Page 22 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

Trump, Xi agree Strait of Hormuz must reopen to restore energy flows

US President Xi Jinping and his Chinese counterpart were in agreement that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened to support global energy needs, according to a readout of their Thursday meeting by a White House official. Xi also opposed any implementation of tolls on vessels crossing the strait, which effectively has closed since the start of the US and Israel war against Iran. Xi expressed interest in China purchasing more US oil to reduce future Chinese dependence on Gulf oil, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The leaders also discussed further stemming the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals into the U.S. and increasing Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products.

Iran foreign min urges Brics to condemn US-Israel for int'l law violation

Araghchi said Iran views Brics as a symbol of an emerging global order led increasingly by countries of the Global South

India backs 2 state solution for Palestine issue: Jaishankar at Brics meet

Jaishankar said the tensions in the Gulf region, including threats to maritime traffic and energy infrastructure, underline the fragile security environment

Indian-flagged merchant ship attacked off Oman coast, all crew members safe

An Indian-flagged commercial vessel has come under attack off the coast of Oman but all its crew members are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. It is not immediately known who carried out the strike on the vessel on Wednesday. The MEA described the attack as "unacceptable". "The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted," it said. "All Indian crew on board are safe and we thank the Omani authorities for rescuing them," it said. The MEA said India reiterates that targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, should be avoided.

India's wholesale inflation rises to 42-month high of 8.3% in April

India's factory-gate inflation accelerated sharply in April as rising fuel, diesel, and crude oil prices linked to the West Asia crisis pushed wholesale prices to a multi-year high

India faces challenge of bridging Brics rift over West Asia conflict

India is hosting the two-day Brics foreign ministers' meeting, which kicks off Thursday, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chairing the gathering

Two India bound LPG tankers transit Strait of Hormuz amid energy crisis

One of the LPG carriers, Symi, emerged in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday after turning off its transponder, with the other - NV Sunshine, went dark just after making it through the strait

India seeks extension of US waiver on Russian oil as West Asia war drags on

The US first provided a green light in March, and then widened that with an authorization that runs until May 16, in an effort to limit rising oil prices with additional barrels

War turmoil drains Asian reserves with India, Philippines among hardest hit

Philippines has led losses with its stockpile sinking 8.1 per cent since the conflict started to $104 billion, while India's dropped 5.2 per cent to $691 billion

Japanese crude tanker emerges after going dark near Strait of Hormuz

Eneos Endeavor had sailed into the Persian Gulf in late February to pick up crude from the United Arab Emirates' Das Island and Kuwait's Mina Al Ahmadi

Why Xi Jinping may choose patience over rushing into a deal with Trump

President Xi Jinping of China is buying time for Beijing and may see an opening with a US president weakened by the war in Iran

Israeli drone strikes on vehicles in Lebanon kill 12, including 2 children

Israeli airstrikes Wednesday struck seven vehicles in Lebanon - three of them on the main highway just south of Beirut - killing 12 people including a woman and her two children, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon, hours after telling residents of six southern villages to evacuate. Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough between the two neighbours that have been in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948. The United Nations has also accused Hezbollah of drone strikes near its peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' message to both sides is that they must observe the ceasefire and stop all attacks, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said. The Health Ministry confirmed the seven airstrikes on vehicles, but didn't provide full detai

'US is not doing serious diplomacy': Iran Dy Foreign Min Kazem Gharibabadi

Trump has discarded Iran's peace proposal plan and said that the ceasefire stands on 'life support'

Iran welcomes India's peace push, blames 'one' BRICS nation over deadlock

Iran will welcome any initiative by major powers like India to bring peace to West Asia and it is developing a new service-and-payment-based framework for the passage of merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in line with international norms, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday. Gharibabadi, currently in New Delhi, told a select group of journalists that a demand by "one member country" of the BRICS to condemn Iran has prevented the grouping from reaching a unified position on the regional conflict, an apparent reference to the United Arab Emirates. "We want India's BRICS chairship to be successful. It is not a good approach to send a signal to the world that the BRICS is divided. One country is insisting to condemn Iran," he said. "We have not attacked neighbouring countries. They handed their territories to the US to launch an attack on us. We never insisted that Arab countries should be condemned as they allowed their military bases to the .

Trump repeats war threats against Iran ahead of meeting with Xi Jinping

The war on Iran, which has sent energy prices soaring because of Tehran's effective closure of the Hormuz, will be high on the agenda of the talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping

Fuel prices may rise if West Asia war drags on: RBI Guv Sanjay Malhotra

His remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voluntary austerity, including cutting down on petrol and diesel use and putting off gold purchases, to preserve foreign exchange reserves

Inflation, weak economy test Iran's ability to withstand war, US blockade

Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz is throttling the world's energy supplies and inflicting global economic pain, but the struggles of the Islamic Republic's own economy are testing its ability to withstand the war and defy Washington's demands. Iranians have been hit by spiralling prices for food, medicine and other goods. At the same time, the country has seen mass job losses and business closures caused by strike damage to key industries and the government's monthslong shutdown of the internet. The economic cost of the war and the US naval blockade "has been very substantial and unprecedented for Iran," said Hadi Kahalzadeh, an Iranian economist and research fellow at Brandeis University. But Iran has withstood decades of economic pressure and sanctions, and its capacity to adapt has not been dismantled, Kahalzadeh said. "Iran can probably avoid a complete economic collapse or total shortage of essential goods, but at a very high cost," he said. "The main cost will be passed to

US intel shows Iran retains missile capabilities despite Trump's claims

Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Trump has asserted

Stopping Iran's nuclear program outweighs Americans' economic pain: Trump

Trump framed his approach as a matter of national and global security, suggesting economic concerns were secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation

Asian markets falter as hot US inflation, shaky Iran ceasefire weigh

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.6 per cent, down for a second day ​as Korean shares fell as much as 3.2 per cent before rebounding