Page 74 - Israel Iran Conflict

India taps alternative crude oil supplies as West Asia conflict drags on

Indian refiners have begun negotiating for additional crude cargoes from the US, Russia and West Africa to ensure supplies remain adequate in the event of the Middle East conflict drags on for a longer period, industry officials and analysts said. Refineries, which convert crude oil into fuels like petrol and diesel, have deferred planned maintenance shutdowns and are maintaining normal processing rates to create buffers that could meet the country's requirement in the near term, they said. India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil requirement, with roughly half of those supplies in February passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman that serves as a key energy transit route for global markets. The recent military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, and Tehran's retaliatory attacks on US bases in neighbouring countries as well as Israel, have sharply escalated tensions in the region, leading to a near halt in tanker movements

Israeli strikes kill 12 in Lebanon, Iran hits Bahraini desalination plant

Israel has struck southern Lebanon and Beirut again early Sunday and killed 12 more people, the Lebanese health ministry said, as the war in the Middle East keeps escalating. Israeli officials said the strikes targeted commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised "many surprises" for the next phase of the conflict. Meanwhile, two border guards in Kuwait were killed when a swarm of missiles and drones hit the Gulf country. On Saturday, an Israeli attack hit an oil storage facility in Tehran, which sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war. The war, which erupted on Feb 28 after joint US-Israeli strikes hit Iran, has so far killed at least 1,230 people in the Islamic Republic, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.

Iran continues strikes on Arab states, global oil supply shock deepens

Iran's strikes continued even after its President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the military not to attack any nation that isn't striking the Islamic Republic

22 Iranian sailors of IRIS Dena discharged from Sri Lankan hospital

At least 22 Iranian sailors of IRIS Dena, the Iranian ship that was torpedoed by the US, have been discharged, hospital authorities said on Sunday. "They were dispatched in ambulances to the Sri Lanka Air Force facility at Koggala outside Galle under heavy security," officials said. Another 10 sailors remain under treatment at the National Hospital Galle in Karapitiya. They were admitted on Wednesday after the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena sank after being torpedoed by a US submarine off Galle on the island's southern coast. Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it had recovered 84 bodies of Iranian sailors killed in the attack. The ship was returning home from Visakhapatnam in India after a naval fleet review exercise. Sri Lanka on Saturday said steps were being taken to repatriate their bodies. The government said that the situation had not improved yet to try sending them by air or sea. The magisterial inquiry and the post-mortems on 84 bodies were concluded in the southern port town of Gal

Why Trump's plan to secure tankers in Strait of Hormuz may face hurdles

Trump has floated deploying Navy escorts for tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, but analysts say geography, Iranian military threats and limited naval resources pose challenges

UAE says air defences intercepting missiles, drones launched from Iran

The military response follows a wave of aerial threats targeting the Gulf nation

Tensions in West Asia to impact Indian, other steel markets: BigMint

The global steel industry, including India, is expected to face multiple market-related issues in the coming days as the escalating crisis in the Middle East impacts fuels cost that has lead to increased freight rates, according to BigMint Research. Military tensions in the region are increasing as both Iran, and the US, along with Israel, continue to attack each other. BigMint analysts said crude oil, LNG, and freight costs are rising simultaneously, transmitting cost pressure directly into steel and steel-related commodity markets. From an average of USD 70 a barrel before the war, crude oil prices have risen to about USD 90/per barrel, an analyst said, adding that the cost is expected to continue to rise in the coming days. War has also impacted freight cost, which jumped almost 40 per cent in recent times. In the absence of insurance cover, marine operators are also offering freight at non-negotiable prices as per the availability of the vessel. On the impact of the US-Iran ..

'Mind your own business': Kamal Haasan slams Trump amid row over oil waiver

The remarks came after the United States government announced a 30-day temporary waiver allowing Indian refineries to continue purchasing Russian energy

Israel renews assault on Lebanon after Netanyahu warns of 'many surprises'

Israel renewed its assault on southern Lebanon on early Sunday, including targeting commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised "many surprises" for the next phase of the conflict. The Israeli military said in a statement that it would "not allow Iranian terrorist elements to establish themselves in Lebanese territory." The latest strikes in Lebanon followed an Israeli attack Saturday on an oil storage facility in Tehran, which sent up pillars of fire that could be seen in Associated Press video as a glow against the night sky. It appeared to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war. State media blamed "an attack from the US and the Zionist regime" at the site that supplies the capital and neighbouring provinces in the north. Elsewhere, Kuwait authorities said two border guards were killed when the Gulf country was hit by a swarm of missiles and drones. The .

'Sufficient fertilisers now, problems may arise if West Asia war prolongs'

India currently has sufficient availability of fertilisers, but prolonged conflict in West Asia could pose problems, said a top official of Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT), the largest supplier to South Indian states. FACT, a public sector company, relies on raw materials such as rock phosphate and phosphoric acid exported from several countries in West Asia and the Middle East, and they are brought via the sea route. The prolonged conflict could cause significant damage to the global economy, according to analysts. Currently, there is no harvest season in India; it will begin after July, the Kochi-headquartered FACT's Managing Director S Sakthimani told PTI, when asked about the potential impact of the current global situation on fertiliser production in the country. "We have sufficient urea available. We hope that things (the war situation) will probably be resolved within a month. We have sufficient urea available for our Kharif season. We will not have any .

Iran war: How ships are avoiding being targeted in Strait of Hormuz

As attacks intensify around the Strait of Hormuz, several commercial ships are altering transponder signals to claim Chinese ownership or crew in an apparent attempt to avoid being targeted

Trump says he'll hit Iran harder as Iranian Prez apologises to neighbours

US President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post that more Iranian officials will be targets, saying, "Today Iran will be hit very hard!," while noting an apology by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier in the day to neighbouring nations over Tehran's attacks. Gulf countries say they have intercepted more ballistic missiles and drones launched from Iran. Here is the latest: Israel says it targeted Iranian-linked commanders in Beirut ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Israeli military said in a statement Sunday morning that it targeted commanders of the Lebanese branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force. Early Sunday, an Israeli drone struck a room in a hotel in Beirut's Raouche district, a major seaside tourist area, killing four people and wounding 10 others, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The military added that it "will not allow Iranian terrorist elements to establish themselves in Lebanese territory and will

Explosion at US embassy in Oslo causes minor damage, no injuries reported

The police said there is a huge deployment of its officers at the site and investigators are in contact with the embassy

NHRC chief pitches for complete overhaul of Paris Principles amid conflicts

In the backdrop of multiple ongoing conflicts in the world, NHRC chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian (retd) on Saturday pitched for a "complete overhaul" of the Paris Principles so that international standards are set for better protection of human rights. In his remarks during a session -- 'NHRCs in Turbulent Times' -- held as part of the Raisina Dialogue here, he argued that Paris Principles take care of only a "cosmetic outlook" of the matter, as to how a human rights institution is to be constituted. The Paris Principles are a set of standards for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) developed by the United Nations in 1993. These were subsequently endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 1993, and set out the basic guidelines recommended by the UN in the establishment of a national human rights institution. On the current global situation when several conflicts are taking place in the world, the NHRC chief, without naming anyone or any country, lamented that the first ...

Oil surges, but Trump downplays need to tap strategic petroleum reserve

Oil prices have soared in the week since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran, but President Donald Trump on Saturday downplayed the idea of turning to America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ease the pressure. Trump was asked by reporters on Air Force One about whether he would consider tapping the reserve. As the war continues to escalate across the Middle East, including in areas critical to the production and movement of oil and gas, that has strained the energy sector globally. In the US, consumers are already facing higher gas prices, a key cost of living. "We have got a lot of oil. Our country has a tremendous amount," Trump said. "There is a lot of oil out there. That will get healed very quickly." Trump's Republican Party is under pressure over the issue of affordability ahead of November mid-term elections. Tapping the reserve is among the few things a president can do on his own to try to make an impact on oil prices. Here is a look at what would be ...

White House halts federal security bulletin warning of Iran-related threats

The bulletin from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and National Counterterrorism Centre is meant for state and local law enforcement agencies

Trump says US will 'remember' as UK mulls support in war against Iran

Trump has repeatedly criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggesting this week that he helped "ruin" the countries' historically close relationship after London blocked the US's initial use

Trump rejects talks with Iran, raises notion of eliminating its leaders

Trump said he is not interested in negotiating with Iran at this point and later added the air campaign could make it a moot point if all potential leaders of Iran are killed

Trump downplays reports of Russia sharing data with Iran to target US

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that it was inconsequential if Russia has provided Iran with information to help Tehran target US military personnel and assets in the Middle East as the week-old war rages. The president dismissed the import of such information-sharing after he attended the dignified transfer for six Army reservists who were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait the day after the US and Israel launched a war on Iran that has unsettled the global economy. Trump stopped short of confirming reports by The Associated Press and other news outlets that US intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with such targeting information. But if Moscow is passing on such details, he said Iran was getting little out of it. "If you take a look at what has happened to Iran in the last week, if they are getting information, it is not helping them much," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Miami, where he is spending the rest of the weekend. The presid

Air India to operate special flights for UAE on March 8 amid Gulf crisis

The airlines announced additional non-scheduled flights on March 8 with approvals from Indian and local authorities to facilitate travellers affected by the regional restrictions