Iran's ambassador to Russia Jalali said on July 27 that Ukraine's July 25 strike on an Iranian merchant vessel in the Caspian Sea was a criminal act, and that the ship was purely civilian with no military cargo. Tehran strongly condemned the attack and summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Iran.

Hong Kong markets on July 27 open: Hang Seng Index (HSI) +30.54 pts (+0.12%) at 24,993.77; Hang Seng Tech +17.79 pts (+0.38%) at 4,647.30; China Enterprises Index +13.39 pts (+0.16%) at 8,284.45; Red Chip Index +2.66 pts (+0.06%) at 4,121.87.

Falling oil prices lifted European equities, with most sectors higher while the energy sector lagged and large oil names capped gains. The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.85%. The FTSE 100 gained 0.5%; Rolls‑Royce climbed 3.4% and IAG jumped 4%, while BP fell 3.8%. Germany’s DAX jumped 1.35%, led by SAP (+3.1%). France’s CAC 40 rose 0.9%, with Thales up 3.1% and luxury names higher. Spain’s IBEX 35 advanced 1.0%, Italy’s FTSE MIB added 0.55%, and the Netherlands’ AEX gained 0.4% with ASML up 0.8%.