West Asia And The Gulf

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said no one, including the perpetrators of the Gulf conflict, can foresee its grave consequences for the world, comparable only to the Covid pandemic. Addressing the delegates of the congress of the powerful Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), the Russian leader said the escalation of the conflict incited by the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran has jeopardised a wide range of industries, and there's no telling what further consequences may follow. "The armed conflict in the Middle East is increasingly impacting the current situation and causing significant disruption to international logistics, manufacturing, and supply chains," he said. Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran, which in turn retaliated, spreading the war to the entire Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important choke point for the world's energy supplies. The strait, a narrow shipping lane that connects

Iran allowed India and a number of other "friendly nations" including China and Russia to use the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said. Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). West Asia has been a major source of India's energy procurement. "We have permitted certain countries that we consider friendly to pass through (Strait of Hormuz). We allowed China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan to transit," Araghchi said, according to Iranian State TV. At the same time, the Iranian foreign minister made it clear that ships linked to Iran's adversaries will not be allowed to transit through the strategic waterway. "We are in a state of war. The region is a war zone, and there is no reason to allow the ships of our enemies and their .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact on Friday with the chief ministers of all states, barring those which are going to polls, to review their preparedness and plans in the wake of the West Asia conflict, sources said. This is the first time that the prime minister will hold a meeting with the chief ministers on the West Asia conflict which started on February 28 with the attack by the US-Israel on Iran. The Persian nation has also retaliated by firing on its Gulf neighbours and Israel. "The prime minister will interact with the CMs tomorrow evening through video conferencing on the West Asia conflict to review preparedness and plans of states. The meeting will focus on ensuring synergy of efforts in the spirit of Team India," the sources said. The chief ministers of election-bound states will not be part of this meeting due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The Cabinet Secretariat will hold a separate meeting with the chief secretaries of poll-bound Tamil Nadu, West Bengal

The government has already prioritised use of gas for households over industries, which get only about 80 per cent of their average needs

Oil jumps over 3% as Middle East tensions threaten supply, with Hormuz disruption and global outages intensifying fears of a prolonged energy crisis

The weapons that could be redirected include air defense interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched last year, under which partner countries buy US arms for Kyiv

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has barred restaurants from levying separate 'LPG charges' on bills, mandating that all operational fuel costs be integrated into menu pricing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed to US President Donald Trump that the war in West Asia must end soon as it is hurting everyone, the government told an up-in-arms Opposition at an all-party meeting on Wednesday, terming Pakistan a "dalaal" (broker) nation in reference to its reported mediation in the conflict. There is nothing new in Pakistan's mediation efforts in the matter as that country has been "used" by the US since 1981, sources quoted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as saying. "We are not a dalaal nation," Jaishankar is said to have told the attendees of the meeting convened at the Parliament complex to discuss the West Asia crisis. The sources added that the government refuted the Opposition's charge that New Delhi was silent on the situation, asserting that "we are commenting and responding". When the Iran embassy was opened, the Foreign Secretary visited immediately and signed the condolence book, the government told the parties in response to the ...

Insurance brokers say war-risk premiums will remain elevated as uncertainty persists in West Asia despite Iran allowing passage for non-hostile vessels through Hormuz

For FII's, the favored markets over last two years have been countries that were beneficiaries of new age tech and artificial intelligence (AI), he said.

Amid the West Asia conflict, a total of 1,043 Indian nationals, including 717 students, have crossed out of Iran with the assistance of the mission in Tehran, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday. At an inter-ministerial briefing here on the West Asia situation, Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), MEA, also said the overall flight situation continues to improve, and that around 4.26 lakh passengers have returned from the region to India since February 28. "During this period, a total of 2,149 flights, including scheduled and non-scheduled flights of Indian as well as foreign carriers, have operated from the region to India," he said. The MEA said it continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the Gulf and the West Asia region. "We are according the highest priority to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of the large Indian community in the region," Mahajan said. The ministry's dedicated Control Room remains operational to address queries

Tehran termed the US proposal excessive, and said it would continue operations; it also outlined five conditions including security guarantees and control over the Strait of Hormuz

The consumer protection body on Wednesday said such levies cannot be added automatically, calling them unfair trade practices, and warned that violations would invite strict action under the law

The Jan Hastakshep, a civil rights organisation, has slammed the NDA government for its "deafening silence" amidst the US-Israel and Iran conflict and termed the attack on the Persian nation as "unprovoked". In a statement, issued after a seminar held on Tuesday, the Hastakshep said the current conflict, along with similar wars in the past, constitutes part of a persistent pattern of the US military aggression directed against sovereign nations. The seminar was inaugurated by former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and attended by journalists Praveen Sahni, Saeed Naqvi, and President of the JNU Teachers' Association Saeed Akhtar Hussain among others. "Amidst the US-Israel-Iran conflict, the Narendra Modi government has steered India's foreign policy to a juncture where it is currently crawling on its knees," the statement said. The speakers slammed the NDA government for its "deafening silence" amidst the US-Israel and Iran. The seminar was held under the theme: "The Attack on Ir

The meeting will focus on assessing key issues impacting agriculture, especially in light of emerging global uncertainties and their potential effects on the agricultural sector

These groups will formulate strategies on strategic and security matters, supply chains, LPG and energy supplies, fertilizers, essential commodities, logistics, and public communication

The government on Tuesday said India has adequate stocks of petrol, diesel and LPG, and that all refineries are operating at high capacity despite disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz situation. In an update on fuel availability, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said petrol pumps across the country remain fully functional, though panic buying triggered by rumours led to unusually high sales in some areas. She urged citizens not to engage in hoarding and to rely on official information. Sharma said domestic LPG production has been stepped up, with no reported dry-outs at distributorships, even as supply remains under pressure due to the prevailing geopolitical situation. Deliveries continue as normal, she added. Natural gas supplies to priority segments such as domestic PNG and CNG transport remain fully protected, while supplies to industrial and commercial users are being maintained at about 80 per cent of average consumption. The

Iranian attacks have partially disrupted Qatar's export capacity, tightening gas availability for Indian manufacturers

Iran named a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander as the new secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council on Tuesday, replacing Ali Larijani, who was killed in an airstrike. Iranian state television identified the new secretary as Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr. Zolghadr reached the rank of brigadier general in the Guard. He had been serving as the secretary of Iran's Expediency Council.

India, which meets nearly two-thirds of its vegetable oil needs through imports, brought in an average 1.36 million metric tons a month in the marketing year that ended in October 2025