Page 9 - Iran

US intel indicates China plans to ship air defense systems to Iran: Report

Beijing is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, CNN said, citing sources it did not name

JD Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner reach Pak as Iran-US talks set to kick off

Iran's 71-member delegation will be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and central bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati

Iranian delegation reaches Islamabad for crucial peace talks with US

The delegation came amid speculation making rounds on social media, casting doubts on the visit by the Iranians due to the strikes by Israel in Lebanon

Vance warns Iran not to 'play' US; Iranian delegation reaches Pak for talks

US Vice President J D Vance on Friday warned Iran not to "play" the US as he headed overseas for negotiations aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump has tasked the member of his inner circle who has seemed to be the most reluctant defender of the six-week-old conflict with Iran to now find a resolution and stave off the US president's astonishing threat to wipe out its "whole civilisation". Vance, who has long been skeptical of foreign military interventions and outspoken about the prospect of sending troops into open-ended conflicts, set off Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand," Vance told reporters before boarding Air Force Two to make his way to the talks in Pakistan. But he added, "If they're gonna try and play us, then they're gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive." Vance also said that Trump "gave us

Trump expresses confidence ahead of talks, confident of Hormuz reopening

President Donald Trump has expressed confidence ahead of talks between the United States and Iran on a resolution to the conflict, expected to start Saturday in Islamabad, with Vice President J D Vance leading the US delegation. "I wished him luck. He's got a big thing," Trump said in his parting message to Vance before he began his journey to lead the president's delegation for the critical talks. "We'll find out what's going on. They're militarily defeated." Trump, who spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One to head to a Friday evening fundraiser in Charlottesville, Virginia, also reiterated his confidence that the Strait of Hormuz will soon be opened up. "And now we're going to open up the Gulf with or without them," Trump said, referring to the Iranians, who have effectively shuttered the critical waterway. "But that'll be open," he said.

West Asia war: Who is the real force in Pakistan powering US-Iran talks?

With Munir at the helm, a social media charm offensive is reshaping Pakistan's image as a peace facilitator

Govt permits 4 Iranian oil tankers to berth for Reliance at Sikka port

Iranian oil is often transported by a shadow fleet of vessels that lack internationally recognised insurance and safety certifications

US-Iran set for talks as Netanyahu authorises negotiations with Lebanon

Negotiators from Iran and the United States prepared Friday for high-level talks planned to start a day later in Islamabad, seeking to steady a ceasefire teetering over Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire and Tehran's chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz. US Vice President JD Vance was set to take off from Washington, with Iran still remaining mum over its team as it tried to pressure Washington to halt Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, claimed that talks would "remain suspended" otherwise. Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack Thursday night that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault, it has in the past carried out attacks across the Mideast it did not claim. In addition to talks in Iran, Israel-Lebanon negotiations are also expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington - a potential boost to .

China's independent refiners buy Iran oil at premiums to Brent for 1st time

Iranian oil typically trades at discounts to Brent because of the sanctions and Chinese independent refiners, also known as teapots, are its biggest buyers

Pakistan West Asia talks: No official word on arrival of US, Iran delegates

Uncertainty shrouded the US-Iran dialogue, as there was no official word about the arrival of delegates on Friday, the day set for the start of talks between the two warring sides, even as Pakistan waived visa requirements for journalists and officials attending talks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while announcing a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, had stated that the two countries would hold talks in Islamabad on April 10. He had tagged presidents of the United States and Iran and other officials in his statement on X. Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amir Moghadam in a statement confirmed that a 10-member Iran delegation would arrive in Islamabad. "Despite skepticism of Iranian public opinion due to repeated ceasefire violations by the Israeli regime to sabotage the diplomatic initiative, invited by Hon PM Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian delegation arrives tonight in Islamabad for serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran," he said on X on Thursday. Hours later, he deleted t

Iran's battered leaders emerge from war confident and with new cards

For Iran's theocratic rulers, just surviving the US-Israeli onslaught means victory. But the seeds of their next crisis may already be planted

China calculates its next steps in Iran ceasefire ahead of Trump's visit

With a fragile ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran holding for now, China is calculating its role in helping find a durable endgame to the war in the Middle East. After prodding China, which is more reliant on Persian Gulf oil than the US, to get involved in reopening the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump told French news outlet Agence France-Presse this week that he believed China played a part in encouraging Iran to agree to this week's temporary truce. Three diplomats who were familiar with China's behind-the-scenes efforts also confirmed that Beijing, the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil, used its leverage to urge the Iranians back to the negotiating table. It was a major moment for Beijing, which had decried the US and Israel's war against its economic partner Iran as misguided before getting directly involved in the push to call off the fighting, including discouraging strikes by Iran. Talks between the sides are expected to begin in Pakistan this

Iran's ex-foreign minister dies from wounds sustained in US-Israeli attack

Former FM Kamal Kharrazi was heading the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, an advisory body established in 2006 that reports directly to Iran's supreme leadership

Kuwait claims attack by Iran, Saudi says pipeline damaged despite ceasefire

Kuwait has accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it on Thursday despite the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, as Saudi Arabia said recent attacks damaged a key pipeline in the kingdom. The statement from Kuwait's foreign ministry, carried by the state-run KUNA news agency, put new pressure on the ceasefire ahead of planned talks on Saturday between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. Kuwait's foreign ministry said the drone attacks "targeted some vital Kuwaiti facilities" Thursday night. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official, acknowledged a recent attack in the war that damaged its crucial East-West pipeline. That pipeline carries oil out to the Red Sea and avoids the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran maintains a chokehold on despite the pause in the fighting. Earlier in a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorised direct .

Watch: Donald Trump’s full address on the Iran war | Strait of Hormuz | White House | Oil prices

In his first address since launching coordinated military strikes with Israel on Iran, US President Donald Trump said Washington is close to achieving its military objectives and warned of intensified

"We are going to hit them very hard...": Trump on Iran War | US-Iran war | Strait of Hormuz

The war in West Asia may escalate further as US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could launch stronger attacks in the next two to three weeks if talks fail.

How LPG shortage is forcing India’s migrants away from cities | US-Iran war | Strait of Hormuz

An LPG shortage linked to the West Asia conflict is beginning to reshape life in India’s cities. From rising prices to job losses, migrant workers are being pushed out of metros,

Why Nomura, Goldman Sachs & others are cautious on Indian markets | West Asia war | Business news

Top global brokerages, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Bernstein, have all downgraded Indian equities. What’s behind this sudden shift? And why are Korea and China now back in focus?

West Asia conflict: What is the US, Iran 45-day ceasefire plan? | US-Iran war | Strait of Hormuz

The United States, Iran and regional mediators are reportedly exploring a 45-day ceasefire as tensions in West Asia escalate.

FBI warned of Iran-linked threat to US even as White House downplayed risk

President Donald Trump publicly has minimized the possibility of Iranian attacks on American soil in response to other intelligence assessments in recent months