Page 5 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

Iran may have used cheap drones to target US F-15 fighter jet: Report

Iran's use of multiple drones to track a US F-15E Strike Eagle during its April 3 combat loss highlights how distributed sensors and missile systems can work together to challenge an adversary

Trump reverts to economic squeeze as 'entrenched' Iranian regime resists

Facing munitions shortages and growing pressure over the conflict, the Trump administration is turning again to sanctions and a naval blockade to squeeze Iran's oil exports

Hormuz remains blocked: Iran dismisses Trump's 'total US control' claims

Tehran says the strategic waterway remains blocked and will not reopen until Iran's conditions are accepted, rejecting US claims that the Strait is under total US control

Pakistan minister meets Iran leaders to revive stalled US-Iran peace talks

Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to follow up on the stalled US-Iran peace negotiations, according to media reports. An interim agreement, which Pakistan had signed as a guarantor, derailed last month as tensions escalated in West Asia with the US and Iran resuming military strikes. Islamabad is actively pushing to revive its mediation efforts to end the conflict. Naqvi departed for the Iranian capital early Tuesday for talks on bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest, according to diplomatic sources cited by Iran's official news agency, IRNA. He was received in the airport by his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, and later held talks with Araghchi. IRNA posted photographs of Naqvi's meeting with Araghchi on X. Naqvi and Araghchi are also expected to hold detailed bilateral discussions during this visit, according to a diplomatic source. In his meeting with the Iranian

Trump claims total control over Hormuz as US, Iran harden their stances

Trump has oscillated for months between threatening to resume attacks on Iran and expressing confidence that talks to bring an end to America's war with the Islamic Republic are progressing

Iran says Hormuz reopening depends on US accepting its conditions

A US official on ​Friday reported progress between Iran and Oman that could soon reopen the ​Strait of Hormuz

Iran's leaders see victory within reach, believe time is on their side

The Strait of Hormuz is, by some accounts, named for a Zoroastrian deity destined to emerge victorious after a 9,000-year standoff with an adversary. Iran's leaders feel their own victory is at hand and won't require the same epic patience. They are betting that military pressure will ultimately force the United States to accept their control over the crucial waterway for global energy - and that time is on their side. They know about the diminishing stockpiles of key US weapons such as advanced missile interceptors. They know the war is deeply unpopular with Americans. They know that as long as the strait is largely closed, the price of gas and other goods will stay high ahead of US congressional elections in November. They know that trying to open it by force would be costly and may require American ground troops. They know their Houthi allies in Yemen could widen the war and disrupt another major trade route. By that logic, US President Donald Trump has no choice but to ...

Iran wants to bar US, Israeli ships from Strait of Hormuz in peace accord

In any event, Trump would be unlikely to agree to such a concession after months of insisting that American armed forces had essentially defeated Iran

Iran talks going to be messy, will take time: US Vice-President JD Vance

Vance described Iran's leadership as fractured, saying negotiations would be complex while stressing Washington would use military, economic and diplomatic pressure to secure its objectives

US would prefer deal, says Trump, but warns Iran against nuclear ambitions

Trump maintained that Iran respected the United States after recent developments and reiterated his long-standing position that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons

Enemies tried to topple Iran but new leader kept country united: Pezeshkian

The Iranian president said external powers sought to destabilise Iran through war and sanctions, but credited Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and national unity for keeping the country resilient

Iran, US signal Hormuz deal near, but key differences still remain

Iran said on Wednesday it is in the "final stage" of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and US President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to the war. But the agreement is likely to be contingent on the US lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would cement Iran's grip over the strait, which would amount to a major loss for the US and a break with global norms. Iran has insisted on some measure of control over the strait, saying it will not go back to being an open international waterway, as it was before the war. The US, along with Israel, launched the war on February 28, citing various goals including toppling Tehran's government and ending its nuclear programme. Those have not been achieved, and the conflict has devolved into a fight over the strait as Iran's ..

Asia's energy-starved nations go dark as Hormuz strait tensions drag on

The cost of gasoline in the Southeast Asian nation climbed more than 40% after US strikes on Iran in February disrupted energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz

Iran says Hormuz talks progress after Trump calls off planned strikes

Trump said Sunday that a deal to open the waterway may be close and that new unspecified talks with Iran would begin on Monday

Saudi crown prince urges restraint as Trump weighs fresh strikes on Iran

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto leader, in a phone call with President Donald Trump raised concerns about the US potentially escalating the conflict with Iran, according to a person familiar with the leaders' discussion. The discussion on Saturday, which was first reported on by Axios, comes as Trump weighs whether to carry out new strikes on Iran. The Saudis, according to the person briefed on the substance of the call but not authorised to comment publicly, are concerned that if the US targets Iran's energy infrastructure or carries out massive strikes on other key infrastructure, Tehran could respond by carrying out attacks on the kingdom's and other Gulf countries' energy infrastructure. The crown prince during Saturday's call sought clarity from Trump on what potential new action he's weighing to take against Iran, the person said. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Saturday's call. Saudi Arabia earlier thi

Iran warns of strikes on other nations' energy fields if US attacks again

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran would respond decisively to any aggression and discussed the consequences of destabilising actions by the US

Donald Trump orders fresh US strikes on Iran as early as this weekend

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has ordered fresh US strikes on Iran as early as this weekend, while CBS said Washington is also considering attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure

White House signals Trump weighing fresh strikes on Iran amid tensions

The White House signalled that President Donald Trump is weighing carrying out new strikes on Iran as the US presses for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abide by terms set out in a truce agreement the two sides forged last month, only to quickly collapse. There were no US strikes on Iran overnight, but Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Friday it had struck another two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and Kuwait said it intercepted drones. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed the US administration's frustration anew, charging that Tehran last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce but then quickly "broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers". "President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behaviour to occur," Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening. "Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way." Leavitt issued t

16 Indians killed in West Asia conflict this year, govt tells Parliament

Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East this year, 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, have lost their lives in the region, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in response to a query from CPI(M) MP John Brittas in the Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of External Affairs was asked the number of Indian seafarers and other Indian nationals killed, injured, stranded or evacuated due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East in 2026, 16 Indian nationals including 10 seafarers have lost their lives in the Middle East (one in Saudi Arabia; two in Kuwait; eight in Oman; one in Iraq; and four in UAE), and 75 Indians have been injured (32 in UAE; 24 in Oman; four in Qatar; 13 in Kuwait; one in Saudi Arabia; and one in Israel)," Singh said. In a separate accident not related to attacks, 12 Indian nationals lost their lives in Ras Laffan gas

Jordanian air defences intercept, shoot down 5 missiles launched from Iran

Jordan's air defences shot down five missiles launched from Iran Thursday morning, the spokesman for the country's armed forces said, according to Jordan's state-run Petra news agency. The news agency said no casualties were reported. The interceptions come after the US military said it had completed "a heavy wave of strikes against Iran," conducted in response to an earlier Iranian missile attack on a US base in Jordan. Central Command said in a social media post that for over two hours the US had struck "dozens" of targets belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, including military command centres as well as missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance and defense sites.