#US calls on #China to prevent #Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz and disrupting global oil flows

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called for China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important trade routes for crude oil in the world.

"I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," Rubio said in an interview on Fox News. China is Iran's most important oil customer and maintains friendly relations with the Islamic Republic.

Iran's foreign minister warned earlier Sunday that the Islamic Republic "reserves all options to defend its sovereignty," after the U.S. bombed three key nuclear sites over the weekend.

Iranian state-owned media, meanwhile, reported that Iran's parliament backed closing the Strait of Hormuz, citing a senior lawmaker. However, the final decision to close the strait lies with Iran's national security council, according to the report.

An attempt to block the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman could have profound consequences for the global economy. Some 20 million barrels per day of crude oil, or 20% of global consumption, flowed through the strait in 2024, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Oil prices could shoot above $100 per barrel if the strait is closed for a prolonged period, according to Goldman Sachs and consulting firm Rapidan Energy. JPMorgan analysts view the risk of Iran closing Hormuz as low because the U.S. would view such a move as a declaration of war.

Rubio said it would be "economic suicide" for Iran to close the strait because the Islamic Republic's oil also passes through the waterway. Iran is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, pumping 3.3 million barrels per day. It exports at least 1.6 million bpd, with nearly 80% sold to China, according to the EIA.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/22/us-calls-on-china-to-prevent-iran-from-closing-strait-of-hormuz.html

#Ethiopia, #Somaliland deepen diplomatic ties in high-level foreign ministers’ meeting

Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Dr. Gedion Timotheos met and discussed with Somaliland delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdirahman Daahir Adan, who was on a working visit to Ethiopia over the weekend.

The Minister’s visit to Addis Abeba lasted for four days, from 19–22 June 2025.

The purpose of the Foreign Minister’s trip was related to “strengthening diplomatic relations and strategic cooperation between Somaliland and Ethiopia,” Somaliland said.

During his stay in Addis Abeba, the two Foreign Ministers “discussed enhancing the partnership and neighborly relations between the two countries.”

Read more at: https://x.com/addisstandard/status/1937021165240807815?s=46&t=ofAzVW8-64dDK-xsjodCGA

LG supports #Korean War #veterans in #Ethiopia, #US, #Thailand

LG Electronics said Monday it had provided food, daily necessities and financial support to 54 surviving Korean War veterans in Ethiopia, the only African nation that dispatched ground troops to the 1950-53 war.

Since 2013, the Korean tech giant has provided scholarship for 230 descendants of Korean War veterans in Ethiopia. It has been also operating the LG-KOICA Hope Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, with the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

“Through social responsibility efforts that combine technology and compassion, we will remember and thank the noble sacrifices and dedications of Korean War veterans,” said Yoon Dae-sik, senior vice president of external relations at LG Electronics.


https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10515633

#Ethiopia: #ONLF accuses #Somali region officials of holding senior members “incommunicado” for weeks after office raid in Nogob zone

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has accused officials in the Somali Regional State of detaining two of its senior members “without warrant, charge, or any semblance of due process” and holding them “incommunicado” for over three weeks following a raid on its office in Elweyne, Nogob Zone. In a statement issued on June 20, ONLF identified the detainees as Ayaanle Yaasiin Budul, Chair of its Nogob Zone chapter, and Bashiir Cismaan Budul, Head of the Elweyne District chapter. The party alleged the two were apprehended after “armed personnel stormed the ONLF office,” during which they were “assaulted” and taken to “an undisclosed detention facility.”

The party claimed the raid resulted in the destruction of its flag and the temporary detention of an elderly woman described as “the mother of a former ONLF fighter” on what it called “a baseless accusation” of renting property to the party. It blamed the regional administration, including Somali Region President Mustafa Muhumed Omar, for “ordering and supervising” the incident, describing it as part of “a broader campaign of harassment” following ONLF’s criticism of the federal government’s “failure to honour the 2018 peace agreement” and alleged attempts to “install a surrogate party.” ONLF demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of its members, the reopening of its office, and an “independent investigation,” while urging domestic and international actors to ensure the detainees’ welfare and legal rights.

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51006

#Commentary: Lessons Unlearned: How politics distorted #Ethiopia’s education system with reforms stuck on repeat

In this commentary, Nardos Abebe traces the evolution of Ethiopia's education policy under consecutive regimes, illustrating how it has been shaped and, at times, distorted by prevailing political ideologies since the opening of the nation's first modern public school, Menelik II School. He emphasizes that "each subsequent regime imposed its ideology," noting that while Emperor Haile Selassie expanded access in the 1930s, "education remained limited to a select segment." He recalls how the socialist Derg regime dismantled earlier reforms and realigned the education system with Eastern Bloc countries, implementing a curriculum that "prioritized ideology over socio-economic progress."

Under the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (#EPRDF), education policy underwent yet another transformation, according to the author, this time under the doctrine of "revolutionary democracy." While this era introduced instruction in local languages, Nardos argues the administration emphasized quantity over quality, highlighting that its ‘flood and retain’ strategy, intended to address workforce shortages, ultimately produced "hundreds of thousands of unemployed graduates."

He notes that the Prosperity Party (PP) continues the pattern of discrediting previous policies, pointing out that the administration introduced a new education policy in 2023 “amid widespread criticism,” adding that “it may be heavily influenced by the ‘Medemer’ philosophy,” a concept promoted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Nardos goes on to say that despite the appointment of Professor Berhanu Nega, an opposition figure, as Education Minister, the system remains "highly politicized," with key leadership positions predominantly occupied by individuals primarily identified as "loyalists and cadres of the ruling party."

The author concludes by underscoring a central challenge: "The Ethiopian education system is currently characterized by perpetual shifts, with each new political regime imposing its distinct political ideology upon the educational framework." However, he asserts that "Professor Berhanu and his colleagues yet retain a critical opportunity to genuinely insulate the educational system from political interference."

https://addisstandard.com/?p=50996

#Ethiopia reports 33rd #Polio case in 2025

According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Ethiopia reported its 33rd polio case of 2025 on June 18. The country recently confirmed four additional cases of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) in the Oromia region.

The World Health Organization states that for nearly a decade, the Horn of Africa has been battling persistent outbreaks of this poliovirus variant. Low immunity among children and unmonitored population movement have fueled the spread of the virus.

In 2025, Ethiopia strengthened its surveillance and preparedness efforts to prevent the further spread of the disease. In February, over 15 million children were vaccinated. The campaign launched in the country’s Somali region.

https://www.vax-before-travel.com/2025/06/22/ethiopia-reports-33rd-polio-case-202

#Ethiopia: #TPLF chairman vows to strengthen people-to-people ties with #Eritrea; warns Pretoria deal facing “worsening” setbacks

Debretsion Gebremichael, chairperson of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), said his party is working to ensure that “the people-to-people relations developing between the peoples of Tigray and Eritrea continue to strengthen,” and pledged to “strive to ensure similar relations exist with other neighboring peoples.” Speaking at a ceremony held on 22 June in Hawzen town, he said the people of Tigray have “nothing that conflicts with other peoples,” and expressed a desire “to live in peace with Amhara, Afar, Eritrea, Sudan, and other Ethiopian peoples — to emerge from poverty and live in development.”

Debretsion warned that “many issues of the Pretoria Peace Agreement have not been implemented,” citing the continued displacement of people and what he described as the failure to uphold the region’s territorial integrity. He said “more than one million displaced people from the region have not returned to their homes,” and cautioned that “activities that could completely collapse the agreement are getting worse from time to time.”

He also accused “the Prosperity-led government” and a group he referred to as “the betrayal group” of obstructing the agreement’s implementation and attempting to divide the TPLF. “The Prosperity-led government has provided complete leadership and support to the betrayal group created within our party,” he said. Debretsion added that the TPLF “will continue to work to ensure that the genocide committed against our people is called by its name,” and called on the international community to act, urging the EU, AU, IGAD and the US “to do their part to ensure the implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.”

https://addisstandard.com/?p=51016

PM Abiy says health professionals’ demands ‘hijacked’; warns of ‘politicians in white coats’

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has claimed that the recent strike by healthcare professionals over salary, benefits and housing have been overtaken by “political opportunists,” and warned that the issue is no longer within the profession’s control.

In a discussion held with members of the healthcare sector, the Prime Minister said, “The path to a solution is no longer in your hands; it has been taken away,” and cautioned that those “with no service experience” have assumed leadership of the discourse. He suggested this development was eroding the profession’s integrity.

While acknowledging that “doctors working under immense pressure” are voicing “valid concerns,” the Prime Minister alleged that individuals with political motives were exploiting the situation. Referring to them as “politicians in white coats,” Abiy said, “These are not doctors,” but people who have “turned the white coat into a political tool.”

#Iran-#Israel-#US latest:

#Iran fires missiles at #US bases in #Qatar, #Iraq

Iran retaliated on Monday for the US strikes targeting three of its nuclear sites, firing at least 10 missiles at American bases in Qatar and Iraq.

Iran has launched at least 10 missiles toward US bases in Qatar, and one toward Iraq, an Israeli defense official confirmed to Al-Monitor. Qatar hosts the largest US military presence in the Middle East, with more than 8,000 troops stationed at Al Udeid Air Base outside the capital Doha. The US military maintains a presence at Ain Al Asad Air Base in Iraq's Anbar province.

Explosions were heard over Qatar capital Doha, according to both Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, Iran's missile operation against US bases in Qatar and Iraq has begun under the name Blessings of Victory.

A senior White House official told Al-Monitor that "the White House and the Department of Defense are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar."

There was no immediate information available on casualties. The attack is the second largest direct attack by Tehran on US targets after the Islamic Republic's response to the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/06/iran-retaliates-fires-missiles-us-bases-qatar-iraq