Reuters, SINGAPORE and HONG KONG
War in Iran, strained US commitments in Asia and rising tensions over Taiwan are likely to dominate the agenda at this week’s annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the region’s premier defense forum.The free-wheeling informal gathering, running from Friday to Sunday, draws an eclectic mix of ministers, generals, intelligence chiefs, diplomats, analysts and weapons makers for carefully worded speeches and frank exchanges behind polished hotel doors.While Vietnamese President To Lam is set to deliver Friday night’s keynote speech, the spotlight will fall squarely on US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth when the Pentagon chief takes the floor against the backdrop of halting efforts to end the war in Iran.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at a graduation ceremony at the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal with Iran, as his administration played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old conflict.The US blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would “remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed,” Trump wrote on social media.
