Page 8 - Latest Updates on West Asia Conflict

Violation of red lines won't be tolerated: Iran after Israel strikes Beirut

The remarks came after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out what it described as a "precise strike" on a Hezbollah command centre in Beirut's Dahieh area on Sunday

Oil prices fall over 4% after US, Iran reach peace deal, reopen Hormuz

Brent crude futures ‌fell $3.51, ​or 4.02 per cent, ‌to $83.82 by 2203 GMT ‌and US ‌West Texas Intermediate ​was ​at $80.95 a barrel, down $3.93, or ‌4.63 per cent

Israel strikes Beirut suburbs in the lead-up to anticipated US-Iran deal

The Israeli military said it launched strikes on Beirut on Sunday targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, despite ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war. Smoke could be seen rising over the Lebanese capital. The strikes threatened to hamper negotiations over a deal, which in its current form is a deep disappointment to Israel's government. The last time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, it set off the most serious escalation of fighting between Iran and Israel since the tenuous ceasefire took hold April 7. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks on the north of the country. Israel's military said earlier in the day that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles into northern Israel, releasing footage where an audible boom was followed by a column of smoke rising above the tree line. An Associated Press photographer at the scene in Beirut said the building struck was a five-story apartment .

Iran's unity in war forced enemy to seek ceasefire: President Pezeshkian

In a message on Saturday marking the first anniversary of the conflict with Israel, Pezeshkian paid tribute to those killed during it and said that Israel "had miscalculated" the impact of its attacks

West Asia crisis has impacted fertilisers, pharma sectors, says Nadda

The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers, Jagat Prakash Nadda, said that the ongoing West Asia crisis has affected global supply chains linked to the fertiliser and pharmaceutical sectors, but assured that the Government of India has taken adequate measures to ensure that farmers and consumers do not face any hardship.Addressing mediapersons in Shimla, Nadda on Saturday said India had proactively diversified its sourcing strategy and strengthened supply arrangements to shield the country from disruptions arising out of geopolitical tensions in West Asia.Responding to a question from ANI regarding the impact of the crisis on the pharmaceutical and fertiliser industries, Nadda said the government had adopted a multi-pronged approach to safeguard supplies of medicines, medical devices and fertilisers."Despite the West Asia crisis, we have ensured that there will be no shortage of medicines, medical devices or fertilisers in India. Our farmers and

Violation of US blockade in Hormuz will not be tolerated: US tells India

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that any violation of the American blockade and illicit transport of Iranian oil through the Straits of Hormuz will not be tolerated, an official statement said Saturday. Rubio conveyed this to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who spoke with him on Friday to lodge a strong protest against the death of Indian nationals in US attacks on ships off the coast of Oman. "The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. Rubio underscored that violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated, Pigott said in a statement here. Three vessels with Indian crew came under attack off the Oman coast this week. One of them resulted in the death of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday. "Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified,

Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum not expected on Sunday

According to Iran's state media, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the "exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday"

US and Iran have agreed on wording of peace deal to end war: Pakistan PM

Pakistan's prime minister said Friday the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the U.S. and Iran have reached a "final, agreed upon text." He said Pakistan, which has taken the lead in mediation efforts, was working with the warring countries on next steps. "Peace has never been this close as it is now," Sharif said in a post on X. The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement "has never been closer" in a post on X. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said multiple times in recent weeks the countries are on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi's post on his own social media. The war launched by the U.S. and Israe

UAE to unlock billions for Iran as war de-escalation talks advance

In the past month, the UAE, which was heavily targeted by Iran at the height of the war, has been spared fresh strikes, while Iran has trained its missiles and drones on Kuwait and Bahrain

India prepares to send oil tankers via Hormuz for new supply as war eases

State-owned Shipping Corp. of India is ready to go back to the Persian Gulf once it has approval from the Indian Navy and it has business from oil refiners

'Crew of MT Liaki Freedom safe': MEA dismisses reports of fresh strike

Clarification by the Ministry of External Affairs comes shortly after it was falsely reported that several media outlets that Indians had been killed in an overnight attack on the vessel Liaki Freedom

Jaishankar raises strong protest with Rubio over deaths of Indian seafarers

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and lodged a strong protest over the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. "Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified," Jaishankar said in a post on X about his talks with Rubio. Three vessels with Indian crew came under attack off the Oman coast this week. One of them resulted in the death of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday. "Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India's strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners," Jaishankar said. India summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in New Delhi to lodge its protest on the matter. Earlier, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks against Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz, saying it was "totally unacceptable." "Their (Iran's) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against

Downed Iranian drones targeting ships in Strait of Hormuz: US Navy

The US Navy said it has downed multiple one-way attack drones launched by Iran to target commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. "Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz," the US Central Command said in a post on X late Friday evening. It said US forces downed all of them in recent hours, and traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded. "The international trade corridor remains open for transit," the CentCom said. The CentCom said US forces continue to strictly enforce a blockade against Iran, redirecting 139 compliant commercial ships and disabling nine non-compliant ships. In the past week, at least three ships with Indian seafarers onboard have been targeted by US forces, resulting in the deaths of three mariners. India lodged a strong protest with the US, asserting that such lethal actions against commercial ships were not justified. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to

Trump accuses Iran of attacking Indian ships; Tehran rejects charge

US President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks against Indian ships leaving the Strait of Hormuz, describing the alleged action as "totally unacceptable", while Tehran rejected the charge as "baseless". Three vessels with Indian crew came under attack off the Oman coast this week. One of them resulted in the death of three Indian seafarers on Wednesday. "Their (Iran's) totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE," Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social. In the same post, Trump also accused Iran of leaking the terms of the peace deal to the media that had nothing to do with the points under discussion. Iran vehemently rejected Trump's allegation. "The US president's accusation against Iran regarding an Indian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is simply baseless," the Iranian Embassy in India said in a social media post late Friday night. "It is an attempt to divert public attention fr

'False and unfounded': UAE denies reports of $3 billion transfer to Iran

UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry has said the allegations are 'entirely false and unfounded' and no frozen Iranian funds have been released, transferred, or routed through the country

As officials say Iran war could end soon, some Trump objectives unfulfilled

President Donald Trump said the US is close to signing a deal with Iran to wind down the war, with a memorandum of understanding to be signed in the coming days. But some of the key objectives Trump laid out for the conflict seem to remain unfulfilled. And while the Trump administration has said its objectives are clear and unchanging, the list has expanded and shifted as the president and his administration have spoken about the war since it started February 28. All the while, the conflict has battered the global economy, tested alliances and raised unanswered questions about the planning for the conflict, its justification and its aftermath. By most accounts, the strikes by the US and Israel have significantly degraded Iran's military capabilities and killed scores of senior leaders. But those tactical successes don't necessarily translate into achieving all the president's strategic aims, even as the administration said Friday that it was meeting the goals it had laid out. Here'

Best of BS Opinion: Why PM Modi must leave the past behind and look ahead

From China's bid to expand the renminbi's global role to India's data centre boom, Narendra Modi's next challenges and Pope Leo XIV's views on AI, here's the best of BS Opinion

Can crude oil prices dip to $70 if US, Iran sign peace deal? Analysts said this

As per Fitch Ratings' estimates, Brent crude oil is likely to average $100-110/bbl in May-July, before falling to $80/bbl in August, and to about $70/bbl from September.

Don't know if Claude AI used in strike at Iran school: Anthropic CEO

Dario Amodei said the use case in this instance didn't violate the company's policies, arguing military decision makers make terrible mistakes even at the best of times

Trump's Kharg Island threat, reversal show Iran war high-wire act

The island handles the vast majority of the country's oil exports and represents perhaps the most direct way to squeeze the Tehran regime economically and deprive it of a critical source of revenue