Israel Iran Conflict

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

Iran war lifts bottled water prices in India, wipes out tax cut gains

Bisleri, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance and Tata all compete for a share of the $5 billion market

US will 'blow up' South Pars gas field if Iran attacks Qatar, warns Trump

US President Donald Trump said the US 'knew nothing' of Israel's strike on Iran's South Pars gas field and warned Washington would 'blow it up' if Iran targets Qatar's LNG facilities again

Centre offers insurance support as SMEs face cash-flow strain from Iran war

The RELIEF scheme mainly includes consignments destined for delivery or trans-shipment to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Yemen

West Asia crisis: CIL assures steady coal supply, stocks for consumers

The government on Thursday asserted that India's domestic coal production is steadily matching consumer demands, with state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) implementing robust measures to secure uninterrupted dry fuel for all sectors, amid escalating tensions in West Asia. As a proactive step, CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output, has planned 29 e-auctions in the current month, offering about 23.56 million tonnes (MT) of coal. "Out of these 29 auctions, 5 auctions have already been conducted since March 12, 2026, wherein 73.1 lakh tonnes of coal were offered, and 31.96 lakh tonnes of coal have been booked, indicating adequacy of coal offered in the e-auctions," the coal ministry said in a statement. In addition to this, CIL has also taken necessary action to ensure coal availability to the small, medium and other consumers through the State Nominated Agencies (SNAs) route and requested the State governments to provide the additional coal requirement, which can

West Asia crisis: Govt identifies 22 vessels for safe passage via Hormuz

These 20 vessels carry 215,000 tonnes of LNG, 321,000 tonnes of LPG, and 1,676,000 tonnes of crude oil; both Indian and foreign-flagged ships, all bound for India