy. A local guide who escaped unscathed with his two clients told reporters he had detected warning signs of an impending eruption days earlier. “When Dukono hasn’t erupted for a few days, you have to be careful,” he explained, noting that he spotted deep tremors just before the blast and immediately fled downslope with his guests. As he descended, he said, he saw dozens of other hikers still lingering at the summit — including one group at the edge of the crater itself, and another 50 meters away filming footage with a drone.

Mount Dukono has had more than 200 recorded eruptive events since March 2025, and has maintained a Level 2 alert status on Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic warning system for an extended period, a classification that signals elevated activity and requires strict caution. Since December 2024, Indonesian volcanic authorities have officially banned all tourism and climbing activity within a 4-kilometer radius of the main crater, citing constant risks of flying rock, ash fall, lava flows and sudden explosive eruptions. Officials say these warnings were widely shared across social media platforms and posted on large banners at all trail entrances, but many climbers continue to disregard the restrictions.

Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, Barsanas, has launched an investigation into the incident, noting that initial reviews suggest possible negligence by tourism operators or individual guides who led groups up the mountain despite the known risks. “The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident,” a Barsanas spokesperson said.

Disaster experts say the tragedy exposes a growing, dangerous misperception of volcanic risk among tourists fueled by social media content. Dr Daryono, a member of the Indonesian Association of Disaster Experts, told the BBC that active volcanoes should never be treated as routine tourist destinations. “Dukono is a mountain with almost continuous eruptive activity, so any violation of the danger zone carries a fatal risk,” he said. He added that social media has warped public understanding of the danger: users only see content from influencers and climbers who successfully summit and return unharmed, while the constant, lethal risks of volcanic activity are pushed out of public view. “The real danger remains and could emerge at any time in the form of ejections of incandescent material, thick ashfall, volcanic gas, or sudden explosive eruptions,” he warned.