Page 29 - Middle East

Exports to Iran fall amid decline in rupee reserves of middle east

A growth in the near future is unlikely owing to global geopolitical tensions

Houthis show no sign of ending Red Sea attacks as trade traffic up: US Navy

Yemen's Houthi rebels show no signs of ending their reckless attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East said on Saturday, even as more nations join the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic begins to pick up. Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have travelled through the Red Sea region, and none has been hit by drone or missile strikes, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview. He said additional countries are expected to sign on. Denmark was the latest, announcing on Friday it plans to send a frigate to the mission that Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during a visit to Bahrain, where the Navy's 5th Fleet is based, saying that this is an international challenge that demands collective action. The narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and then the Suez Canal. Th

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Oil prices slip as investors monitor Red Sea tensions triggered by Gaza war

Israeli forces pummelled central Gaza by land, sea and air on Wednesday after Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told reporters on Tuesday that the Gaza war would go on "for many months"

Explosions in Red Sea off Yemen's coast, unmanned aircraft sighted: UK

Two unmanned aircraft were observed before two explosions occurred 5 nautical miles from a vessel located 50 nautical miles west of Hodeidah on Yemen's west coast, the United Kingdom said

Iran increasing production of highly enriched uranium: Atomic watchdog

Iran has increased the rate at which it is producing near weapons grade uranium in recent weeks, reversing a previous slowdown that started in the middle of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the report that Iran in recent weeks had increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023," according to an IAEA spokesperson Sunday. Iran had previously slowed down the rate at which it was enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity. Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. The UN nuclear watchdog said its inspectors had verified the increased rate of production since the end of November at facilities in Natanz and Fordow to about 9 kilograms per month, up from 3 kilograms per month since June and representing a return to earlier levels of production. Enriching uranium

Oil extended gains as investors eye Middle East tensions, US rate cut

While hopes of rate cuts and conflict in the Red Sea have led to a rebound in crude prices, Maersk's announcement of a restart of shipping routes through the waterway has alleviated supply concerns

Navy deploys 3 warships in Arabian Sea amid attacks on merchant vessels

The Indian Navy's explosive ordnance disposal team on Monday carried out a detailed inspection of merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto on its arrival at Mumbai harbour, two days after the ship was hit by a drone off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port. In view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region to maintain "deterrent presence", officials said. Saturday's drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Liberian-flagged vessel with 21 Indian and one Vietnamese crew, anchored at outer anchorage off Mumbai at 3:30 pm. "On her arrival, the Indian Navy explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the vessel

Merchant ship attacked two days ago by 'drone' arrives outside Mumbai port

The cargo of the ship is planned to be transferred to another ship and a joint investigation is being carried out by the Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Intelligence agencies and other officials

Oil extends weekly gains, up 1% as tensions over Red Sea attacks persist

More maritime carriers are avoiding the Red Sea due to attacks on vessels carried out by the Houthi militant group, who say they are responding to Israel's war in Gaza

Brent hovers near $80 amid geopolitical tensions over Red Sea attacks

On Wednesday, Greece advised commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea avoid Yemeni waters. Greek ship owners control about 20% of the world's commercial vessels in terms of carrying capacity

Israeli airstrikes kill dozens more Palestinians across the Gaza Strip

The Israeli army has raided and detained staff at two of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza's north, where the defense minister said on Tuesday that troops were working to completely clear out Hamas militants. Israel bombarded towns across southern Gaza on Tuesday with airstrikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians and pressing ahead with its offensive with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, warned the campaign in Gaza's south will persist for months. In a hospital in the southern town of Rafah, Mahmoud Zoarab bid farewell to his two children a 2-year-old boy, and a girl born two weeks ago killed in a predawn strike on their home. Wounded in the strike, he winced as he peeled back the shrouds to look at their faces as his wife and mother stood by his bed. Just two weeks old. Her name hadn't even been registered, said the children's grandmother, Suzan Zoarab. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister .

Sheikh Nawaf: Impact of his short but tumultuous reign as Kuwait's emir

Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, passed away on 16th December.

Suspected cyberattack paralyses the majority of gas stations across Iran

Nearly 70% of Iran's gas stations went out of service on Monday following possible sabotage a reference to cyberattacks, Iranian state TV reported. The report said a software problem caused the irregularity in the gas stations. It urged people not to rush to the stations that were still operational. Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, blamed the problem on an attack by a hacker group dubbed Gonjeshke Darande or predatory sparrow. State TV quoted a statement by the Oil Ministry as saying more than 30% of gas stations remain in service. The country has some 33,000 gas stations. In recent years, Iran has seen a series of cyberattacks on its filling stations, railway system and industries. Surveillance cameras in government buildings, including prisons, have also been hacked in the past. In 2022, the Gonjeshke Darande group hacked a major steel company in the southwest of the country. A cyberattack on Iran's fuel distribution system in 2021 paralyzed gas stations across the

Egypt's Suez canal authority monitoring tensions in Red Sea amid Israel war

Iran-aligned Houthis have launched attacks against vessels in the region in protest against Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza that has killed almost 19,000 Palestinians

Kuwait's ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, dies at age 86

Kuwait's ruling emir, the 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, has died, state television reported Saturday. Kuwait TV broke into programming with Quranic verses just before making the announcement. In late November, Sheikh Nawaf was rushed to hospital for an unspecified illness. In the time since, the tiny, oil-rich nation had been waiting for news about his health. State-run news previously reported that he traveled to the United States for unspecified medical checks in March 2021. The health of Kuwait's leaders remains a sensitive matter in the Middle Eastern nation bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which has seen internal power struggles behind palace doors. Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in as emir following the 2020 death of his predecessor, the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. The breadth and depth of emotion over the loss of Sheikh Sabah, known for his diplomacy and peacemaking, was felt across the region. Sheikh Nawaf previously served as Kuwait's interior and defense .

Zara yanks ads that some found reminiscent of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza

The Spanish fashion brand Zara has pulled advertising images that to some appeared to reference Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The images for a line of jackets included what the company called unfinished sculptures in a sculptor's studio. But some online critics said one image of a model holding a wrapped-up mannequin resembled someone holding a corpse. Other photos included a mannequin with missing limbs and a figure wrapped in fabric or plastic on the floor, according to news reports. The company apologised in a statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday and said the campaign was conceived in July and photographed in September. Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, prompting Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza. Zara said the campaign was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craftmade garments in an artistic context. While acknowledging the offence critics took to the images, the company said these people saw in them something far from what was intended when t

Oil rises after Iran-backed Houthi attack on ship, weak sentiment weighs

A cruise missile launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen struck a commercial chemical tanker, causing a fire and damage but no casualties in the latest such attack to heighten safety risks for tankers

Palestinians say Israel is warning them to leave areas in southern Gaza

Residents say Israel has dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza, urging people to leave homes east of the town of Khan Younis. The leaflets also warned that Khan Younis was now a dangerous battle zone. The leaflets signaled that Israel was preparing to widen its offensive, which has so far focused largely on the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of people fled northern Gaza earlier in the war, with many taking shelter in Khan Younis and other cities in the south.

Gaza truce expires without word of extension, fresh clashes possible

A temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war expired Friday morning, without immediate word from mediator Qatar on an extension, raising the possibility of renewed fighting. The truce expired at 7 a.m (0500 GMT) Friday. The halt in fighting began a week ago, on Nov. 24. It initially lasted for four days, and then was extended for several days with the help of Qatar and fellow mediator Egypt. During the week-long truce, Hamas and other militants in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, most of them Israelis, in return for 240 Palestinians freed from prisons in Israel. Virtually all of those freed were women and children. Reaching agreements on swaps appears to be growing harder as most women and children held in Gaza have already been released.