Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

President Donald Trump has had a lot to say about his thinking on the way ahead in the Iran war since Republicans were trounced in last week's midterm elections. In exchanges with reporters, broadcast interviews and social media posts since Election Day, he's somehow managed to back away from carrying out additional strikes while also backing away from the prospect of additional talks with the Islamic Republic's negotiators on ending the 8-month-old conflict. The president acknowledged on the day after the midterms that the war and the global economic tumult it's caused were partly to blame for Republicans' electoral losses, while maintaining it was the right thing to do. Then, at the start of this week, he huddled with Qatar's prime minister at the White House and afterwards told reporters that he believed it was highly unlikely he'd need to order new major strikes on Iran, declaring that the war "militarily is effectively over." But by Thursday, he was again raising questions abo

The Guards ​said the strike was in retaliation ​for what they described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran's southern Sirik county, in Hormozgan ​province

Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said there are ​currently no negotiations taking place between Tehran and Washington

Iranian Parliamentary Speaker signalled that the future arrangements governing the Strait of Hormuz would be different from those that existed before the war

European and US equity futures gain as easing oil prices lift investor sentiment ahead of US inflation data that could shape expectations for the Federal Reserve's interest rate outlook

The Israeli prime minister has reportedly pressed the US President to restart military action against Tehran, even as Arab leaders urge Washington to pursue diplomacy and end the conflict

The conditions include ending hostilities on all fronts, lifting the naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, easing sanctions and releasing Iranian assets held abroad

After eight months of airstrikes, retaliatory attacks, failed negotiations and repeated ceasefire attempts, Trump says US military action in Iran is effectively over. Here's a timeline of the conflic

Trump said Iran's military was 'effectively over' but warned that US forces remained 'locked and loaded'. His remarks came after talks with Qatar's PM on efforts to reach a deal and end the conflict

US President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he believes the war in Iran "militarily is effectively over." The president made a surprise visit to the White House briefing room after meeting with Qatar's prime minister earlier in the day. "Iran militarily is effectively over," Trump said. "We're just keeping it the status quo." Trump added that Iran has been "decapitated" but said he is still looking to make sure there's a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran's nuclear programme is defanged. The president offered some of his most definitive comments about moving away from his threat to resume strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections passed. The president's Republican Party lost both chambers of Congress to Democrats in last week's elections. The election was shadowed by dissatisfaction among the American electorate over the eight-month-old war, which has led to a surge in fuel prices that's impacted nearly ever sector of the global economy. Trump at his news confer

Washington has asked Baghdad to close all but two commercial crossings with Iran as part of its pressure campaign

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran, even if it was not "necessarily popular", to safeguard the world from the country's nuclear ambitions. He would not comment directly about the Republican wipeout in Tuesday's elections, which delivered a resounding rebuke to Trump. The unpopularity of the Iran war and its impact on gasoline prices and other parts of the economy helped Democrats seize control of Congress. Asked about Vice President JD Vance's social media post last week that largely blamed the war for the Republican losses, Rubio told reporters that Trump "identified a very real threat" in Iran and worked to stop the Islamic Republic from pursuing a nuclear weapon. "He addressed it even though oftentimes the right thing to do for the country - confronting difficult challenges for the security of our country - doing it isn't necessarily popular, but necessary," Rubio said in Florida before heading to a Group of 7 .

Araghchi's dual-track diplomatic ultimatum and combative rhetoric followed the conclusion of the US midterm elections, which he asserted had completely disrupted the pace of regional negotiations

US President repeated his assertion five times, indicating that further military escalation would remain off the table if Tehran agreed to comprehensive diplomatic concessions

State Department's Rewards for Justice programme is offering up to $20 mn and possible relocation for information on Iran's nuclear facilities, equipment and personnel, including nuclear scientists

Tehran has begun distributing iodine tablets to residents living within 2-3 km of nuclear facilities as concerns grow over possible US strikes

US President Donald Trump has discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions in West Asia in a telephone call with Qatar's emir, the latter's office said Friday, as the region remained on edge over possibility of renewed US military action against Iran. In another development, airstrikes at a popular market in a city in neighbouring Yemen killed at least 30 people Friday, the health ministry run by the country's Houthi rebels said. Trump discusses de-escalation efforts with Qatar's emir ----------------------------------------------------------------- The telephone call between Trump and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani centred on international efforts to end tensions, according to a statement from the Qatari ruler's media office. The two, in particular, discussed Qatar's mediation efforts aimed at reaching "a comprehensive agreement that ends the crisis and achieves security and stability in the region." Qatar has been mediating between the United States and Iran to end th

Iran is reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar aimed at addressing differences with the United States about Tehran's nuclear programme, government officials from both West Asian countries said Friday. The development is raising hopes that the two sides could be inching toward indirect talks on one of the thorniest issues that US President Donald Trump says must be resolved as part of any deal meant to end the more than eight-month-old war. But one of the officials stressed that Iran, at least at the moment, is unwilling to engage in negotiations with the Trump administration over its atomic activities until the US agrees to several core conditions that Iran has been demanding be part of any ceasefire agreement. Both officials were not authorised to comment publicly on the delicate negotiations and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Iran and Qatari officials' stepped-up engagement -- and Tehran showing a glint of openness to the possibility of negotiating on its ...

President Donald Trump said the US military on Friday carried out fresh limited strikes on Iran, targeting its air defense systems. Iranian state media reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, which is in the crucial waterway for oil shipments. Trump in an exchange with reporters described the military action as "minor". "They knocked out -- they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," Trump told reporters shortly after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening. The US military also reported carrying out what it described as defensive strikes on Monday. Explosions were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Friday's strikes are the first since Trump's Republican Party was dealt a stunning repudiation in Tuesday's midterm elections in the US. The electoral setback was stoked in part by voter

HPCL Chairman Vikas Kaushal said vessel availability and shipowners' last-minute withdrawal from voyages were making it difficult to secure crude cargoes from inside the Persian Gulf