Page 2 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

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

What to know as Israeli forces' Lebanon incursion complicates Iran deal

Israeli forces are making their deepest incursion inside Lebanon since they withdrew from the country over a quarter-century ago, despite a nominal U.S.-brokered ceasefire and the first direct talks between the countries in decades. The Israeli advance presents a challenge in the emerging deal to extend the Iran war ceasefire as Tehran wants any agreement to end fighting in Lebanon, too. Qatar called it a "dangerous escalation." Germany's foreign minister said it was cause for serious concern, according to German press agency dpa. There was no comment by the United States. On Sunday, Israeli forces seized a symbolic fort in southern Lebanon that offers commanding views across Lebanon and into northern Israel. The last time they seized it, they held it for 18 years. Israel says it is targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which has a strong political presence in southern Lebanon and has launched thousands of missiles and drones at Israeli soldiers there and in norther

Trump sends back Iran deal text with changes, seeks stricter nuclear terms

The latest round of changes comes a week after Trump said the deal was 'largely finalised' and indicated that an end to hostilities was imminent

No room for speculation till final outcome reached in talks with US: Iran

Araghchi stated that 'it is not possible to judge until a clear conclusion is reached; everything that is being said now is speculation and should not be taken seriously until it is certain'

Iran war forces farmers towards fertiliser alternatives like compost

When Senegalese farmer Abou Sow first watched US missiles strike Iran on social media, he had a sinking feeling it would soon affect agriculture in the West African nation. Since the war began on February 28, fertilizer prices have risen by 40%. Sow was better prepared than most. Eight years ago, he gave up chemical fertilizers for organic compost and other natural sources. He now rallies farmers in Senegal to buy manure from local herders and gives advice on how to make a rich compost, picking out wriggling worms a healthy sign. "We can't afford to wait for a ceasefire," Sow said. "It's risky to depend on chemical fertilizers." Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has affected the supply of natural gas, essential for making chemical fertilizer, as well as global shipping. The Gulf region produces 30% of globally traded chemical fertilizer, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, and global prices have increased by 50%, according to the World Bank's fertilizer

IMF, World Bank, others warn West Asia conflict straining energy supplies

They said that the world economy remained resilient, but the conflict was disproportionately affecting poorer countries through ‌higher fuel and fertiliser prices, increased uncertainty, and job risks