Page 5 - Israel Iran Conflict

Israel complicates Trump's push for peace with Iran amid Lebanon offensive

President Trump said he had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back Israel's military campaign in Lebanon

For Israeli PM Netanyahu, the war with Iran is unfinished business

As the focus shifts to negotiations between the United States and Iran, no formal Israeli participation is planned

How Iran's info war machine operates, shaping global narratives online

Iran has used overt and covert global networks alongside unwitting participants to spread its message through social media, state-affiliated news organisations and American influencers

Limited tanker movement seen in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran's tight control

Underlining Iran's continued control of the Strait of Hormuz, a Botswana-flagged liquified natural gas tanker called the Nidi attempted to travel out of the Persian Gulf via a route ordered by the Revolutionary Guard but suddenly turned around and headed back early Friday, ship-tracking data showed. On Thursday, four tankers and three bulk carriers crossed through the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the total number of ships passing through since the ceasefire to at least 12, according to the data firm Kpler. However, other ships not transmitting their locations may have passed through as well. The strait typically saw well over 100 ships passing through it daily in peacetime. On Thursday evening, US President Donald Trump appeared to be casting doubt on the effectiveness of the ceasefire that has halted the Iran war. "Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz," he wrote on his social media site. "That is not the ...

Xi Jinping helps Trump on Iran war as China assists in ceasefire bid

Hours after a ceasefire publicly brokered by Pakistan was announced, Iranian officials reportedly credited a last-minute push by China with securing their acceptance, a claim soon validated by Trump

Iran's battered leaders emerge from war confident and with new cards

For Iran's theocratic rulers, just surviving the US-Israeli onslaught means victory. But the seeds of their next crisis may already be planted

Iran's IRGC denies attacking Persian Gulf states, blames US, Israel

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in a statement carried by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency denied launching attacks on Persian Gulf states on Thursday after Kuwait's announcement. "If these reports published by the media are true, without a doubt it is the work of the Zionist enemy or America," the Revolutionary Guard said. However, the Guard also launched repeated attacks on civilian targets in the war and could also be using Shiite militias in Iraq to launch assaults, providing deniability for Iran ahead of the talks. Kuwait has accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it on Thursday despite the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, while Saudi Arabia said recent attacks damaged a key pipeline in the kingdom. The statement from Kuwait's foreign ministry, carried by the state-run KUNA news agency, put new pressure on the ceasefire ahead of planned talks on Saturday between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. Kuwait's foreign ministry said the

China calculates its next steps in Iran ceasefire ahead of Trump's visit

With a fragile ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran holding for now, China is calculating its role in helping find a durable endgame to the war in the Middle East. After prodding China, which is more reliant on Persian Gulf oil than the US, to get involved in reopening the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump told French news outlet Agence France-Presse this week that he believed China played a part in encouraging Iran to agree to this week's temporary truce. Three diplomats who were familiar with China's behind-the-scenes efforts also confirmed that Beijing, the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil, used its leverage to urge the Iranians back to the negotiating table. It was a major moment for Beijing, which had decried the US and Israel's war against its economic partner Iran as misguided before getting directly involved in the push to call off the fighting, including discouraging strikes by Iran. Talks between the sides are expected to begin in Pakistan this

Iran's ex-foreign minister dies from wounds sustained in US-Israeli attack

Former FM Kamal Kharrazi was heading the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, an advisory body established in 2006 that reports directly to Iran's supreme leadership

Saudi Arabia acknowledges widespread damage to energy sector during war

For the first time, Saudi Arabia has laid out the scale of damage inflicted to its oil output and exports, although it didn't specify when the attacks occurred. An energy ministry statement also gave the first public confirmation of Saudi casualties during the Iran war, saying one citizen working as an industrial security guard was killed and seven others wounded. Thursday's statement said strikes targeted production, transport and refining sites, as well as petrochemical and power facilities in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu on the Red Sea. The statement didn't attribute responsibility. A pumping station on the East-West Pipeline was among the hardest hit, cutting throughput by about 700,000 barrels per day, while outages at Manifa and Khurais reduced output by 600,000 more barrels per day. The major refineries, including SATORP, Ras Tanura and SAMREF, were also hit, with fires at Ju'aymah disrupting exports of liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas liquids.

Israel denounces Pak Defence Minister Khwaja Asif for 'outrageous' comments

In a strong denouncement of "outrageous" remarks made by Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Israel has raised doubts about his country's role as a "neutral arbiter". "Pakistan Defence Minister's call for Israel's annihilation is outrageous," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a post on X. "This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace," the PMO said Thursday evening. Pakistan has been credited with mediating a temporary two-week ceasefire between US and Iran and is preparing to host peace talks over the weekend. However, Asif, in a social media post, called Israel "evil" and a "curse for humanity", giving a call "to get rid of European Jews". Asif also claimed that as "peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon". "Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated," Asif said.

Kuwait claims attack by Iran, Saudi says pipeline damaged despite ceasefire

Kuwait has accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it on Thursday despite the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, as Saudi Arabia said recent attacks damaged a key pipeline in the kingdom. The statement from Kuwait's foreign ministry, carried by the state-run KUNA news agency, put new pressure on the ceasefire ahead of planned talks on Saturday between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. Kuwait's foreign ministry said the drone attacks "targeted some vital Kuwaiti facilities" Thursday night. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official, acknowledged a recent attack in the war that damaged its crucial East-West pipeline. That pipeline carries oil out to the Red Sea and avoids the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran maintains a chokehold on despite the pause in the fighting. Earlier in a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorised direct .

'They better stop': Trump warns Iran on charging tankers passing via Hormuz

In another post, Trump accused Iran of "doing a poor job" at allowing oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, reminding Tehran of the temporary ceasefire agreement

No ceasefire in Lebanon, continuing to strike Hezbollah, says Netanyahu

Netanyahu also said he has instructed the Cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanese government to achieve 'disarmament of Hezbollah' and 'historic peace agreement'

Resolve for avenging martyrs remains alive, says Mojtaba Khamenei

In a statement read on state television, Khamenei added that Iran would move the management of the Strait of Hormuz into a "new phase"

Day after relief rally: Mkts slip, crude spikes as US-Iran truce hopes fade

Benchmark indices fall sharply as rising oil prices and renewed geopolitical tensions weigh on sentiment, even as broader markets show resilience

Iran shock shows India's external vulnerability, tests growth ambitions

The truly unsettling element in the scenario has been the fall in the exchange rate of the rupee. The fall predates the Iran conflict