Page 3 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

US renews West Asia travel alert, warns Iran conflict may escalate rapidly

At least 11 US embassies cautioned about possible travel disruptions

Why oil prices have avoided worst-case surge as Iran war enters sixth month

It could be much worse. When President Donald Trump launched his war against Iran in late February, energy analysts issued dire warnings that oil prices could more than double during a protracted conflict and urged investors and motorists to buckle up for a bumpy ride. The war grinds on and oil prices certainly remain volatile. But the most dire projections have not yet come to pass six months into a conflict that has no end in sight. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is making a much-anticipated state visit to Washington next week, could make a credible argument that the world has his country's energy strategy to thank for that. It's unclear how much the two leaders will discuss Iran during the visit, which comes as Trump's Republican Party faces pressure from voters over high gasoline prices, and as China's buffer is being further tested as the conflict in the Middle East spreads. Trump, who has sought to keep a fragile trade truce with Beijing intact, has been careful in public

Iran war's cost grows to $43.6 bn, weapons bill hits $28.1 bn: US military

The US military's price tag for the Iran war has grown to USD43.6 billion as of September 3, according to a new estimate provided this week to lawmakers. The figure from US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, offers the most up-to-date cost for the conflict since it was launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. A Congressional Budget Office report released Tuesday said the war had cost USD 38 billion through August 1 and will continue to rack up expenses of around USD 3 billion a month depending on the conflict's intensity. The new breakdown, seen by The Associated Press and reported earlier by Punchbowl News, also showed the continued use of expensive munitions by American forces. Weapons costs jumped by more than USD 6 billion in just over a month, from USD 21.7 billion listed in the CBO report to USD 28.1 billion in US Central Command's estimate. The financial cost is just one measure of the impact of the Iran war, which also is affecting

US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN high-level meeting

The Trump administration has approved visas for top Iranian officials, including the president and foreign minister, to attend next week's UN General Assembly high-level meeting in New York even as the two countries are locked in a stalemated war. The State Department said Thursday that it had approved visas for Iran's "core delegation," along with essential staffers to participate in the UN meetings. The core delegation includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to visa privacy laws. "Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend the UN General Assembly High Level Week. The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year," the statement said.

'Hopefully we are towards end' of Iran war, says Trump as conflict drags on

Trump is expected to meet leaders or foreign ministers from six Gulf Cooperation Council states in New York next week to discuss US postwar plans, Axios reported

War, extreme weather put Asia's food security at risk: Verisk Maplecroft

Fuel and fertiliser disruptions from the Iran war, alongside El Niño-linked weather extremes, are threatening crops and could worsen food inflation across vulnerable Asian economies

Iranian drones, missiles target US-contracted vessel near Strait of Hormuz

The strike involved four Iranian drones and at least one missile, according to Fox News; minor crew injuries were reported and several US personnel were aboard

Oil prices fall as Saudi crude cargoes ease fears of supply disruption

Brent crude fell 1.2 per cent to $104.59 a barrel, while WTI dropped 1.1 per cent to $101.29 as concerns over Middle East supply eased

Iran conflict cost US more than $38 billion: Congressional Budget Office

The US war against Iran has cost the Department of Defence more than USD 38 billion through Aug 1, and will continue costing up to USD 3 billion a month or more depending on the intensity of the conflict, according to an assessment released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. CBO said the war is expected to contribute to inflation into the first quarter of 2027, making inflation roughly 0.5 percentage points higher than they had previously estimated. That's driven largely by the reduction of oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions to shipping through the Red Sea. The estimate, prepared in response to a request for information from the top Democrat on the House Budget committee, Rep Brendan Boyle, largely aligns with a previous estimate from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who pinned the costs at USD 37.5 billion, according to his Senate testimony. The estimates come largely from replacing munitions and equipment lost in battle,

US watchdog tallies Iran war's toll on weapons stockpiles, military bases

A US government watchdog released its first report on the impact of the Iran war on Monday, acknowledging the military's advanced weapons shortfalls and offering the first public look at the damage to American aircraft, bases and diplomatic outposts in the Middle East. Much of the information has been previously reported over the past six months, but the Pentagon inspector general's report offered the fullest official accounting so far of the conflict's costs in American lives, taxpayer dollars and physical damage. It included information from the watchdogs for the Defence and State departments as well as the US Agency for International Development. The report, whose publication was first reported by NBC News, noted that the US war with Iran "has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply" in regard to advanced weapons. Experts have previously said it will take about three years for military contractors to replenish ...

Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize 2 strategic islands for shipping in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the Iran-backed rebels' ability to control a key maritime shipping route. Meanwhile, repairs to a crucial Saudi Arabian oil pipeline that was struck in an attack last week could last three to five weeks, putting it mostly out of service, two regional officials said. Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here. Houthis gain ground as oil prices face more pressure --------------------------------------------------------- Houthi officials said Monday that rebels had taken over the two islands just as Saudi-backed government forces tried to claw back territory from the rebels' swift advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz -- through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transits in peacetime -- in the opening days

Yemen conflict intensifies as Houthi attacks threaten Red Sea oil supplies

The conflict in Yemen intensified on Sunday, as government forces launched attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea and Houthis fired into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government. The Yemeni government vowed to send more forces to the Red Sea coast and one official conceded a "painful" defeat last week when Houthis captured the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation -- especially Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and its shipping in the Red Sea -- adds pressure on global oil supplies and prices, and that could give Iran leverage in its war with the United States. As Yemen risks descending into another civil war, the United Nations estimated that more than 80,000 people in the impoverished country have been displaced by the fighting since the start of September. One woman said a mortar shell fell nearby as she fled in the middle of the night

China spies on us, we spy on them too: Trump on Iran satellite images

Trump downplayed a WSJ report that Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite imagery of a US base in Jordan before a July missile strike that killed three US troops

How Iranian hard-liners prevailed and sabotaged peace deal with US

Opponents derailed the agreement with a clandestine effort to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, regime insiders say. Iran's president was furious when he found out

Iranian ship struck in Hormuz; talks between Tehran, neighbours postponed

An Iranian cargo vessel was struck early Sunday off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said, and a plan by Tehran to brief neighbouring countries on its contested efforts to manage shipping in the strait was postponed. The attack, which the reports said killed one and wounded four, drew attention back to the strait after threats to shipping in the region intensified last week when Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted the Qeshm governor as blaming a "terrorist enemy" for Sunday's attack. There was no immediate comment by the US military, which has struck Iranian-flagged vessels during its blockade of Iranian ports and faces a new threat from Iranian ballistic missiles launched at its warships. Qeshm Island, about 22 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas, is key to Iran asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz. Hours before the attack, Iran's government remai

Iranian commercial vessel hit near Strait of Hormuz, 1 killed, 3 injured

State-run media say an Iranian commercial vessel was struck early Sunday off Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, with one person killed and three wounded. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately reported a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, with no details. There was no immediate statement by the US military, which previously has struck Iranian-flagged vessels as it keeps up a blockade of Iranian ports.

Current inflation shock likely to last longer than expected: ECB president

The ECB raised interest rates this week for the second time since the Iran war sent oil and gas prices soaring

Iraq says attack on Saudi Arabia's pipeline originated from its territory

Iraq said attacks on a key Saudi oil pipeline were launched from its territory, as US President Donald Trump appeared to blame Iran. Meanwhile, the number of displaced people in Yemen is rising quickly after a swift advance by Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatens a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb. And Lebanon and Israel will hold new direct talks next month. Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Iraq dismisses commander over Saudi pipeline attacks ----------------------------------------------------------- Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province, which borders Iran, and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that the attacks on the Saudi pipeline were launched from the province, the government said. The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on drones that came from Iraq and said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government "an opportunity to take

Saudi Arabia has few options amid mounting threats from Iran, its allies

A lightning advance by Houthi rebels threatens a crucial Red Sea shipping route. Drone attacks blamed on Iraqi militias have forced the closure of a major pipeline, and Iran is still disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. It's a nightmare scenario for Saudi Arabia, and it has sent jitters through global markets. The Saudis' most essential ally, the United States, has been unpredictable and sometimes unreliable. US President Donald Trump seems reluctant to widen an already unpopular and stalemated Mideast war ahead of congressional elections. For Iran, the rebels' advance and closure of the pipeline ramp up global economic pressure as its grip over the Strait of Hormuz has been loosened. Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the latest developments are "incredibly frustrating" for the kingdom. "Despite their antipathy for the Iranians, this is a war they had never asked for, they had great trepidation about. And once it started, all of their worst-case scenarios .

Saudi suspends key oil pipeline, only route bypassing Hormuz after attacks

The 1,200-km pipeline, which carries up to 5 million barrels per day, helps Riyadh bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed sharply amid the US-Iran war