Page 4 - Middle East

Stock Market close highlights: Sensex jumps 677 pts, Nifty at 24,946; all sectors settle in green

Sensex Today | Stock Market close, Monday, June 16, 2025: Oil prices were in the red today with the WTI crude oil down around 0.6 per cent

Jaishankar, UAE FM discuss West Asia situation, ways to reduce escalation

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday and discussed the current situation in West Asia and the role of diplomacy.Jaishankar stated that he and Abdullah bin Zayed agreed to remain in touch.In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Had a telecon with DPM & FM @ABZayed of UAE on the current situation in West Asia and the role of diplomacy. Agreed to remain in touch."According to the statement released by the Office of the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed and Jaishankar discussed ways to reduce escalation and prevent the spread of the conflict in the region."Abdulla bin Zayed and @DrSJaishankar discuss during a phone call the latest developments in the region, and ways to reduce escalation and prevent the spread of the conflict in the region," the Office of the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs posted on X.Tensions have escalated in West Asia after Israel carried out

Israel-Iran conflict may send prices higher, spark broader economic fallout

Israel's attack on Iran Friday has catapulted their long-running conflict into what could become a wider, more dangerous regional war and potentially drive prices higher for both businesses and households. Oil and gold surged and the dollar rose as markets retreated, signalling a flight to investments perceived as more safe. After years of sky-high inflation in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have become increasingly leery about the economy this year due to President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, though the impact so far has been muted. The latest escalation in the Middle East has the potential to cause widespread price increases that could set consumers back again. Here's a look at some of the sectors that could face an outsized impact from the escalation in the Middle East, and what that might mean for consumers. Energy Oil prices surged Friday to their biggest gain since the onset of Russia's war on Ukraine began more than three years ago. If or when Israe

Oil prices jump over 11% as Israel strikes Iran, rattling investors

US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $5.38, or 7.91 per cent, at $73.42 a barrel after hitting a high of $74.35, the loftiest since February 3

US to withdraw some embassy staff from Middle East as tensions rise

US officials have been told that Israel is ready to launch an operation into Iran, which is part of the reason why the Trump admin advised some Americans to leave the region, CBS News reported

Egis appoints regional leaders to boost growth in West, South Asia

Egis Announces New Regional Leadership Appointments to Drive Strategic Growth and Transformation

Syria to grant inspectors access to suspected nuclear sites: UN watchdog

Syria's new government has agreed to give inspectors from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency's head told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency's director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke in an exclusive interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials. He also said al-Sharaa expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future, adding, Why not? The agency's aim is to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons, Grossi said. He described the new government as committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months. An IAEA team in 2024 visited some sites of interest while former President Bashar Assad was still in power. Since the fa

A disillusioned Musk, distanced from Trump, says he's exiting Washington

The billionaire has made clear he is frustrated with the obstacles he encountered as he tried to upend the federal bureaucracy

Indian giants L&T, Afcons win big in West Asia's $235 billion infra push

L&T focuses on transport and energy in Saudi Arabia, UAE; Afcons eyes Dubai Sewerage Project and urban tunnels as West Asia's project pipeline booms

Shaping the new deterrent: The strategic shift in India-Pakistan conflict

India's restraint has now translated into a sense of strategic intolerance. There has been a marked change in India's military strategy, and in the complexity of its retaliatory strikes

Saudi Arabia unveils 'TOURISE' platform to chart future roadmap for tourism

Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced the launch of a global platform which seeks to create a "powerful partnership" between public and private sectors and chart a future roadmap for tourism. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb launched the platform, 'TOURISE', and also announced that the TOURISE Summit will be held in Riyadh from November 11 to 13. The announcement was made in the Saudi capital during a press conference that was attended virtually by a large number of journalists from around the world. TOURISE is a "bold new initiative", structured for year-round impact through collaboration, and will be anchored with a high-profile global advisory board. In his address, the Saudi minister said the platform seeks to chart the course for tourism for the next 50 years. It will bring public and private sectors together. He said this initiative is "no ordinary endeavour". Saudi Arabia seeks to deliver practical, visible and permanent solutions, and this initiative will

Trump keeps increasing claim of Mideast countries' investment amount in US

President Donald Trump loves big numbers and he's always happy to talk them up. Trump, who coined the phrase truthful hyperbole in his book The Art of the Deal, over the last few days has been steadily increasing the amount of money he says that countries in the Mideast pledged to invest in the US when he visited the region last week. He didn't provide underlying details. The figure has gone from $2 trillion last week to potentially $7 trillion as of Tuesday, according to statements by Trump and the White House. A look at how the number has bounced around: THURSDAY: With his Mideast trip still under way, Trump told reporters on Air Force One: We just took in $4 trillion. FRIDAY: A White House statement said Trump's first official trip was a huge success, locking in over $2 trillion in great deals. MONDAY: We brought back about $5.1 trillion," Trump said in remarks to the Kennedy Centre's leadership. That's not bad. And, it's being credited as one of the, maybe, the most successf

US, Europe, Middle East: Who goes where in Op Sindoor diplomatic outreach

The seven delegations will visit key countries and regions such as the US, UK, Middle East, Europe, and members of the UN Security Council

Trump to visit US troops in Qatar, rejects past US interventionism

President Donald Trump on Thursday will visit a US installation at the centre of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the interventionism of America's past in the region. Trump plans to address troops at Qatar's al-Udeid Air Base, which was a major staging ground during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and supported the recent US air campaign against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis. The president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict as he works to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme. Trump has also used his trip to announce plans to recognise the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and to ease sanctions on the war-torn country. The US has deployed more than 1,000 troops in Syria for years to suppress a return of the Islamic State group. Trump heaped praise on al-Sharaa who was

Boeing sees positive week as it tries to emerge from difficult era

Boeing has secured a pair of major orders in the Middle East during a visit to the region by President Donald Trump. The American aerospace manufacturer confirmed a USD 96 billion order from Qatar, one day after announcing an order from a company in Saudi Arabia for 20 737-8 jets and options for 10 additional aircraft. The Qatar deal, which includes Boeing's 787 and 777X jets, is the biggest order for 787s and wide body jets in Boeing's history, the company confirmed. That's pretty good, Trump said in announcing the order. Get those planes out there. It has been a particularly good week for Boeing. According to several media reports, China lifted a ban on its airlines taking deliveries of Boeing planes earlier this week as part of Monday's trade truce with the US. Boeing had already been in the news for its planes in the Middle East, but for different reasons. Donald Trump said he would accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar, setting off

Trump to meet Syria's prez before heading to Qatar on his Mideast tour

President Donald Trump is set to meet Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, going face-to-face with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by US forces after being captured in Iraq. The White House said Trump has agreed to say hello to al-Sharaa before the US leader wraps up his stay in Saudi Arabia and heads to Qatar, where Trump is to be honoured with a state visit. His Mideast tour also will take him to the United Arab Emirates. Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family. Trump said he agreed to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria. There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and

Trump visiting Gulf Arab states while crises escalate in Gaza, Iran

On his trip this week to the Middle East, US President Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, though his most pressing regional challenges concern two other countries: Israel and Iran. After ending a ceasefire two months ago, Israel is intensifying the war in the Gaza Strip, where a blockade on food, medicine and other supplies is worsening a humanitarian crisis. And Iran, an enemy of Israel and a rival of Saudi Arabia, stands on the cusp of being able to develop nuclear weapons. Yet Trump will focus his attention on three energy-rich nations home to existing or planned Trump-branded real estate projects places where he aims to leverage American economic interests to do what he personally revels in: making business deals. This is his happy place, said Jon B Alterman, a senior vice president at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. His hosts will be generous and hospitable. They'll be keen to make deals. They'll flatt

Tariffs, oil prices, other uncertainties weighing on Mideast economies: IMF

Countries across the Middle East and North Africa face significant challenges to economic growth as the region faces economic uncertainty due to tariff measures, lower-than-recent oil prices and cuts to financial aid, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday. The IMF's regional outlook report for the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) said Brent crude oil prices which are down from highs above USD 120 a barrel in 2022 are likely to be USD 65 to USD 69 per barrel in 2025 and 2026, making energy-exporting economies vulnerable to market fluctuations. Tariff plans by the US and other countries and geopolitical tensions also have created mounting economic uncertainty globally that is weighing down on the region's economies, which could negatively impact their growth by anywhere from 2 per cent to 4.5 per cent, said Jihad Azour, director for Middle East and Central Asia at the IMF. Therefore countries need to react and need to devise policies in order to protect their ...

Yemen's Houthi rebels fire missile targeting northern Israel in rare strike

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile early Wednesday toward northern Israel, a rare target for the group as a monthlong intense US airstrike campaign continues to target them. Sirens sounded in Haifa, Krayot and other areas west of the Sea of Galilee, the Israeli military said. An interceptor was launched toward the missile, and the missile was most likely successfully intercepted, the Israeli military said. Those in the area could here booms in the predawn darkness. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take them hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults. American airstrikes, meanwhile, continued targeting the Houthis on Wednesday morning, part of a campaign that began on March 15. The Houthis reported strikes on Hodeida, Marib and Saada governorates. In Marib, the Houthis described a strike hitting telecommunication equipment, which has previously been a target of the Americans. The US military's Central Command did not immediately respond

Israeli President urges India to boost ties on key geostrategic issues

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday urged India to further deepen bilateral ties by working together on geostrategic issues, especially emphasising on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, which he described as the "future of the world". "We have a huge respect for the nation of India and its leadership. Israelis love your country. I can only anxiously wait to visit your country and host your President and Prime Minister in Israel," Herzog told India's newly appointed Ambassador to Israel J P Singh, who presented his credentials at a ceremony at the President's Official residence. "I wish you great success in your term. We can only go from height to height," the Israeli President said, welcoming India's new envoy. He urged India and Israel "to work together on the geostrategic issues, on the strategic issues, getting the hostages back home, preventing Iran (from acquiring nuclear weapons), moving towards peace and inclusion, connectivity and of course .