Israel Iran Conflict

India working to facilitate return of nationals from Iran, says MEA

MEA urged Indian nationals attempting to leave Iran through land routes to first contact the Indian embassy to ensure a smooth evacuation process

DGCA asks airlines to avoid 9 airspaces, ensure backup plan amid Iran war

Amid escalating conflict in West Asia, aviation watchdog DGCA on Thursday asked airlines to avoid nine airspaces in the region and ensure robust contingency plans as part of safety risk assessments. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to avoid the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to an advisory. Indian airlines can operate flights over Oman and Saudi Arabia airspaces subject to certain conditions, the regulator said. It told the airlines not to operate below FL 320 or 32,000 feet within the airspace of Saudi Arabia and Oman located south of the segments defined by following compulsory reporting points. About the nine airspaces, the DGCA asked airlines to "refrain from operating within the affected airspace...at all flight levels and altitudes". Any continued operations would be at the discretion of the operator based on their safety risk assessment, it added. "Operati

7 nations condemn Iran attacks on vessels, energy sites, Hormuz closure

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and the United Kingdom has condemened Iran

EU leaders brace for multi-year energy squeeze after Qatar gas plant hit

Gas prices on Thursday surged to levels not seen in three years, while the European Central Bank said a prolonged disruption would push euro-zone inflation to 6.3% and trigger a brief recession

Israel will avoid future strikes on Iran's energy sites, says Netanyahu

Israeli jets' bombing of Iran's South Pars field and associated infrastructure on Wednesday prompted a fresh wave of Iranian strikes against oil and gas works across the region

West Asia war forces Indian tourists to look eastwards and inwards

Domestic destinations see an uptick as summer travel plans begin, while Indian travellers shift towards East and Southeast Asia amid geopolitical uncertainty

Modi speaks to Macron, leaders of Qatar, Oman, Jordan on West Asia conflict

The thrust of the conversations, per his social media posts, was to find a way to restore stability to the region and to continue coordination in the pursuit of de-escalation and peace

Brent crude touches $119 as attacks on Gulf energy spots hit supply

US crude prices surged above $100 a barrel after Politico reported the US will not implement an export ban

Iranian missile hits Israeli oil refinery in Haifa, minor damages reported

Energy Minister Eli Cohen said power was briefly disrupted, with electricity restored to most of those who were affected

An economic policy response to the West Asia crisis: Managing supply shock

Policymakers will need to rely on both internal and external shock absorbers to guide the economy to its new equilibrium

US, global central banks hold rates, warn of war-led inflation risks

Earlier this week the Reserve Bank of Australia hiked rates to a 10-month high and warned of a "material" risk to inflation from the oil price spike

UK, EU leaders say ready to 'contribute' for safe passage through Hormuz

The joint statement reflects growing concern that Iran's retaliatory attacks in response to US-Israeli bombardment threaten to stoke inflation and further disrupt global trade

Pentagon seeks $200 billion more to fund ongoing Iran war: Report

The Pentagon is seeking USD 200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a senior administration official says. The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information. It's an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of extra funding the Defence Department already received last year in President Donald Trump's big tax cuts bill. Congress is bracing for a new spending request but it is not clear the White House has transmitted the request for consideration. It is unclear the spending request would have support. The new funding request was first reported by The Washington Post. Asked about the figure at a press conference Thursday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not directly confirm the figure, saying it could change. But he said "we're going back to Congress and our folks there to to ensure that we're properly funded". "It takes money to kill bad guys," Hegseth said.

Strike on Iran South Pars gas field coordinated with US: Israeli officials

Trump said in a social media post that Washington "knew nothing about this particular attack" and that Israel would not attack the gas field further unless Iran again attacked Qatar

Iran strikes took out 17% LNG export capacity for 3-5 yrs: QatarEnergy CEO

Missile strikes damaged key LNG facilities in Qatar, triggering fires and disrupting exports. QatarEnergy says repairs could take up to five years, impacting global gas supplies

US may lift sanctions on 140 mn barrels of Iranian oil on the seas: Bessent

The US hasn't been targeting Iran's energy assets in the war, he said. With regard to Kharg Island, a key Iranian export hub, it mounted a "precision strike" against the military assets

'Deeply disturbing': India on attacks on West Asia gas facilities

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.

US will launch 'largest strike package yet' against Iran today: Hegseth

The US defence secretary reiterated that only President Donald Trump would decide when the war would end, adding that Iran's naval and missile manufacturing capabilities had been severely eroded

West Asia situation is a testing time for global community, says MEA

Recent attacks against energy installations in different locations across West Asia are deeply disturbing, MEA added

Sergio Gor in Sri Lanka for talks on sea lanes, port security amid Iran war

The US Special Representative for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday discussed strengthening of bilateral relations and the island nation's position on the West Asia crisis. The US Special envoys' visit to Sri Lanka comes at a time when Sri Lanka came to be embroiled in the joint US-Israeli war against Iran since February 28. Gor met with Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat as part of "US efforts to safeguard vital sea lanes and secure ports, reinforce mutually beneficial trade and commercial ties, and advance a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific for the benefit of both our peoples," a release from the US Pacific Command said. Gor and Dissanayake's "discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties and Sri Lanka's position on the Middle East conflict and its challenges," the President's Media Division (PMD) said in a post on X. The US Special envoy will also travel to Maldives after Sri Lanka in the 5-day vi