Page 2 - Israel Iran Conflict

JD Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner reach Pak as Iran-US talks set to kick off

Iran's 71-member delegation will be led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and central bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati

Iran's toll plan for Strait of Hormuz defies UN law, maritime norms

US has flagged legal concerns over Tehran's reported transit charges as UNCLOS and customary law back free navigation through the key global energy route

Global funds dump Indian equities at record pace on oil shock, growth fears

In just over three months, they have pulled $18.84 billion from local shares, edging past the full-year record outflow of $18.79 billion seen in 2025, according to Central Depository Services India

US-Iran talks in Islamabad: Timing, venue, agenda; check key details here

Pakistan hosts US-Iran talks under tight security as a fragile ceasefire holds, with tensions over Lebanon, and Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz complicating efforts towards a lasting truce

Iranian delegation reaches Islamabad for crucial peace talks with US

The delegation came amid speculation making rounds on social media, casting doubts on the visit by the Iranians due to the strikes by Israel in Lebanon

'Iran has no cards': Trump threatens Tehran as Vance heads to Pak for talks

While the two-week ceasefire was broadly holding across West Asia, the situation with the strait and continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon threatened to complicate negotiations

JD Vance emerges as Trump's Iran 'closer' in high-risk diplomatic test

US Vice President JD Vance will be accompanied by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner

Oil drops ahead of US-Iran talks, posts biggest weekly fall since 2022

US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.30, or 1.3 per cent, to settle at $96.57 a barrel, with a weekly decline of 13.4 per cent, its largest since April 2020

840K Indians returned from Gulf since Feb 28, airspace curbs remain: MEA

Mahajan said the government continues to closely monitor the evolving situation across the Gulf and West Asia, with a dedicated mechanism in place for rapid coordination

Direct talks with Israel to start next Tuesday, says Lebanese president

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said that direct talks with Israel will start next Tuesday. The statement from Aoun's office comes after Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the US held a call with Washington's ambassador to Lebanon to discuss the terms of the negotiations, slated for next Tuesday in Washington, with the US State Department mediating. Beirut is keen to hold direct talks to end the ongoing war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, but under a ceasefire or truce similar to that of Washington's talks with Iran. Israel on Thursday announced that it authorised direct talks after Lebanon's request, but did not immediately issue a statement following the call. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the development, though it has opposed direct talks with Israel. During the past 40 days of war, more than 1,900 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes and more that 1 million others have been displaced, according to government figures.

Vance warns Iran not to 'play' US; Iranian delegation reaches Pak for talks

US Vice President J D Vance on Friday warned Iran not to "play" the US as he headed overseas for negotiations aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump has tasked the member of his inner circle who has seemed to be the most reluctant defender of the six-week-old conflict with Iran to now find a resolution and stave off the US president's astonishing threat to wipe out its "whole civilisation". Vance, who has long been skeptical of foreign military interventions and outspoken about the prospect of sending troops into open-ended conflicts, set off Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. "If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand," Vance told reporters before boarding Air Force Two to make his way to the talks in Pakistan. But he added, "If they're gonna try and play us, then they're gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive." Vance also said that Trump "gave us

Trump expresses confidence ahead of talks, confident of Hormuz reopening

President Donald Trump has expressed confidence ahead of talks between the United States and Iran on a resolution to the conflict, expected to start Saturday in Islamabad, with Vice President J D Vance leading the US delegation. "I wished him luck. He's got a big thing," Trump said in his parting message to Vance before he began his journey to lead the president's delegation for the critical talks. "We'll find out what's going on. They're militarily defeated." Trump, who spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One to head to a Friday evening fundraiser in Charlottesville, Virginia, also reiterated his confidence that the Strait of Hormuz will soon be opened up. "And now we're going to open up the Gulf with or without them," Trump said, referring to the Iranians, who have effectively shuttered the critical waterway. "But that'll be open," he said.

US - Iran ceasefire & markets: How brokerages interpret the developments

Here's how leading brokerages have interpreted the recent developments in West Asia and their likely impact on stock markets and crude oil prices.

Asian stocks rally, set for best week since 2022 ahead of US-Iran talks

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 0.9 per cent to put it up 7.3 per cent for the week, the most since November 2022

How the West Asia conflict could leave Wall Street facing lasting risks

Even after a US-Iran ceasefire, investors warn global markets may not stabilise quickly, with elevated oil prices, rising bond yields and shaken confidence pointing to lasting financial risks

US-Iran set for talks as Netanyahu authorises negotiations with Lebanon

Negotiators from Iran and the United States prepared Friday for high-level talks planned to start a day later in Islamabad, seeking to steady a ceasefire teetering over Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire and Tehran's chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz. US Vice President JD Vance was set to take off from Washington, with Iran still remaining mum over its team as it tried to pressure Washington to halt Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, claimed that talks would "remain suspended" otherwise. Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack Thursday night that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault, it has in the past carried out attacks across the Mideast it did not claim. In addition to talks in Iran, Israel-Lebanon negotiations are also expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington - a potential boost to .

Ukrainian forces shot Iranian drones in Gulf nations during war: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian military personnel shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing the operations as part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine. Zelenskyy made his first public acknowledgment of the operations Wednesday in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced, battle-tested interceptor drones.

Chris Wood thinks Karachi-listed stocks can be a good trading bet; here's why

Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE 100)-listed stocks can be a good trading bet, according to Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, especially around the IMF bailout periods.