Page 46 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

US intelligence warns Iran unlikely to ease Strait of Hormuz chokehold soon

The finding suggests Tehran could continue to throttle the strait to keep energy prices high as a means of pressuring Trump to find a quick off-ramp to the war

West Asia conflict disrupts snack exports from Bikaner, shipments disrupted

The ongoing conflict in West Asia has started to impact exporters in the Bikaner region, with shipments of popular food items, such as bhujia, papad and spices to Gulf and European countries facing severe disruptions, traders said. Bikaner, known for its namkeen industry, exports large quantities of snacks, spices and other products to countries in the Gulf region and Europe. However, exporters said, the war has led to delays, rising freight costs and container shortages, affecting exports and imports. Ashish Agarwal, a namkeen trader associated with the Bhikharam group, said escalating input and logistics costs are hurting the industry. "Freight charges have increased sharply due to the war, and raw material prices are also rising. The cost of edible oil has gone up by around 20 per cent in the last one month, which is directly impacting production," he said. Exporters said container movement has slowed significantly, with shipments that earlier took around 30 days now taking up

Debris from aerial interception hits Oracle building in Dubai Internet City

According to the Dubai Media Office, debris from an aerial interception fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City

Seventh Indian LPG tanker Green Sanvi crosses Hormuz amid West Asia crisis

India-flagged vessel crosses Hormuz as limited traffic resumes in the Gulf waters under Iran's watch, with several Indian ships still awaiting clearance

Iran says 'no' to Pakistan's attempt to play peace broker, eyes Qatar role

Iran has called the list of demands from the US as unacceptable, pushing the possibility of an early resolution to the crisis to the back burner

French, Japanese-owned ships make first crossings through Strait of Hormuz

Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has practically halted since the US and Israel attacked Iran, with just a trickle of ships able to make the crossing

Iran hints at expansion of maritime blockade to Bab el-Mandeb beyond Hormuz

The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, hinted at the potential for significant disruption in a series of questions posted on the social media platform X on Friday

Iran warns of 'crushing' strikes on US assets, regional host nations

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, released a statement threatening devastating strikes against American and Israeli assets

2 US aircraft shot down as Iran war escalates; 1 crew member missing

Iran shot down two US military planes in separate attacks Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing, in a dramatic escalation since the war began nearly five weeks ago. It was the first time US aircraft have been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the US has "beaten and completely decimated Iran" and was "going to finish the job, and we're going to finish it very fast." One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A US crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a US military search-and-rescue operation was underway. Neither the White House nor Pentagon released public information about the downed planes. In a brief telephone interview with NBC News, Trump declined to discuss the search-and-rescue efforts but said what happened would not affect negotiations with Iran. "No, not at all. No, it's war," he said. Separately, Iranian state media said a US.

Trump declines to specify US response if missing airman harmed in Iran

The President declined to specify a course of action during a brief telephone interview on Friday

Iran rejects US proposal for 48-hour ceasefire amid escalating tensions

The collapse of these diplomatic efforts coincides with a sharp escalation in military hostilities

Pezeshkian questions US sincerity after strike kills Iran official's wife

Linking the timing of the violence to his own international outreach, Pezeshkian highlighted the contradiction between calls for peace and active hostilities

Nato chief Mark Rutte to meet Donald Trump as he mulls alliance exit

Rutte's itinerary also includes discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

Iran's parliament speaker mocks US over search for missing F-15E crew

Taking to the social media platform X, Ghalibaf suggested that the mission objectives of the US had drastically diminished

White House seeks record $1.5 trillion for military amid ongoing Iran war

The blueprint serves as a symbolic representation of the President's priorities and would increase government defence spending by more than 40% compared to previous year

Pakistan-led ceasefire push between US and Iran hits dead end: Report

Iran has officially told mediators that it is unwilling to meet US officials in Islamabad in the coming days and considers US demands unacceptable, the report said

Ship carrying Iranian oil shifts course from India to China mid-voyage

A US-sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian crude oil has rerouted mid-voyage from its previously indicated destination of India - where it would have marked the first such shipment in nearly seven years - to China. The Aframax tanker Ping Shun, built in 2002 and sanctioned by the US in 2025, is now signalling Dongying in China as its destination instead of Vadinar in Gujarat, which it had indicated earlier this week, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler. There is no confirmation that the destination that the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder - a tracking system mandated on most commercial vessels - is indicating is the final and it may not change at any time during the transit. "An Iranian crude vessel 'Ping Shun' that had been en route to Vadinar, India, over the past three days has dropped India as its declared destination near arrival and is now signalling China," said Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst, Refining and Modelling at commodity market analytic .

Iranian drones strike Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery, fire reported

Iranian drones struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on Friday, sparking fires at the facility. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. issued a statement on the attack and said firefighters were working to control the blazes. There were no injuries reported, the company said. Kuwait operates three oil refineries. Mina al-Ahmadi has come under attack multiple times in the war. Refineries are key to Kuwait's oil production because, without them, oil wells would have to be shut down for lack of a destination for the oil. Restarting refineries is extremely time-consuming for safety reasons, and those wells would remain largely inactive until refineries are back online.

Navy ensures safety of Indian commercial ships, oil tankers: Rajnath Singh

Pointing out that 95 per cent of the country's trade, including energy supplies, is conducted through sea, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday noted the Indian Navy's indispensable role in securing commercial shipping lanes and oil tankers against emerging maritime threats. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INS Taragiri here, the Defence Minister said the Indian Navy continuously maintains its presence in the Indian Ocean--whether it is the Persian Gulf or the Malacca Strait. Singh's comments assume significance following the disruption of oil supplies and blockage of oil tankers in view of the prevailing situation in West Asia. According to him, a strong and capable navy is not an option for the country, but a necessity. "There are many sensitive points in the sea where our Navy has continuously made its active presence to ensure the smooth supply of goods. Whenever there is a situation of tension there, the Indian Navy has ensured the security of our commercial ships

LPG crisis: Govt mulls boosting production of induction heaters, utensils

The government on Friday held discussions on measures to encourage companies to ramp up production of induction heaters and compatible utensils amid rising demand for these products due to concerns over LPG availability following the West Asia crisis, an official said. The crisis has disrupted the movement of ships carrying oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over cooking gas supplies and prompting people to rush to buy induction heaters and compatible utensils. The meeting, chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, was attended by senior officials, including Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Lav Agarwal, and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia. "We discussed how we can speed up and increase the production of induction heaters and vessels that go on those heaters (utensils like an induction cooker, etc.)," the official said. The demand for these go