Spain’s power grid was nearly fully restored by early Tuesday morning after a massive and unexplained blackout disrupted daily life across the Iberian Peninsula. The outage, one of the most severe in recent European history, grounded flights, shut down metro systems, severed mobile communications, and disabled ATMs across Spain and Portugal.

By 6:30 a.m., more than 99% of Spain’s electricity demand had been restored, according to Red Eléctrica, the national grid operator. Power returned gradually to most regions, while Portugal’s REN reported that 85 of 89 substations were back online by Monday night.

The widespread blackout left airports and train stations resembling temporary shelters as thousands of travelers were stranded. In cities like Madrid, many residents spent Monday night in total darkness. The iconic spires of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia faded into the night sky, while usually busy neighborhoods stayed eerily quiet, despite intermittent power restoration.

“We have a long night ahead,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a national address late Monday, promising full restoration efforts were underway. In Madrid, scattered cheers erupted from balconies as electricity returned.

By Tuesday morning, Madrid’s metro service was expected to be operating on all but one line, with 80% of trains running during the morning rush hour. The previous day had seen widespread shutdowns as train stations closed, offices emptied, and crowds poured into the streets.

Emergency workers rescued some 35,000 passengers stranded along railway and metro lines. As of 11 p.m. Monday, 11 trains remained backed up, awaiting evacuation.

Public buildings across Spain and Portugal were transformed into makeshift shelters. In Lisbon’s airport, stranded travelers like British tourist Ian Cannons struggled to find accommodation or even access the internet. “We can’t book any hotels. Nothing,” he said.

Barcelona authorities distributed 1,200 cots in recreation centers for residents and travelers unable to reach home. Train stations throughout the city turned into dormitories for those left with no options.

With mobile networks and internet access down, battery-powered radios became essential, and supermarkets running on backup power saw long lines as people stocked up on essentials. Many businesses were forced to operate without electronic payment systems, prompting a surge in demand for cash.

Hector Emperador, a father in Barcelona, resorted to his child’s piggybank after ATMs and online banking went offline. “The coronavirus pandemic will be nothing compared to this,” he said grimly.

Gas shortages and traffic chaos plagued cities without working traffic signals. Some residents found themselves locked out of their homes due to electric key malfunctions.

For those with medical needs, the blackout posed serious risks. Access to refrigeration for insulin and power for dialysis or oxygen machines was limited, with only some hospitals running on generators.

Cause Still Unclear

Officials have yet to identify the cause of the blackout, the second major European power failure in recent months following a fire at Heathrow Airport on March 20. Spain’s Prime Minister noted the unprecedented scale of the collapse, which saw the country’s grid lose 15 gigawatts—about 60% of its demand—in just five seconds.

While speculation about a cyberattack spread, Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center reported no evidence of sabotage. European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera also ruled out foul play, but acknowledged the seriousness of the incident. “This is one of the most significant power failures Europe has seen in recent times,” she stated.

The Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and the Canary Islands were largely unaffected by the outage.

China reiterated on Saturday that it had not engaged in any trade discussions with the United States, contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim that he had received a call from Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

In an interview with Time magazine conducted on April 22 and published Friday, Trump did not clarify when the alleged call with Xi took place or what was specifically discussed.

“He’s called,” Trump said. “And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”

China’s commerce ministry had already denied on Thursday that any economic or trade negotiations were underway between Beijing and Washington.

On Saturday, Beijing’s embassy in Washington reaffirmed this stance via a statement on WeChat, asserting that “there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the United States on tariff issues, let alone any agreement.”

The statement did not mention Trump or Xi by name, nor did it directly address Trump’s claim of a phone call. However, it described the U.S. remarks about ongoing dialogue on tariffs as “nothing but misleading.”

“This trade war was initiated by the U.S. side,” the statement said.

“If the United States truly wants to resolve the issue through dialogue, it must first correct its mistakes, cease its threats and pressure tactics, and completely remove all unilateral tariffs imposed on China.”

The world’s two largest economies remain embroiled in a rapidly escalating trade war, set off by Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, with duties now reaching as high as 145 percent on many goods.

Trump indicated that he expects to announce agreements with various U.S. trading partners in the coming weeks.

“There’s a number at which they will feel comfortable,” Trump told Time, referring to China. “But you can’t let them make a trillion dollars on us.”

The administration of President Donald Trump has unveiled a sweeping new tariff—reaching as high as 245%—on Chinese imports, significantly intensifying the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China. This development, outlined in a fact sheet released late Tuesday by the White House, is framed as a direct response to recent Chinese export restrictions and retaliatory tariff hikes.

“Due to China’s retaliatory measures, it now faces tariffs of up to 245% on its exports to the United States,” the White House stated, presenting the move as a core element of Trump’s “America First Trade Policy.”

Officials accused China of purposefully curbing the export of vital high-tech materials, including gallium, germanium, and antimony—resources considered crucial to the military, aerospace, and semiconductor sectors. More recently, China halted exports of six heavy rare earth elements and rare earth magnets, further tightening control over components critical to global industries.

“Several months ago, China cut off U.S. access to gallium, germanium, antimony, and similar strategic materials with potential military uses,” the White House noted. “This week, they expanded those restrictions to include six heavy rare earth metals and rare earth magnets—essential to automakers, aerospace firms, semiconductor producers, and defense contractors worldwide.”

Escalating Trade Tensions

In a retaliatory move, China raised tariffs on American goods to 125% last Friday. This followed President Trump’s earlier decision to increase tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, while temporarily halting further tariff hikes on goods from other nations for 90 days.

While the newly implemented tariffs are broad in scope, the White House clarified that countries currently engaged in trade negotiations with the U.S. are exempt for now. “Over 75 countries have already initiated talks toward new trade agreements,” the statement added. “Consequently, elevated tariffs are on hold for all except China, which responded with countermeasures.”

A second U.S. aircraft carrier has entered Middle Eastern waters as Iran and the United States prepare for another round of negotiations over Tehran’s accelerating nuclear program, according to satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The USS Carl Vinson and its strike group are now operating in the Arabian Sea. Their deployment coincides with suspected U.S. airstrikes targeting Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen overnight. The Houthis are backed by Iran, and American officials have repeatedly tied the month-long offensive—launched under President Donald Trump— to pressure on Iran ahead of nuclear talks.

Uncertainty lingers over the exact location of the upcoming negotiations. While Rome was initially cited as the venue, Iran asserted early Tuesday that the talks would return to Oman. So far, U.S. officials have not confirmed a location.

With nearly five decades of hostility between the two countries, the stakes could not be higher. President Trump has consistently warned that the U.S. may carry out airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure if an agreement isn’t achieved. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have increasingly threatened to pursue nuclear weapons, with their uranium enrichment already nearing weapons-grade levels.

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. envoy for Middle East affairs who took part in last weekend’s talks in Oman, hinted that the Trump administration may consider the 2015 nuclear deal—abandoned by Trump in 2018—as a potential framework for the current negotiations. He described the Oman discussions as “positive, constructive, compelling.”

“This will focus heavily on verifying Iran’s enrichment activities and, eventually, their weaponization efforts,” Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News on Monday night. “That includes their missile stockpiles and the triggering mechanism for a bomb.”

Satellite imagery taken Monday by the European Union’s Copernicus program showed the Carl Vinson—based in San Diego, California—operating northeast of Socotra, an island off Yemen near the Gulf of Aden. Accompanying the carrier are the guided missile cruiser USS Princeton and two guided missile destroyers, the USS Sterett and USS William P. Lawrence.

The Vinson was dispatched to support the USS Harry S. Truman, which has been carrying out airstrikes on Houthi targets since March 15, the start of the U.S. offensive. Recent footage from the Navy shows the Vinson loading ordnance and launching F-35 and F/A-18 jets from its deck. The Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, responsible for regional operations, has declined to comment on specific details regarding the carrier’s mission.

In a notable development, Witkoff also proposed a target uranium enrichment level of 3.67 percent for Iran—a significant reduction from Tehran’s current enrichment of up to 60 percent, which is just a technical step away from the 90 percent needed for a nuclear weapon.