Iran

Iranian missile with 'cluster bomb warhead' targets central Israel

Cluster bomb warheads indiscriminately spread dozens of sub munitions, each with several kilograms of explosives, over a radius of around 10 kilometres

Iran confirms killing of Basij force head Gen Gholam Reza Soleimani

The Iranian judiciary's news agency, Mizan, on Tuesday confirmed the death of Gen Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force. Earlier in the day, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Soleimani and Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council were "eliminated last night". Both men were key to Iran's violent crackdown on protests in January that challenged the theocracy's 47-year rule. The killings would strip Iran of important leaders during a war that presents that greatest test for the Islamic Republic in recent decades. Iran has not confirmed or denied the reported killing of Larijani, considered one of the most powerful figures in the country since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war. Larijani, a former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, advised the late Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration. He was ...

China to provide humanitarian aid to Iran, three other West Asia nations

China on Tuesday said it will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Lebanon and two other West Asian countries hit hard by the ongoing conflict in the region. Speaking at a media briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that Beijing has decided to provide emergency humanitarian aid to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq in the hope of easing the humanitarian plight faced by local people. "The ongoing conflict has inflicted excruciating humanitarian disasters on (the) people of Iran and other regional countries. China deeply sympathises with people in relevant countries", Lin said. He was responding to a question about whether China is considering providing humanitarian assistance to the relevant countries, as the UN Refugee Agency recently said the crisis in West Asia has constituted a major humanitarian emergency, and the affected regions already host nearly 25 million refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees. Iran has suffered many innoce

How West Asia war is affecting India's service sectors | West Asia crisis | Strait of Hormuz

The West Asia crisis is disrupting businesses across India—from aviation and travel to restaurants, logistics and quick commerce.

Best of BS Opinion: West Asia war, rupee depreciation & RBI's policy tone

From the economic fallout of the West Asia conflict and lessons from modern warfare to the RBI's upcoming policy decision and Kanwal Rekhi's memoir, here are the key views from today's Opinion page.

West Asia war: Sailing Gulf's most anxious waters as missiles target ships

Indian seafarers describe sleepless nights and evasive manoeuvres as missile alerts in Gulf waters force ships to alter routes and crews to disembark amid escalating tensions

Cost asymmetry: Shift in modern warfighting an opportunity for Indian firms

The star for the Iranian side has been the Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which carries a 25-kg warhead and costs less than $30,000 to make

Sustaining stability: Fallout of Iran war must be managed sensibly

Last week, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹1 trillion economic stabilisation fund to enable India navigate such global headwinds

Iran war should accelerate shift away from fossil fuels: UN climate chief

UN climate chief says geopolitical shocks to oil and gas markets highlight urgency of accelerating the global shift to renewable energy

Iran's Araghchi says any end to US-Israeli war must be definitive

Tehran signals no immediate ceasefire while saying Strait of Hormuz remains open for neutral shipping under coordination

Iran hits Gulf neighbours, chokes oil shipping as energy crisis fears grow

Explosions echoed across Beirut early Monday as Israel struck the Lebanese capital. It also launched a new wave of attacks on Tehran, while Dubai was forced to temporarily close its airport after an Iranian drone hit a fuel tank. Since being attacked by the United States and Israel more than two weeks ago, Iran has been regularly hitting Israel, American bases and its Gulf Arab neighbours' energy infrastructure with drones and missiles. It has also effectively stopped shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, giving rise to growing fears of a global energy crisis and putting pressure on Washington as consumers are already feeling the pain at the pump. Brent crude, the international standard, remained stubbornly over USD 100 a barrel on Monday. It was at USD 104 in early trading, up nearly 45 per cent since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. It has spiked as high as about USD 120 during the conflict. President Donald

Gulf economies at risk of worst slump since early 1990s on Iran war

Qatar and Kuwait could each see their gross domestic product contract by 14% this year should the conflict continue through April

Iran's foreign minister condemns Israeli strikes on fuel sites as 'ecocide'

These accusations follow a massive aerial campaign by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), which confirmed on Sunday (local time) that it struck more than 200 targets across western and central Iran

Antique retains buy on Yatra; Middle East impact temporary, sees 87% upside

Factoring in the Middle East conflict-related disruption, Antique trimmed its FY26-FY28 earnings estimates for Yatra Online by 4 per cent each and reduced its valuation multiple to 27x from 32x

Trump faces stark choices as West Asia conflict enters third week

As the conflict with Iran expands and intensifies, President Trump's options - to fight on, or to move toward declaring victory and pulling back - both carry deeply problematic consequences

Iran's military heavily damaged, would take a decade to rebuild: Trump

Trump also accused Iran of spreading AI-generated disinformation about the ongoing conflict and criticised media organisations for reporting false information

Nuclear material buried under rubble after US strikes: Iranian FM Araghchi

Araghchi also said Iran had previously been willing to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched material during negotiations with the United States before the latest escalation

Iran shows journalists part of Tehran heavily damaged by US-Israeli strike

A strike on the Javadieh neighbourhood of southern Tehran on Friday hit a police station and several surrounding buildings. Elham Movagghari, a resident of the area who spoke to journalists Sunday, said she was shocked by the attack. "We were confused and didn't know what had happened," she said. "We just ran away." Another resident, Hossein Ghardashi, said the strike threw him across the room. "When I got up and came to my senses, I saw that two or three pieces of glass had gone into my face and head" he said. Italy's defence chief says drone hit base in Kuwait housing Italian, US forces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Italy's chief of defence staff Gen Luciano Portolano said the attack on the Ali Al Salem base occurred on Sunday morning and destroyed an Italian drone inside a shelter on the base. No Italian personnel were injured, he said, in comments posted on X. Italian troops are stationed at the base as part of a coalition tas

Iranians cross into Iraq for cheaper food, work after border reopens

Dozens of Iranians crossed into northern Iraq Sunday - the first day the border had opened since war struck their country - to buy cheaper groceries, access the internet, contact relatives and find work. Travellers said constant airstrikes and soaring food prices have made life in Iran increasingly desperate. Trucks laden with goods snaked through the Haji Omeran crossing from Iraq's Kurdish region, offering a hoped for respite from high costs on the Iranian side. Even before the US and Israel launched their war against Iran, Iranian Kurds routinely crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan, sharing deep familial, cultural and economic ties and porous borders that enable steady trade and regular visits. Now Iraq's Kurdish region has become a crucial lifeline for Iranians in the war-torn region to reach the outside world. "When this border was closed, it affected everyone. Poor people, rich people, workers," said Khider Chomani, a truck driver on his way to Iran carrying goods. The border was .

Iran assures safe passage for Indian vessels through Strait of Hormuz

The current round of conflict in West Asia, which started on February 28, has witnessed fighting between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other