
Uruguay's government announced on Friday a 7% fuel price increase effective April 1, as a direct consequence of rising oil prices driven by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world's crude oil supply transits.

Uruguay's government is considering with “interest” a British offer to acquire three Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), according to El Observador, citing sources at the executive offices. The proposal involves first-generation River-class vessels — HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn — operational since 2003 and scheduled for decommissioning in 2028 as part of the British fleet renewal under NATO's defense spending commitments.

Uruguay's Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone disclosed to business leaders that the United States is exerting unimaginable and unsustainable pressure on the country to break its trade relationship with China, according to the weekly newspaper Búsqueda, citing several attendees at a private meeting with the Confederation of Business Chambers (CCE) held on Tuesday, March 24.

Uruguay's economy grew 1.8% in 2025, according to national accounts data published by the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU). The result fell nearly a full percentage point below the 2.6% forecast included in the government's budget law and was also lower than the 2.5% estimated by the International Monetary Fund.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68), flagship of the United States Navy for more than five decades, will arrive in Uruguayan waters in the coming weeks as part of the “Southern Seas 2026” deployment, the US Fourth Fleet announced.

Spanish shipyard Cardama did not file an appeal against the Uruguayan government’s decision to terminate the contract for the purchase of two offshore patrol vessels for the Navy, meaning the measure is now final and the Ministry of Defence will move ahead with a claim for damages. The confirmation came on Thursday from Presidential Secretary Jorge Díaz.

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone said the government will send a competitiveness and innovation bill to Congress on May 31, focused on foreign trade, competition policy, innovation and administrative simplification. The initiative was launched alongside a call for unions, business chambers and academia to submit proposals by April 24.

Former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa is in Uruguay, according to Uruguayan government sources cited by Montevideo daily El País. His presence prompted criticism from the opposition, while the government said that, for now, no formal meetings with executive branch authorities were planned.

Suspected Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset was captured on Friday in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in an operation that ends one of the Southern Cone’s longest and most visible manhunts. Paraguayan authorities confirmed the arrest and said Marset had been secured after a raid carried out by Bolivian forces.

Uruguayans continue to identify security and crime as the country’s main problem, but when the question shifts to everyday life, the dominant concern becomes the cost of living, according to a new survey by University of the Republic academics analysed in a report by El Observador. The poll also found that about one-third of respondents believe such problems stem from “longer inheritances” or broader trends that no government has managed to solve.