Explore Business Standard
Israel Iran Conflict
Three weeks into an escalating war in the Middle East, Iran threatened on Friday to expand its retaliatory attacks to include recreational and tourist sites worldwide, as the US announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region. Hours later, President Donald Trump said on social media that his administration in fact was considering "winding down" military operations in the region. His post came after another climb in oil plunged the US stock market. The mixed messages came as the war has shown no signs of abating. Iran launched more attacks on Israel and energy sites in neighbouring Gulf Arab states, and the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also celebrating the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday, as Israeli airstrikes landed in Tehran. With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained in the punishing US and Israeli ..
Iran threatened to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide and insisted it was still building missiles. Friday's show of defiance came nearly three weeks into US-Israeli strikes that have killed a slew of Tehran's top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries. Iran fired on Israel and energy sites in neighbouring Gulf Arab states as many in the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also marking the Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, a normally festive holiday that is more subdued this year. With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained since the war began Feb 28 or even who was truly in charge of the country. But Iran has showed it is still capable of attacks that are choking off oil supplies and denting the global economy, raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East. The US and Israel have offered shifting rationales for the war
An Indian national was killed in an Iranian attack on Riyadh this week, taking the total number of Indian fatalities from the ongoing conflict in West Asia to six since it began three weeks ago. The Indian national died following a missile attack on Riyadh on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said. It remains unclear whether the individual was a direct victim of the strike or was killed by the falling debris from an intercepted missile. The Indian embassy in Riyadh, without providing details, condoled the death of the Indian. "The Embassy of India expresses its deepest condolences on the tragic demise of an Indian national in Riyadh due to recent events on March 18th," it said. The mission said it is in touch with the family of the deceased and local authorities. "We remain committed to extending all possible assistance in this matter." It is the third Indian fatality on land since the Iran-US conflict erupted on February 28. Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 other
Iranian state media Press TV said on Friday that the spokesperson of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini was killed in US-Israeli strikes.This comes after several leaders of the Iranian top brass have been eliminated in US-Israeli strikes since the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces announced that they killed Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence. The IDF said that Khatib operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests (2022-2023).In a post on X, the IDF said on Wednesday, "ELIMINATED: Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, in a targeted strike in Tehran. Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis & Americans around the world. Similarly, he operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has advocated a set of immediate demand-side measures, including work-from-home, lower speed limits, and reduced air travel to cushion the impact of a historic global oil supply shock triggered by disruptions in the Middle East. Oil prices spiked to over USD 100 per barrel after the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliatory actions. For India, which imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil needs, the surge in global prices poses a significant macroeconomic risk -- widening the current account deficit, pressuring the rupee, and increasing fuel costs for households and businesses. While petrol and diesel prices have so far not been increased, cooking gas LPG rates have been hiked by Rs 60 per cylinder. "The conflict in the Middle East has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, due to the near halt in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz," IEA said in a new report. Some 15 mill