Page 10 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

Trump's Netanyahu problem is latest key hurdle to Iran peace deal

The latest diplomatic rupture followed days of Israeli military escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, prompting a phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Rubio optimistic on eventual Iran talks despite congressional skepticism

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he is optimistic about the potential for a resumption in nuclear talks with Iran despite a shaky ceasefire in the war that is looking increasingly in doubt. Rubio defended the Trump administration's approach to Iran and other global hotspots in back-to-back hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a House Appropriations subcommittee. He was briefly disrupted by protesters at each session. In his first public testimony since the Iran war began at the end of February, Rubio said the Iranians have agreed to negotiate on nuclear points that they had not been willing to address in the past but would not offer an assessment on what those talks might produce. "They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention," Rubio told the Senate. He noted, however, that there was no guarantee "it will lead to a deal that's acceptable" and that negotiations .

Oil prices rise over 1% as new West Asia hostilities flare, talks stall

Brent futures rose $1.05, or 1.09 per cent, at $97.05 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.01, or 1.08 per cent, to settle at $94.77

Iran's active nuclear operations have halted amid conflict: IAEA chief

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi revealed during a visit to the United Arab Emirates that several previously active nuclear initiatives in Iran have now ceased

'Time to make a deal': Trump rejects reports of breakdown in US-Iran talks

Trump refuted claims that communications between the two nations had broken down, asserting that discussions have been actively maintained over the last several days

Bahrain issues alert, Kuwait downs missiles as West Asia tensions intensify

As Bahrain activated its emergency protocols, neighbouring Kuwait was already actively engaging incoming aerial threats

Iran halts talks with mediators after Israel threat to bomb Beirut: Report

Iran stopped communicating with mediators after Israel threatened to bomb Beirut as it continues fighting the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah, two semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported. The reports by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both believed to be close to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, come as Iran insists the fighting in Lebanon is part of the wider ceasefire talks with the United States over the war. Israel and the US maintain the fighting in Lebanon is separate from the Iran war talks. A regional official involved in the mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said Iran has not communicated at all on Tuesday after saying that a ceasefire needed to be enforced in Lebanon for negotiations to continue.

Iran says reviewing US ceasefire proposal as Trump says talks continuing

Trump said on Monday that negotiations with Iran were continuing and there would be a deal over the next week to extend a ceasefire agreed in early April and reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Iran war puts RBI in razor-edge policy bind over inflation, growth, rupee

The rupee has tumbled ​to record lows since the Iran war broke out at the end of February

Oil prices steady as uncertainty over US-Iran talks keeps markets on edge

Brent crude futures ‌inched up 6 cents, or 0.06 per cent, to $95.04 a barrel at 0001 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate fell 17 cents, or 0.18 per cent, to $91.99 a barrel

Iran talks continuing at rapid pace, says Trump as strikes test ceasefire

US President Donald Trump on Monday said talks were continuing with Iran at a rapid pace, as fresh strikes by Tehran appeared to hit the fragile ceasefire. "Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The nominal ceasefire between Iran and the US has been repeatedly tested with such back-and-forth attacks, even as officials from both countries try to negotiate an end to the war. It's not clear how close they are to a deal and there is always the risk that an attack could derail those talks.

An LNG glut is on its way despite disruption from West Asia conflict

The world's largest LNG plant is idled and Qatar says repairing it will take at least three years. And yet, the contours of a long-term surplus are already starting to emerge

Iran halts talks with US after Israel widens Lebanon offensive: Report

Negotiators will suspend "talks and the exchange of documents through mediators" the semi-official Tasnim new agency reported, citing a statement

Seamless pipe industry urges PM Modi to curb imports, save foreign exchange

Industry body STMAI has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to curb rising imports of seamless pipes, particularly from China, warning that unchecked inflows are eroding domestic capacity utilisation and causing a substantial outflow of foreign exchange. The development assumes significance in the wake of Prime Minister Modi's call for energy conservation and austerity measures amid the West Asia crisis. In a representation to the Prime Minister, Seamless Tube Manufacturers' Association of India (STMAI) said India's installed seamless pipe manufacturing capacity stands at about 1.95 million tonnes per annum. However, fluctuating domestic demand and a sharp rise in imports, particularly from China and other countries, have led to sustained underutilisation of the country's manufacturing base. "Over the past several years, the Association has continuously represented these concerns before the Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Commerce, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence ...

Iran really wants to make deal with US: Trump amid stalled negotiations

Trump stated that the deal will be a good one for the USA and its allies

US bombs Iranian military sites; Kuwait hit by drone, missile fire

The US military said Monday it was targeting Iranian radar and drone control sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American MQ-1 Predator drone this weekend. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency said that US forces had targeted a telecommunications tower on an island. The Guard said it responded with an attack without saying where.

Kuwait's air defences intercept missiles, drones amid regional tensions

Kuwait informed that if explosion sounds are heard, they result from the air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks

US military quietly guiding ships through Hormuz amid stalled negotiations

US Central Command has helped around 70 commercial ships pass through the strait in the last three weeks, an official said

Oil prices climb over 2% as Israel intensifies operations in Lebanon

US crude futures rose $2.37 or 2.71 per cent to $89.73 a barrel as of 0028 GMT

Germany, UK voice concern over Israel's widening offensive in Lebanon

United Kingdom intensified the Western diplomatic push for immediate restraint, explicitly calling for a halt to the widening theatre of war