Morning Briefing: Nov. 17, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including Iran ‘illegally’ seizing a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command, US President Donald Trump suggesting that talks may be held with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro as a military buildup intensifies in the Caribbean Sea, and the USS Gerald R. Ford entering the Caribbean Sea amid rising tensions with Caracas.

TOP STORIES

• Iran 'illegally' seized commercial tanker in Hormuz Strait: US CENTCOM

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iranian forces "illegally" boarded and seized a commercial tanker in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged M/V Talara was seized after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces arrived by helicopter and boarded the vessel, CENTCOM said in a statement.

The IRGC then moved the tanker into Iranian territorial waters, where it remains, it added.

According to the British maritime security firm Ambrey, the Talara was traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore when it suddenly changed course while transiting the Gulf of Oman on Friday and headed toward Iranian waters after three small boats approached the vessel 20 nautical miles east of the UAE's Khor Fakkan.

• Trump says US may hold talks with Venezuela’s Maduro amid military buildup

US President Donald Trump suggested that talks may be held with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro as tensions and a military buildup continue in the Caribbean Sea.

“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we'll see how that turns out…They would like to talk,” Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida before boarding Air Force One en route to Washington, DC.

His remarks came on the heels of a decision to list the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a move he said would allow the US to target assets and infrastructure linked to the government of President Maduro, whom he accuses of leading the criminal network.

• USS Gerald Ford enters Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Trump administration’s expanding military campaign targeting drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.

The deployment follows a directive from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth aimed at supporting President Donald Trump’s initiative to dismantle criminal networks seen as threatening US security, according to the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

The carrier, which has more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft on board, will integrate with existing US forces in the area such as the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and a marine expeditionary unit.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The US intends to designate the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced.
• A Palestinian boy was killed and four people were injured in attacks by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank, the Health Ministry said.
• At least 32 people were killed when an overcrowded bridge at a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo collapsed, said a regional government official.
• Polls closed after Chileans cast their votes to elect a new president and parliament in a contest presenting a dramatic choice between the hard left and the far right.
• Palestinian resistance factions warned that a US draft resolution to deploy an international force in Gaza amounts to an attempt to impose foreign guardianship over the territory and sideline Palestinian decision-making.
• A US military strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific killed three people suspected of narcotics smuggling, US Southern Command announced.
• Egypt and Russia held consultations on a draft UN Security Council resolution addressing developments in Gaza and proposed security arrangements.
• The United Nations aid chief described the suffering of displaced civilians in Sudan’s North Darfur state as “unspeakable,” saying more than half of the fleeing survivors are children.
• An Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement, Lebanese media said.
• UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined new asylum plans ahead of a formal announcement Monday that would place refugees on a 20-year path to permanent settlement.
• Dozens of tents sheltering displaced families have been flooded by rainwater in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the Civil Defense said.
• Israel is pressing the US to soften the wording of an American draft resolution that the UN Security Council is set to vote on Monday which mentions “self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Israeli media reported.
• A Syrian committee investigating violent events in southern Suwayda province said its probe is still ongoing to uncover the full truth, ensure justice for victims, and prevent future violations.
• South Africa will restart long-stalled nuclear power projects and reopen key research facilities as part of a push to rebuild domestic expertise and position itself in emerging global reactor fuel markets, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country has agreed with Greece on the import of gas in a bid to help cover Kyiv's needs during winter.
• A Palestinian teenager was killed and another wounded during an Israeli military raid on the Askar refugee camp east of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.
• Türkiye is highlighting the principles of cooperation and inclusiveness in its bid to host and chair the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• A secret facility at Harvard University is dedicated to preserving everything published in Israel as part of an effort to safeguard the country’s cultural and scientific output in case the state ceases to exist, Israeli media reported.
• Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra met with a high-level Russian military delegation in Damascus.
• With a steel-cutting ceremony, Türkiye began building the first naval logistics ship for the Portuguese Navy.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Canada considers diversifying fighter jet purchases beyond F-35 deal: Defense minister

Canada is considering diversifying its fighter jet purchases from multiple companies to meet defense requirements as a review of F-35 fighter jets purchases continues, Defense Minister David McGuinty said.

The government is "grateful for any forthcoming offer" and open to joint ventures that create Canadian jobs, McGuinty told the Canadian CTV news.

Swedish company Saab's CEO has confirmed recent talks with Ottawa about potentially manufacturing Gripen fighter jets on Canadian soil. McGuinty said such an agreement would align with Canada's goal to build a strong domestic defense industrial sector.

• Australia welcomes Trump’s tariff exemption on beef, other food products

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed US President Donald Trump’s exemption of certain food products including beef from tariffs, reiterating opposition to levies altogether.

"We welcome the lifting of these tariffs. That's a good thing for Australian beef producers. We maintain a clear, consistent position. We do not support tariffs," Wong said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Canberra "believes in being able to access each other's markets. We think that's in the best interest of consumers as well as of producers.

• South Korea’s highly educated youth unemployment hits 13-month high

The number of South Korean youth with four-year college degrees who have been unemployed for more than six months reached its highest point in 13 months as of last month, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The group is part of a larger long-term unemployed population of 119,000 people, the highest figure in four years, according to Statistics Korea.

While the long-term unemployment rate remained just above 100,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, it had been lower since then before spiking again last month.