Kharg Island is a small island in the Persian Gulf. It lies 16 miles off the northwest coast of Iran. It's 451 miles from Tehran, Iran's capital — roughly the distance from Detroit to New York City. It is just five miles long,

Freight rates for VLCCs in the Persian Gulf hit multiweek highs as the conflict between Israel and Iran roils the global shipping market.

The intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran has led to tanker owners halting offers for Middle East oil routes, causing freight rates to jump and raising concerns about disruptions to global oil flows.

The number of container vessels slowing down at the Strait of Hormuz is more than three times the normal level, said Ami Daniel, chief executive of artificial intelligence company Windward, amid fears that shipping may be targeted during the conflict between Iran and Israel.

The last time the United States held a national military parade was in June 1991, timed to welcome returning veterans of the 100-day Persian Gulf War.

Unverified reports are circulating about three ships ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, heightening regional tensions. These claims, accompanied by photos, raise concerns about the stability of this vital waterway.

By Ben Aris in Berlin Iran has somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 naval mines, according to US intelligence estimates, which it could use to block the Straits of Hormuz and halt the flow of a fifth of the world’s oil traffic in a week.

The U.S. appears to be stepping directly into the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, deploying its aircraft carrier USS Nimitz toward the Persian Gulf. The carrier’s Vietnam port call was abruptly cancelled due to “emergent operational requirements,