The U.S.-Israeli ​war with Iran and Tehran’s retaliation have sparked a supply crisis, ​with European airlines calling on the EU ​to deploy emergency measures to address growing concerns over jet fuel shortages

International News via Reuters:

Spain would actively participate in a potential European Union plan to share jet fuel stocks and sees joint purchases as an option, its Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Monday, as data showed Europe will see higher inflows from the United States and Nigeria as it seeks to shore up supplies.

The U.S.-Israeli ​war with Iran and Tehran’s retaliation have sparked a supply crisis, ​with European airlines calling on the EU ​to deploy emergency measures to address growing concerns over jet fuel shortages. The EU depends on the Gulf for nearly 75% of its jet fuel imports, which have been disrupted due to the Strait of Hormuz being effectively shut.

“Spain has always demonstrated its commitment to solidarity and working together. We will see what the proposal entails and we will participate actively,” Aagesen said.

A joint purchasing platform would help increase purchasing power and allow countries to offer more affordable prices, Aagesen said, adding that it was an option she expected the European Commission to consider.

Thanks to its fleet of refineries and supplies coming largely from the Americas and North Africa, Spain was better placed to weather a supply crisis than other European countries, she said.

Spain’s refiners have increased output by up to 60% from normal levels at some facilities, allowing the country to approach the busy summer season with kerosene stocks at maximum levels, she said.

Jet fuel prices hit a record high last month and remain elevated, hovering near $175 a barrel, having almost doubled since the war started.

INFLOWS FROM US AND NIGERIA

Europe is expected to see higher inflows of jet fuel from the United States and Nigeria this week compared to the previous week, data from Kpler and LSEG showed.

U.S. supply to Europe looks set to reach 164,000 to 174,000 barrels per day so far in April, based on vessels discharged and those still due. That compares to between 149,000 and 200,000 bpd expected last week, a record according to data going as far back as 2015 on LSEG and 2017 on Kpler.

April imports from Nigeria were around 78,000 to 96,000 bpd so far, data from both sources showed. That is also the highest on record and highlights the country’s growing role as a supplier of aviation fuel since the 2024 launch of the Dangote refinery, Africa’s largest.

Levels of jet fuel inventories fell to their lowest in four years last week at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp storage hub, data on independently held stocks showed. [ARA/]

Flights in Europe could start to be cancelled from the end of May due to a lack of jet fuel, International Air Transport Association Director General Willie Walsh said last week, highlighting the risk of disruption to the busy summer travel season.

Writing by Alex Lawler; Editing by Charlie Devereux, Joe Bavier and Bill Berkrot

Adding to the uncertainty, a source told Reuters that Vice President JD Vance was still in the U.S., denying reports that he was already on his way to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for talks

International News via Reuters:

Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports, a major hurdle for Iran to rejoin peace efforts.

However, the official stressed that no decision had been made.

Adding to the uncertainty, a source told Reuters that Vice President JD Vance was still in the U.S., denying reports that he was already on his way to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for talks.

With a two-week ceasefire set to expire, the senior Iranian official said Tehran was “positively reviewing” its participation but no final decision had been made. The comments conveyed a clear change of tone from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for U.S. aggression.

The Iranian official said mediator Pakistan was making positive efforts to end the U.S. blockade and ensure Iran’s participation.

SECURITY PREPARATIONS

The ceasefire had appeared in jeopardy after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Washington had shown it was “not serious” about pursuing the diplomatic process, and that Tehran would not change its demands.

The U.S. was hoping to start negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the ceasefire expires, with sweeping security preparations under way in Islamabad, but Baghaei said the U.S. was “insisting on some unreasonable and unrealistic positions”.

A Pakistani security source said Pakistan’s key mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had told U.S. President Donald Trump the blockade was an obstacle to talks, and that Trump had promised to consider the advice.

U.S.-IRAN CEASEFIRE SET TO EXPIRE

Trump announced the two-week ceasefire with Iran on April 7, and has not specified when precisely it ends.

A Pakistani source involved in the talks said it would expire at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, which would be midnight GMT or 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in Iran.

Asked over the weekend about the chance of an extension, Trump replied: “I don’t know. Maybe not. Maybe I won’t extend it. But the blockade is going to remain.”

The U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied gas supply.

Oil prices rose around 5% as traders remained fearful that the ceasefire would collapse. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a virtual standstill with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours, according to shipping data. [O/R]

U.S. MARINES BOARD IRANIAN VESSEL

The U.S. military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Sunday after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines. U.S. Central Command released video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.

The vessel is likely to have been carrying what Washington deems dual-use items that could be used by the military, maritime security sources said on Monday.

Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the U.S. of “armed piracy”, according to state media. They said they were ready to confront U.S. forces over the “blatant aggression”, but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.

China, the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the “forced interception”, and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for ships to resume passage through the strait as normal and for the conflict to be resolved through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Trump warned on Sunday that the U.S. would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if it rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.

Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power stations and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbours.

PREPARING FOR TALKS THAT MIGHT NOT HAPPEN

Pakistan geared up to host the talks despite uncertainty over whether they would go ahead. Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed across the capital Islamabad, a government official and a security official said.

European allies, repeatedly criticised by Trump for not aiding his war effort, worry that Washington’s negotiating team is pushing for a swift, superficial deal that would require months or years of technically complex follow‑on talks.

Thousands of people have been killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and in an Israeli invasion of Lebanon conducted in parallel since the war began on February 28, where a truce is also currently in place.

Iran responded to the attacks with missiles and drones against Israel and nearby Arab countries that host U.S. bases.

Reporting Reuters bureaus; Writing by Andy Sullivan, John Geddie, Alexandra Hudson and Keith Weir; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Kevin Liffey and Alison Williams

The fund aims to support studies and finance projects focused on mitigating climate change

International News via Reuters:

Germany will contribute 500 million euros ($588.30 million) to a climate fund managed by Brazil’s state development bank BNDES, Brazil’s president told a press conference with his German counterpart on Monday.

The fund aims to support studies and finance projects focused on mitigating climate change.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will conclude a two-day visit to Germany on Tuesday, said Brazil was willing to discuss alternative energy sources with Germany and that he was “an unwavering advocate of biofuels”.

Lula added that Germany could benefit from Brazil’s renewable‑energy expertise and that officials from both countries would work to implement the decisions taken on Monday, without giving further details.

Biofuels can reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions while making use of existing fuel infrastructure. The blend of biodiesel with conventional diesel in the fuel sold in gas stations can also help to lower costs, particularly by reducing dependence on fuel imports.

Brazil, one of the world’s leading biodiesel producers, showcased a new biofuel in Hanover, Germany, as part of Lula’s visit.

($1 = 0.8499 euros)

Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Isabel Teles; editing by Barbara Lewis

The first U.S. pope, who has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump with his more outspoken comments, told worshippers at a Mass in Saurimo that violence and oppression went against the Christian message

International News via Reuters:

Pope Leo lamented during an event in Angola on Monday that many people in the world were being “exploited by authoritarians and defrauded by the rich”, the latest example of a forceful new speaking style he has adopted on his four-nation Africa tour.

The first U.S. pope, who has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump with his more outspoken comments, told worshippers at a Mass in Saurimo, near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, that violence and oppression went against the Christian message.

“Every form of oppression, violence, exploitation and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ,” said the pontiff, referring to the core belief of Christianity that Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified.

His visit to Angola marks the third leg of an ambitious 10-day Africa tour, one of the most complicated ever conducted by a pope, with stops in 11 cities and towns in four countries, traversing nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) over 18 flights.

Leo, who became the head of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church last May, kept a relatively low profile in the first 10 months of his papacy but has issued forceful denunciations of war and inequality during his Africa tour.

He has also repeatedly criticised world leaders, without naming individuals.

On Saturday the 70-year-old pontiff decried exploitation of natural resources in Africa by “despots and tyrants”. Last Thursday he said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”.

The pope told journalists on Sunday that his speeches during the tour were written weeks ago and not aimed directly at Trump. He has strongly criticised the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, which began on February 28.

ENTHUSIASTIC CROWDS

Crowds in Angola, where 80% of the population identifies as Christian – and about half of them as Catholic – have been enthusiastic for Leo, with people lining streets along his routes and dancing and screaming to greet him.

Two events on Sunday, a Mass attended by throngs in a dirt field and a prayer at a site that was once a hub for transatlantic slavery, drew roughly 130,000 people.    

Monday is Leo’s last full day in Angola. He heads on Tuesday to Equatorial Guinea, the final leg of his Africa tour. 

He will give a speech there to the country’s political leaders after meeting with President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979, making him the world’s longest-serving president.

Equatorial Guinea is widely criticised as one of the most repressive countries in the region. The government denies allegations of human rights abuses and corruption.

Additional reporting by Joshua McElwee in LuandaEditing by Gareth Jones