EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Damascus as Brussels deepens diplomatic engagement with Syria’s transitional authorities.

Saudi Arabia has cancelled some crude oil shipments to Europe after a drone attack damaged a major pipeline linking the kingdom’s eastern oil region to the Red Sea.

Crude oil prices surged as renewed US-Iran attacks intensified concerns over the Strait of Hormuz and the security of Middle Eastern oil shipments.

Washington is preparing to restore a larger diplomatic presence in the Middle East after the evacuation of U.S. personnel during the war with Iran. The U.S. State Department is preparing