Page 3 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

As Hormuz reopens, Gulf oil fields gear up for a restart visible from space

Energy executives across the Gulf are working to restore oil production and shipping after the US-Iran interim peace deal reopened the world's most critical oil transit route

White House postpones Vance-led negotiations with Iran in Switzerland

The White House says Vice President JD Vance isn't leaving Thursday for Switzerland to lead a new round of talks with Iran about its nuclear programme, citing difficult logistics for negotiations meant to add details to an agreement signed by President Donald Trump a day ago. The White House said in a statement that plans for the technical talks have not been finalised, and the US delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity.

Iran to invite UN watchdog to inspect nuclear sites under new deal: Witkoff

Iran will invite the UN's nuclear watchdog agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin work on identifying and uncovering the locations of Tehran's enriched material, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told US lawmakers in a private briefing. The private briefing on Thursday was described by two people familiar with the conversation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to share the closed-door details. The White House did not directly respond to questions about the invitation. But White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the agreement requires Iran to "commit to renounce their nuclear ambitions in writing". The International Atomic Energy Agency did not respond to a request for comment. Witkoff told congressional leadership and members of national security-related committees that the memorandum of understanding that the US struck with Iran did not include any side deals, but a side letter was drafted between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency extend

Iran warns of 'crushing response' to any breach of agreement by US

Ghalibaf said Iran remained committed to implementing the conditions outlined by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei but would respond forcefully to any breach of the agreement

Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei endorses direct talks with US as hostilities end

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei endorsed direct negotiations with the US late Thursday in a statement read by state media. "It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy's opinion," he said. It was Khamenei's first reaction to the deal recently reached between Iran and the US to end hostilities. The supreme leader has not been seen in public since he was wounded in a strike at the start of the war. Meanwhile, the US military has formally lifted the blockade of Iranian shipping, US Central Command announced in a social media post Thursday. The announcement comes just hours after Vice President JD Vance told reporters that 12.5 million barrels of oil went through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday and that the military has allowed "north of a dozen ships to go through our naval blockade." However, the post from US Central Command said that US Navy ships "will remain in the general area to make sur

US ends Hormuz blockade, downplays toll fears as negotiations restart

The interim agreement ended the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and launched a 60-day negotiation period to resolve disputes over Iran's nuclear programme and regional security issues

Hormuz is reopening, but global shipping won't be normal for months

While oil markets have reacted positively to the Strait of Hormuz reopening, supply chain disruptions and a massive shipping backlog mean global energy markets may take months to fully recover

Khamenei says he backed US-Iran MoU after receiving key assurances

Khamenei added that future ‌face-to-face negotiations with the United States ‌would not mean accepting "the enemy's position"

India needs to diversify crude import routes more: S&P Global Energy

The West Asia crisis has exposed India's import-linked energy security risks, making diversified crude routes and deeper storage buffers more urgent, S&P said

Oil prices fall 2% to lowest since start of Iran war on US-Iran peace deal

Brent crude futures were down $1.64, or 2.06 per cent, at $77.91 a barrel ‌as of 0427 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate fell $1.80, or 2.34 per cent, to $74.99 a barrel

Oil and gas ships resume Strait of Hormuz transit after US-Iran peace deal

Traffic through the Strait was light, with smaller cargo vessels passing through, hours after Trump said he had signed the deal with Iran that involved a rapid reopening of the critical waterway

Trump blows through long-held red lines on Iran to secure peace deal

Trump's support for deal has drawn attention as it appears to permit uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles and access to frozen funds-issues he had criticised as major flaws in past Iran agreements

Trump's Iran deal falls short of his demand for 'unconditional surrender'

While the Iranians suffered substantial losses in the war, they emerged from a confrontation with the world's most powerful military, having proved they can use economic chaos as a weapon

Trump on Iran truce: 'If I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting'

G7 leaders welcome interim accord, call for Lebanon ceasefire and back efforts to reduce reliance on Strait of Hormuz

Iran fires drones at commercial ships in Hormuz after peace deal: Report

The firing took place after the signing of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Sunday, and the drones were intercepted by the US military

Oil dips as investors weigh Iran war deal, Hormuz reopening uncertainty

Brent crude futures dipped 16 cents, ​or 0.2 per cent, to $78.80 a barrel by 0340 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate fell 25 cents, or 0.3 per cent, ‌to $75.80 a barrel

US set to offer broad financial incentives to Iran in peace agreement

The two sides agreed to the deal on Sunday and plan to formally sign it on June 19 in Switzerland, clearing the way for 60 days of talks intended to end the war for good

What is inside the 14-point draft memorandum between the US and Iran

Draft US-Iran pact proposes sanctions relief, nuclear curbs and $300 bn aid

Trump's push for Iran deal puts friendship with Netanyahu to test

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump last year that he was the "greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House". Now, as Trump tries to finalise a deal to end the war with Iran, he's unloading on Netanyahu with rhetoric that no other American leader has dared to use publicly. He claimed credit for Israel's existence - "without me, there would be no Israel" - and cursed his judgment in interviews. He even described him as "crazy". Netanyahu's tenure as prime minister spans four US presidents, and he's frustrated all of them at one point or another. But none has voiced that as openly as Trump, who started the conflict in tandem with Netanyahu. The tension comes as Trump criticises recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon, which threatened to jeopardise negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Trump has been pushing for a deal as he faces political blowback at home, where the war is unpopular and has driven up gasoline prices. "If Netanyahu gets in ..

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