Page 2 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

US destroys 5 Iranian oil tankers after missile attacks on Navy warship

The US military has destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following attacks on a US warship by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, US Central Command said in a social media post on Tuesday. The US strikes were in response to two Iranian efforts to hit the warship with ballistic missiles over the past two days, the statement added. Iranian state television also reported the strikes, saying US forces attacked at least three Iranian oil tankers near the southern port of Jask and near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. It said the crews were evacuated. The latest tit-for-tat strikes come as Washington and Tehran lurch back toward fighting during more than six months of war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US will not allow Iran's attacks to go unanswered. "Iran continues to try to hit US naval ships. And for every time they do that or try to do that, they're going to lose tankers. And I think you'll see that again today," Rubio told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the latest .

Iran hikes gasoline price for heavy consumers as economy struggles

Iran early Tuesday introduced a higher price for its heaviest users of gasoline, state media reported, in the latest economic pinch caused by months of war. It's the second such hike since December. Such gas price increases can be sensitive and contribute to inflation. An increase in 2019 sparked nationwide protests and a crackdown that reportedly killed more than 300 people. Without specifically mentioning the war with the United States, the government's announcement cited the "current situation", adding that the extra money from the price increase will be given to households. Under the new system, people buying more than their quota of 110 litres (29 gallons) of gasoline a month now must pay 100,000 rials (about 7 cents) per litre, or twice as much as they have been paying since December. Iran still has some of the world's lowest gasoline prices, but the price increase adds to daily pressures for many of the country's more than 90 million people. Already, the currency has been .

Oil will drop below 'two dollars a gallon' after US wins Iran war: Trump

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump linked high energy costs directly to ongoing military operations in the West Asia, asserting that post-war markets would stabilise rapidly

Iran claims strike on US vessel in Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate

Iran said Sunday it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the US military dismissed as a "total lie." The purported attack came a day after the US military said forces struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Navy warships being targeted with ballistic missiles. Experts called it a dangerous escalation after Iran's previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping. The war began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. But since a fragile ceasefire agreement was announced in June, on-and-off fighting has persisted, with both sides trying to inflict military and economic pain as negotiations have collapsed. Strikes came about a week after fighting resumed ------------------------------------------------------- The United States and Iran resumed attacks last week, following a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and areas along Iran's southern coast again being targeted. At least five people were killed ear

Iran plans 'exclusion zone' near Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions

The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Sunday said Tehran plans to announce an "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. Mohsen Rezaei's comments to Iran's state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. Experts called the launches a dangerous escalation after Iran's previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping. The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and "will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf," Rezaei said. "Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list." It is not clear where Iran defines the location of the weekslong US blockade, which is aimed at Irani

Iranian tanker targeted by 4 US missiles near Kharg Island oil export hub

Explosions were heard near Iran's key Gulf oil terminal, while unconfirmed reports said a tanker may have been targeted by a US missile

Trump calls Iran conflict 'small potatoes', backs Vance's 'not a war' stand

President Donald Trump on Friday said the conflict in Iran is "small potatoes" as he defended Vice President JD Vance for asserting that months of on-and-off attacks in the Middle East are not a "war." Asked during an Oval Office exchange about Vance's comments made a day earlier, Trump noted that US strikes on Iran are now "intermittent" and seemed to downplay the intensity of a war that's cost US taxpayers more than USD 37.5 billion and left 18 US service members dead. "I can understand what he's saying," said Trump. He added, "I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing." Vance on Thursday, during a White House press briefing, rejected the use of the word "war" to describe the US fighting with Iran and steered clear of predicting that the 6-month-old conflict would be over by November's midterm elections, in which Republicans are trying to hang on to their narrow majorities in Congress. "I wouldn't call it a war," Vance said after being

US could 'hit' Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site 'very soon', says Trump

US President Donald Trump said Washington could target Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain if intelligence detects activity there

Jordan caught in crossfire as Iran targets bases hosting US forces

Jordan, a staunch US ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom's military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighbouring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran's attempts to destabilise its neighbours. King Abdullah II of Jordan seemed to acknowledge the need for such alliances last year, when he warned that destabilisation fuelled by the COVID-19 crisis, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and ...

Vance says US-Iran fighting isn't 'war', avoids giving timeline, end date

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday rejected the use of the word "war" to describe the US fighting with Iran as he steered clear of predicting that the six-month-old conflict would be over by November's midterm elections, in which Republicans are trying to hang on to their narrow majorities in Congress. "I wouldn't call it a war," Vance said after being asked during a White House press briefing about whether the fighting could be wrapped up before voters cast their ballots in the November 3 congressional elections. "Right now, there is no active shooting." Vance's assertion came even as Iran fired at US Gulf ally Kuwait on Thursday as it continued to retaliate for rounds of US strikes on Iran earlier in the week. The vice president said the US had a "responsibility" to carry out this week's strikes because Iran continues the targeting of commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Vance's attempt to minimize the intensity of the fighting illuminates the difficult task

Attacks on Iran likely to be short, says Trump; asserts Hormuz control

US President Donald Trump said renewed strikes on Iran would likely be short-lived as fresh fighting pushed up energy prices and revived concerns over a prolonged war

Oil prices edge lower as markets weigh renewed US-Iran supply risks

Brent crude fell 0.45% to $95.20 a barrel while WTI slipped 0.26% to $90.77 as investors weighed the risk of renewed US-Iran strikes disrupting West Asian supplies

Global stocks climb as investors watch US-Iran conflict, yen surges

Global stock indexes mostly rose after three days of declines, while the yen jumped sharply and US Treasury yields eased as investors tracked the latest developments in the US-Iran conflict

India, Iran not discussing trade deal, says Rubio on Modi-Pezeshkian meet

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said he did not think India and Iran were talking of a trade deal, and many countries around the world talk to the regime in Tehran. Rubio's remarks came during an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio in response to a question on the meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. "Well, I don't think there's a trade deal between India and Iran. Obviously, there are countries all develop their own foreign policy, and many countries around the world talk to the Iranian regime," Rubio said in response to a remark by Kilmeade that Modi and Pezeshkian appeared to set up a trade deal. "I mean, we've met with elements of the Iranian regime as well, in terms of some of these discussions that have occurred and there's been contact with them," Rubio said. The US Secretary of State said President Donald Trump h

US CENTCOM completes 'wave of strikes' against Iranian military targets

Sharing the details in a post on X, CENTCOM said, "U.S. forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities

Oil prices rise as US-Iran fighting renews fears of supply disruptions

Brent crude rose 0.6% to $91.05 a barrel as renewed US-Iran fighting raised concerns over supply from the Middle East, the world's key oil-producing region

UAE intercepts Iranian drone over territorial waters after US strikes

The United Arab Emirates' air force intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters Monday, the Defense Ministry said, an attack that comes after the US and Iran exchanged fire on the weekend, the first significant military action in a month. In a short statement, the Defence Ministry said it "dealt with" an Iranian drone that was detected over its waters approaching from Iran. There were no immediate claims of responsibility from Tehran nor any reports of damage. The UAE Defence Ministry later issued a second statement denying the Al Menhad Air Base in Dubai had been targeted by Iranian missiles, as had been reported by Iranian media outlets. The incident came after US forces on Sunday struck Iranian rocket launchers on an Iranian island, breaking a lull in fighting in the war that has lasted more than six months. Iran responded by launching missiles at US sites in Jordan, which were intercepted. Early Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Iran would "not hesitate to

Asian shares slide as US-Iran fighting lifts oil; rate hike bets rise

Asian stocks fell as renewed US-Iran fighting pushed Brent crude above $90 a barrel, while hawkish Fed signals lifted bets on a September rate hike

Oil prices jump more than 2% after US attack on Iran's Larak island

Brent crude futures climbed $2.51, or 2.85 per cent, to $90.61 a barrel as of 0241 GMT ‌while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $85.53, up $2.13, or 2.55 per cent

Iran's supreme leader urges Muslim nations to unite against US, Israel

Iran's supreme leader called on Muslim countries to stand together against Israel and the United States. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged rulers of Muslim nations to "know your real enemy, understand its plans and confront it," and called the US and Israel enemies of all Islamic nations, the official IRNA news agency reported. Six months after the US and Israel attacked Iran, killing Khamenei's father and other senior leaders, Khamenei still has not been seen publicly. His comments came in a letter to religious leaders attending a conference in Tehran. The war has exposed divisions in the Muslim world after Iran struck targets in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries and restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has opposed the US military presence in the region.