Global energy watchdog urges remote work, travel cuts to curb oil prices

Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi outlined a vision for a post-regime Iran that ends support for militias and proxies, halts sensitive uranium enrichment, fully cooperates with IAEA, and fosters regional peace including expanded Abraham Accords ("Cyrus Accords"), urging Arab countries to back an organized transition for stability and prosperity.

Pahlavi on Thursday wrote an op-ed for Asharq Al-Awsat titled "To Our Arab Neighbors: The End of the Regime Will Open a New Era of Peace," presenting his detailed vision for a post-regime Iran without proxies or nuclear threats, reassuring Arab states.

Two men appeared in a London court on Thursday accused of carrying out “hostile” surveillance of the UK’s Jewish community on behalf of Iran, The Associated Press reported.

Iranian-British national Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, and 22-year-old Iranian citizen Alireza Farasati are alleged to have assisted the Iranian intelligence service between July and August last year, targeting the Israeli embassy, a Jewish community centre, a college, and Britain’s oldest synagogue.

Neither entered a plea and both remain in custody until their next hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court on April 17.

European Union leaders on Thursday proposed temporary measures, including electricity tax cuts, lower grid fees, and state support, to mitigate soaring energy prices triggered by the war in Iran, Reuters reported.

Europe’s dependence on energy imports has left it vulnerable to rising costs after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed and Iran began targeting energy infrastructure in the Middle East, the report said.

Around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows normally pass through the narrow strait.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States said on Thursday that Israeli forces had carried out strikes on Iranian navy vessels in the Caspian Sea and targeted commanders and militants linked to Iran’s operations in Lebanon.

"Over the past 24 hours, we hit Iranian navy boats in the Caspian Sea all the way up in the north, after the American Air Force took out their navy ships in the Gulf area in the south, we hit more Basij checkpoints so there could be more freedom of movement of the Iranians," Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter posted on X.

"We hit the commander of the Imam Hussein division, who was just on the job for a week. We see more and more of these commanders hesitant and anxious about taking command," he added.

Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan on Thursday condemned recent Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure in the Persian Gulf.

The joint statement warned that Tehran’s drone, missile, and mine‑laying operations threaten freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and called for immediate measures to ensure safe passage and stability in global energy markets.