Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including the Pentagon's order to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, US President Donald Trump boasting about seizing Iranian cargo and oil in the Strait of Hormuz and likening the US Navy to "pirates," and Azerbaijan suspending all cooperation with the European Parliament over what it called an "anti-Azerbaijani" and Islamophobic agenda.
TOP STORIES
The US Defense Department announced Friday it has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany, with spokesman Sean Parnell saying the drawdown is expected to be completed over the next six to twelve months.
The decision follows a thorough review of US force posture in Europe and comes amid a rift within NATO over the Iran war, after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Washington earlier this week for lacking an "exit strategy" and said Americans were being "humiliated" by Iran in talks.
President Donald Trump boasted Friday that the US Navy had seized Iranian cargo and oil as part of its Strait of Hormuz blockade, calling it "a very profitable business" and likening Washington to "pirates," while casting doubt on whether a nuclear deal with Tehran was even desirable.
Trump argued that Iran had long used the strait "as a weapon," saying he closed it in response after Tehran did so first. The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting retaliation and the closure of the strait, before a Pakistani-mediated ceasefire was announced on April 8 and talks were held in Islamabad on April 11-12 without reaching an agreement.
Azerbaijan's parliament voted Friday to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament in all areas, accusing the EU legislative body of continuing "anti-Azerbaijani policy, slander, and smear activities" despite promises made when ties were resumed after a previous suspension in 2015.
The resolution condemned the European Parliament as a platform for "pressure, blackmail and gross interference" in Azerbaijan's internal affairs, further accusing it of harboring "Azerbaijanophobic and Islamophobic" attitudes and being riddled with corruption and captured by lobby groups.
NEWS IN BRIEF
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
US stocks closed higher Friday as optimism over a potential end to the Iran war lifted markets, with the Dow gaining 0.48%, the Nasdaq rising 1.16%, and the S&P 500 up 0.72%, after Trump told reporters he expected US forces to leave Iran within "two or three weeks" and that the war could end without a deal.
European indexes also climbed, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 gaining 2.5%, while Brent crude fell 2.9% to $100.95 per barrel as falling energy prices provided additional support to equities.
Australia said on Friday that it has secured 100 million liters of jet fuel and 50 million liters of diesel in new shipments to shore up national energy supplies, with deliveries bound for Brisbane, Perth, and Darwin as Middle East tensions continue to rattle global energy markets.
The new shipments build on eight earlier deliveries arranged with BP Australia, Ampol, and Viva Energy, pushing Australia's total secured reserves past 450 million liters of diesel and 100 million liters of jet fuel, enough to keep transport, aviation, and logistics sectors moving amid fears of prolonged global supply disruptions.
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