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War Conflict
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
Crude oil prices declined by Rs 190 to Rs 8,808 per barrel in futures trade on Friday as traders weighed the prospects of additional Iranian supply despite lingering geopolitical tensions in West Asia. On the Multi Commodity Exchange, crude oil for the April delivery ended its three-day rally, declining by Rs 190, or 2.11 per cent, to Rs 8,808 per barrel in a business turnover of 18,781 lots. Analysts said the fall in oil prices was driven by hopes of softening geopolitical risk premium following indications of a more pragmatic approach by the US towards Iranian crude supplies. In the overseas trade, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for May delivery fell USD 1.85, or nearly 2 per cent, to USD 93.70 per barrel, while Brent Oil for the same month contract slipped 0.34 per cent to trade at USD 108.28 per barrel in New York. The dip in crude prices, now around USD 107 per barrel for Brent against a peak of USD 119, reflects a 'relief valve' moment, though tensions remain high, Aam
As fresh attacks on West Asian gas hubs triggered fresh concerns, India on Thursday said such strikes are "unacceptable and need to cease". New Delhi described the attacks as "deeply disturbing" and that they only serve to further destabilise an already uncertain energy scenario globally. Iran targeted several energy infrastructure in West Asia including Qatar's LNG (liquefied natural gas) hub of Ras Laffan in retaliation to Israel's strikes on Iran's South Pars gas fields. "India had previously called for the avoidance of targeting civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, across the region," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "The recent attacks against energy installations in different locations across this region are therefore deeply disturbing and only serve to further destabilise an already uncertain energy scenario for the whole world," he said. "Such attacks are unacceptable and need to cease," Jaiswal said.
The government on Thursday asserted that India's domestic coal production is steadily matching consumer demands, with state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) implementing robust measures to secure uninterrupted dry fuel for all sectors, amid escalating tensions in West Asia. As a proactive step, CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output, has planned 29 e-auctions in the current month, offering about 23.56 million tonnes (MT) of coal. "Out of these 29 auctions, 5 auctions have already been conducted since March 12, 2026, wherein 73.1 lakh tonnes of coal were offered, and 31.96 lakh tonnes of coal have been booked, indicating adequacy of coal offered in the e-auctions," the coal ministry said in a statement. In addition to this, CIL has also taken necessary action to ensure coal availability to the small, medium and other consumers through the State Nominated Agencies (SNAs) route and requested the State governments to provide the additional coal requirement, which can