Reading view

China or the U.S.? Two Meetings Offer Competing Showcases of Global Power.

As Xi Jinping gathered with the leaders of Russia and Iran, Europe challenged the Trump administration at the G20, offering a split-screen view of a changing world.

© Vyacheslav Oseledko/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; Sam Wolfe/Reuters

/
  •  

How the Pentagon Is Getting Into the Venezuelan Oil Business Under Trump

The Defense Department’s Office of Strategic Capital, founded by the Biden administration to give loans to bolster the U.S. defense industry, is helping lead President Trump’s oil deal.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

President Trump said his defense secretary and secretary of state reached an agreement with the Venezuelan government on securing billions of barrels of oil reserves “through a partnership with private business.”
  •  

U.S. Strikes May Have Targeted a New Type of Iranian Naval Mine

The U.S. military said its attacks against Iran were in response to a threat to the Strait of Hormuz.

© Reuters

Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz seen from Musandam, Oman, on Monday. The strait has been under constant threat since the United States and Israel launched a combined assault against Iran on Feb. 28.
  •  
❌