Israel Iran Conflict

Iran fires on 3 ships, seizes two in Hormuz, escalating crisis further

Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway a day after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian media said the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was bringing the two ships to Iran after seizing them in the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil passes in peacetime. The standoff over Iran's closure of the strait and the US blockade raised doubts about when or if talks would resume to end the crisis. The conflict has already sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products. The longer the strait remains closed, the more severe and widespread the effects will be - and the longer it will take the economy to bounce back. The European Union energy commissioner, Dan Jrgensen, warned of lasting impact for consumers and business, likening the ...

India denies any payment to Iran for Hormuz passage, calls reports fake

India on Wednesday denied making any payments - either in cash or cryptocurrency - to Iran to secure safe passage for its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions in the region. The clarification came after two Indian vessels had to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces fired upon them as they attempted to cross the crucial waterway on April 18. Before turning back, the captain of Indian tanker Sanmar Herald, in an audio recording that has surfaced, is heard pleading with Iranian forces to stop firing despite prior clearance to pass the Strait of Hormuz. "This is motor vessel, Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go, my name is second on your list... You are firing now. Let me turn back." While New Delhi has consistently rejected claims of any financial arrangements with Tehran for ship movement through the critical energy corridors, some reports linked the April 18 incident to a crypto scam. Reports suggest scammers are offering shipowner

I've turned bullish on the markets after a long time: Andrew Holland

Andrew Holland, head - new asset class, Nippon India Asset Management in a Q&Q with Puneet Wadhwa says that the markets are assuming that the West Asia conflict won't be prolonged.

IRGC seizes two vessels in Strait of Hormuz, cites 'red line' breach

Iranian news agencies, citing an official statement from the IRGC Navy, said the vessels MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were seized and redirected towards Iranian territory

Oil prices rise on reports of ships being hit in Hormuz, Brent above $100

Brent crude futures were ​up $1.59, or 1.6 per cent, at $100.07 a barrel at 0842 GMT while West Texas Intermediate futures rose $1.51, ‌or 1.7 per cent, to $91.18

2 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz, complicating efforts to resume talks

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire Wednesday on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialise. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the attack happened around 7:55 am in the strait and targeted a container ship. The UKMTO said a Guard gunboat did not hail the ship before firing. It said no one was hurt and there was no environmental impact from the attack. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the assault. It comes after the US seized an Iranian container ship after shooting it this past weekend and boarded an oil tanker associated with Iran's oil trade in the Indian Ocean.

Iran 'collapsing financially', losing $500 mn daily amid blockade: Trump

Trump claimed that Tehran is 'starving for cash' and is 'losing 500 million dollars a day'

Iran displays ballistic missile launcher at rallies as talks with US falter

Iranian hard-liners rallied late Tuesday night as possible talks in Islamabad with the United States broke down, with members of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard apparently bringing a ballistic missile on a mobile launcher to one event. Footage aired by Iranian state TV showed men carrying Kalashnikov-style assault rifles riding atop a missile that resembled a Qadr ballistic missile in Iran's capital, Tehran. Such Qadr missiles can release individual bomblets known as cluster munitions, which Iran used widely when attacking Israel during the war. Trump offers combative social media post as ceasefire indefinitely extended ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trump offered a combative social media post Tuesday night after indefinitely extending a ceasefire in the Iran war after talks in Islamabad failed to materialise. Writing on his Truth Social website, Trump contended that "Iran doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they

US turns up pressure on Iraq to distance itself from Iran-linked militias

Washington is demanding that the Baghdad government dismantle Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have been attacking Americans and US sites there recently

Iran urges UN to press US to release seized commercial vessel Touska

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani raised 'urgent concern' over the 'deliberate' targeting of Iranian commercial ships

US sanctions target Iranian weapons and UAV procurement networks

The action was announced by the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, which said those designated are based in Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates

Trump extends Iran ceasefire, but maintains blockade as talks falter

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request while awaiting a "unified proposal" from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports. The move comes as the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance's planned trip to Pakistan for a second round of truce talks with Iran, which has balked at further discussions. But Trump warned that the US military will continue its blockade of Iranian ports. Trump made the announcement as ceasefire talks looked increasingly uncertain with a two-week truce set to expire on Wednesday. Both countries had said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached. Trump said he would "extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other." Iran has yet to decide whether to join the negotiations in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said earlier Tuesday, and will only take part if Tehran believ

Best of BS Opinion: West Asia risks, RBI stance, AI, GDP debate

From West Asia tensions and RBI policy signals to AI in drug trials, fiscal risks, GDP debates and India-China strategy, today's BS Opinion offers a wide-ranging view of key economic and geopolitical

Top oil traders warn Hormuz closure risks global recession, demand hit

The vital energy channel has been largely closed to non-Iranian shipping since war began at the end of February, choking off hundreds of millions of barrels of supply

IMO prepares evacuation plan for hundreds of ships stuck in Persian Gulf

The plan can only be put into action when there are clear signs of de-escalation, according to Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez

US-Iran ceasefire likely to be extended, says former Centcom chief

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is expected to be extended beyond the initial two-week period, as both sides are willing to continue negotiations, former Central Command chief David H Petraeus has said. The ceasefire between the US and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday. Petraeus, the former general who also served as CIA director, said that there is a "reasonable expectation" that the ceasefire could be prolonged as negotiators from both sides prepare for a possible second round of talks in Islamabad, although uncertainty remains over final participation. "I think both the US and Iran want to extend the ceasefire," he told PTI Videos in an interview on Monday. His comments came amid US media reports that Vice President J D Vance is likely to travel to Islamabad on Tuesday for peace talks with Iran to end the seven-week war. On the other hand, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that his country has yet to decide whether to attend the next round

Oil slips on hopes US-Iran talks likely to proceed, boosting supply

Brent futures ​declined 95 cents, or 1%, at $94.53, as of 0003 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ‌for May fell $1.54, or 1.72%, to $88.07

Scam messages offering ships safe passage via Hormuz, warns security firm

The US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then re-imposed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

Trump signals no truce extension with Iran on eve of scheduled peace talks

Trump said in an interview on Monday that the ceasefire expires on Wednesday evening in Washington and he is 'not going to be rushed into making a bad deal'

JD Vance likely to travel to Islamabad today for next round of peace talks

US Vice President J D Vance is likely to travel to Islamabad on Tuesday for peace talks with Iran to end the seven-week war, according to a media report. On Monday, US President Donald Trump told The New York Post that the Vance-led delegation was already en route to Islamabad, while other media outlets reported that the vice president was very much in Washington. Vance is expected to reach Islamabad as the two-week ceasefire, agreed to between the US and Iran on April 8, ends amid threats by Trump to bomb bridges and power plants in Iran if both sides fail to reach a deal. With Vance expected to reach Islamabad late Tuesday, Trump has effectively extended the ceasefire by a day till Wednesday. "Vice President Vance is expected to depart for Islamabad by Tuesday morning for talks with Iran over a potential deal to end the war," American news outlet Axios reported, quoting three US sources. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to join Vance. The fragile cease