Gulf Countries

Steady, stable as she goes: India and the economic fallout of Gulf conflict

The Gulf conflict tested one kind of resilience; the years ahead will test others. India met the first test in good order. That is a reason for quiet confidence - and for getting on with the next

Rubio hails US-Gulf Arab unity despite region's concerns about Iran deal

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that relations between the United States and its Gulf Arab partners are rock solid, despite fears by some of them that they might be left out of discussions aimed at ending the war with Iran. Rubio used a three-day, three-nation trip to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain this week to try to convince all the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council that the Trump administration does indeed have their backs in negotiations to end the war President Donald Trump and Israel launched on Feb. 28. That conflict sharply curtailed the region's oil exports and saw several Gulf countries take direct retaliatory Iranian missile and drone hits. "They've shared with us some very concrete concerns, ideas," Rubio said in Bahrain, the last stop on the trip. "And when I say concern, the biggest concern is that they really just want to be informed every step along the way as we enter these negotiations at both the technical and political ...

As Hormuz reopens, Gulf oil fields gear up for a restart visible from space

Energy executives across the Gulf are working to restore oil production and shipping after the US-Iran interim peace deal reopened the world's most critical oil transit route

Can Modi-Trump meet on at G7 summit help reset strained India-US relations?

Geopolitical tensions in West Asia are driving Gulf-based NRIs towards Indian term insurance plans, attracted by lower premiums and GST exemptions

War effect: Gulf-based NRIs double down on Indian term life plans

Geopolitical tensions in West Asia are driving Gulf-based NRIs towards Indian term insurance plans, attracted by lower premiums and GST exemptions

MEA summons US envoy again over attacks on ships carrying Indians

India lodged a strong protest with the US over attacks on commercial vessels carrying Indian seafarers, while the UN and Iran condemned the incidents

Iran could trigger 'nuclear arms race' in West Asia, says J D Vance

US Vice President J D Vance has said Iran having an atomic weapon would trigger a "nuclear arms race" worldwide and asserted that the US was "locked and loaded" to restart military operations if Tehran failed to reach a peace deal. Vance's remarks at a press conference at the White House on Tuesday came a day after President Donald Trump put off the decision to resume strikes on Iran at the request of Arab nations, including Qatar and the UAE, who said that Tehran was being "reasonable" in peace talks. "We think the Iranians want to make a deal. The president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith. And that's exactly what we've done," the vice president said. But Vance warned that diplomacy will not come at the cost of Trump's key demand that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon. "So as the president just told me, we're locked and loaded," Vance said, adding that he had a meeting with Trump before coming to the press briefing. "We don't want to go down that ...

Luxury giants slump as West Asia demand seizes up due to prolonged war

Shoppers in the West Asia are some of the world's biggest spenders, splashing out at retail hubs like Dubai and other luxury destinations including Paris and Milan

Luxury watch industry faces fresh headwinds as Iran war dents demand

The bling is back, but the war in the Persian Gulf has tarnished the outlook for the luxury watch industry - the ultimate in bling. Starting Tuesday, Geneva hosts the annual "Watches and Wonders" fair, a premiere gathering in an industry eager for a rebound after two years of market contraction, hopefully including sales in oil-rich Gulf Arab countries. The US and Israeli war against Iran that began February 28, however, has had a sweeping impact on the global economy: Driving up energy prices, stalling shipments of fertiliser, disrupting air travel, among other things. High-end watches have not been spared. Soaring prices for precious metals like gold and silver over the last year and US President Donald Trump's Liberation Day tariffs launched a year ago - while down from peak levels - already affected the market. Now, renewed inflation pressures and doubts about consumer confidence are throwing new uncertainty into the market that generates tens of billions of dollars in revenue

Paramount in talks to secure $24 bn funds from Gulf for Warner takeover

The merger would combine major studios and networks such as CNN and CBS, enabling them to compete more aggressively as streaming draws audiences away from traditional linear TV

Gulf nations explore oil routes beyond Strait of Hormuz amid Iran war

Amid rising Iran tensions, Gulf nations are reportedly exploring pipelines and new trade corridors to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz

Drone company backed by Trump sons targets Gulf sales amid Iran war

A drone maker backed by President Donald Trump's two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father. The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began. "These countries are under enormous pressure to buy from the sons of the president so he will do what they want," said Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush. "This is going to be the first family of a president to make a lot of money off war - a war he didn't get the consent of Congress for." Powerus co-founder Brett Velicovich told The Associated Press that the company is making sales pitches that include drone demonstrations in several Gulf countries to show how its defensive drone interceptors could help them ward off Iranian attacks. "Ou

Kuwaiti oil tanker ablaze in Dubai Port after Iranian attack, no casualties

Authorities in Dubai confirmed they were responding to a drone attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters and that maritime firefighting teams were working to bring the fire under control

Gulf allies urge Trump to keep fighting until Iran is decisively defeated

Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn't been weakened enough by the monthlong US-led bombing campaign, according to US, Gulf and Israeli officials. After private grumbling at the start of the war that they were not given adequate advance notice of the US-Israeli attack and complaining the US had ignored their warnings that the war would have devastating consequences for the entire region, some of the regional allies are making the case to the White House that the moment offers a historic opportunity to cripple Tehran's clerical rule once and for all. Officials from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have conveyed in private conversations that they do not want the military operation to end until there are significant changes in the Iranian leadership or there's a dramatic shift in Iranian behaviour, according to the

Trump, Iran escalate conflict with threats to energy, water facilities

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on X that critical infrastructure and energy facilities in West Asia could be "irreversibly destroyed" should Iranian power plants be attacked

Gulf states intercept new missiles, drones as Iran threatens to widen war

Arab Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks Sunday after Iran threatened to widen its campaign as the war in the Middle East entered its third week. Israel and the United States attacked Iran on Feb. 28, saying they were striking nuclear and military sites and encouraging the Iranian people to rise against their leaders. Iran has responded with attacks against Israel and neighbouring Gulf states. The war, which shows no signs of ending soon, has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports from the region and sent fuel prices rising across the world. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates warned residents on Sunday that they were working to intercept incoming projectiles, a day after Iran called for the evacuations of three major UAE ports, threatening for the first time a neighbouring country's non-US assets. Iran earlier accused the US of using "ports, docks and hideouts" in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling .

16 and counting: Oil, cargo ships becoming targets in West Asia conflict

Before the war, about 80 oil and gas tankers crossed the strait daily, moving roughly 20 million barrels; Now, shipping has plunged, with barely one or two vessels able to pass each day