Page 34 - Us-iran Tensions

Crew member of US fighter jet downed over Iran rescued, CBS News reports

US rescues one crew member after fighter jet shot down over Iran, as search continues for second amid escalating conflict

Iran downs US fighter jet in southwestern region; hits Gulf energy sites

A local channel of Iranian state television claimed Friday that a US fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran. The US did not respond immediately to requests for comment over the claim. The anchor on the channel in Iran's Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province read the following announcement: "If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a precious prize." The channel provided no other immediate details. US Central Command, the Pentagon and White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ship carrying Iranian oil shifts course from India to China mid-voyage

A US-sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian crude oil has rerouted mid-voyage from its previously indicated destination of India - where it would have marked the first such shipment in nearly seven years - to China. The Aframax tanker Ping Shun, built in 2002 and sanctioned by the US in 2025, is now signalling Dongying in China as its destination instead of Vadinar in Gujarat, which it had indicated earlier this week, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler. There is no confirmation that the destination that the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder - a tracking system mandated on most commercial vessels - is indicating is the final and it may not change at any time during the transit. "An Iranian crude vessel 'Ping Shun' that had been en route to Vadinar, India, over the past three days has dropped India as its declared destination near arrival and is now signalling China," said Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst, Refining and Modelling at commodity market analytic .

Iranian drones strike Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery, fire reported

Iranian drones struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on Friday, sparking fires at the facility. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. issued a statement on the attack and said firefighters were working to control the blazes. There were no injuries reported, the company said. Kuwait operates three oil refineries. Mina al-Ahmadi has come under attack multiple times in the war. Refineries are key to Kuwait's oil production because, without them, oil wells would have to be shut down for lack of a destination for the oil. Restarting refineries is extremely time-consuming for safety reasons, and those wells would remain largely inactive until refineries are back online.

Iranian drones strike Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery, fire reported

Iranian drones struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on Friday, sparking fires at the facility. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. issued a statement on the attack and said firefighters were working to control the blazes. There were no injuries reported, the company said. Kuwait operates three oil refineries. Mina al-Ahmadi has come under attack multiple times in the war. Refineries are key to Kuwait's oil production because, without them, oil wells would have to be shut down for lack of a destination for the oil. Restarting refineries is extremely time-consuming for safety reasons, and those wells would remain largely inactive until refineries are back online.

Navy ensures safety of Indian commercial ships, oil tankers: Rajnath Singh

Pointing out that 95 per cent of the country's trade, including energy supplies, is conducted through sea, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday noted the Indian Navy's indispensable role in securing commercial shipping lanes and oil tankers against emerging maritime threats. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INS Taragiri here, the Defence Minister said the Indian Navy continuously maintains its presence in the Indian Ocean--whether it is the Persian Gulf or the Malacca Strait. Singh's comments assume significance following the disruption of oil supplies and blockage of oil tankers in view of the prevailing situation in West Asia. According to him, a strong and capable navy is not an option for the country, but a necessity. "There are many sensitive points in the sea where our Navy has continuously made its active presence to ensure the smooth supply of goods. Whenever there is a situation of tension there, the Indian Navy has ensured the security of our commercial ships

Drone company backed by Trump sons targets Gulf sales amid Iran war

A drone maker backed by President Donald Trump's two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father. The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began. "These countries are under enormous pressure to buy from the sons of the president so he will do what they want," said Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush. "This is going to be the first family of a president to make a lot of money off war - a war he didn't get the consent of Congress for." Powerus co-founder Brett Velicovich told The Associated Press that the company is making sales pitches that include drone demonstrations in several Gulf countries to show how its defensive drone interceptors could help them ward off Iranian attacks. "Ou

Drone company backed by Trump sons targets Gulf sales amid Iran war

A drone maker backed by President Donald Trump's two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father. The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began. "These countries are under enormous pressure to buy from the sons of the president so he will do what they want," said Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush. "This is going to be the first family of a president to make a lot of money off war - a war he didn't get the consent of Congress for." Powerus co-founder Brett Velicovich told The Associated Press that the company is making sales pitches that include drone demonstrations in several Gulf countries to show how its defensive drone interceptors could help them ward off Iranian attacks. "Ou

LPG crisis: Govt mulls boosting production of induction heaters, utensils

The government on Friday held discussions on measures to encourage companies to ramp up production of induction heaters and compatible utensils amid rising demand for these products due to concerns over LPG availability following the West Asia crisis, an official said. The crisis has disrupted the movement of ships carrying oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over cooking gas supplies and prompting people to rush to buy induction heaters and compatible utensils. The meeting, chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, was attended by senior officials, including Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Lav Agarwal, and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia. "We discussed how we can speed up and increase the production of induction heaters and vessels that go on those heaters (utensils like an induction cooker, etc.)," the official said. The demand for these go

Pakistan hikes petrol, diesel prices by record 43% and 55% amid Iran war

Pakistan has announced an unprecedented increase of 43 per cent and 55 per cent in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), respectively, in response to spiking global oil prices amid the US-Israel war on Iran. The government made the announcement on Thursday. The price of petrol has been increased by Rs 137.23 per litre (42.7 per cent) to Rs 458.41 from Rs 321.17, while HSD by Rs 184.49 per litre (55 per cent) to Rs 520.35 from Rs 335.86, with immediate effect. The price of kerosene was also increased by Rs 34.08 per litre to Rs 457.80. The government also adjusted the petroleum levy rates to limit the increase in diesel prices as the levy on petrol was increased to Rs 160 per litre from Rs 105, while it was reduced to zero on diesel from Rs 55. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik while making the announcement, which he termed as a "difficult decision", said that the objective was to restrict subsidies to the most deserving segments while maintaining fiscal discipline an

French, South Korean leaders agree to work together on Strait of Hormuz

French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed on Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East. Their summit in Seoul came as US President Donald Trump slammed allies for not supporting the US and Israeli war against Iran. Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017 as part of an Asian tour that already has taken him to Japan. Macron told Lee at the start of the meeting that the two countries can play a role in helping to stabilise the situation in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korean media. At a joint televised briefing afterwards, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities, while Lee said the two affirmed "their resolve to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz." The tw

Satellite imagery shows damage at Iran's Qeshm port after US-Israel strikes

Smoke was seen rising from a port area on the island on Thursday

Satellite imagery shows damage at Iran's Qeshm port after US-Israel strikes

Smoke was seen rising from a port area on the island on Thursday

Iran strikes targets across West Asia, US-Israel hit Tehran as war rages

There was little sign Friday of the war in the Middle East winding down as Israel said it faced incoming fire from Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain reported being under attack, and Iran said eight people were killed while celebrating the close of Persian new year near a major bridge hit by a US strike. Tehran continued to demonstrate its ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and cheered the collapse of the bridge on Thursday, reportedly the tallest in the Middle East. Iran decried the strike on the bridge, which also injured 95 people celebrating Nature Day, when Iranians gather for picnics and other celebrations outdoors on the last day of Nowruz, the Persian new year. "Striking civilian infrastructure only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote Thursday in a post on X. Iran's attacks on Gulf states along with its chokehold on the Str

Iran strikes targets across West Asia, US-Israel hit Tehran as war rages

There was little sign Friday of the war in the Middle East winding down as Israel said it faced incoming fire from Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain reported being under attack, and Iran said eight people were killed while celebrating the close of Persian new year near a major bridge hit by a US strike. Tehran continued to demonstrate its ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and cheered the collapse of the bridge on Thursday, reportedly the tallest in the Middle East. Iran decried the strike on the bridge, which also injured 95 people celebrating Nature Day, when Iranians gather for picnics and other celebrations outdoors on the last day of Nowruz, the Persian new year. "Striking civilian infrastructure only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote Thursday in a post on X. Iran's attacks on Gulf states along with its chokehold on the Str

Family moves HC for return of mortal remains of seafarer killed in Iran war

The family of seafarer Dixit Solanki who died last month in a suspected attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking the return of his mortal remains. The petition, filed by Solanki's father Amratlal Solanki and sister Mitali Solanki through advocates S B Talekar and Madhvi Ayyappan, has sought directions to the Union government to expedite the repatriation of his remains, claiming lack of clarity from the authorities. The plea will be heard on April 6 by a bench headed by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar. Dixit Solanki (25) was killed on March 4 when an explosive-laden drone boat struck an oil tanker -- MT MKD Vyom -- off the coast of Oman amid the West Asia conflict, becoming its first Indian casualty. In their plea, the Solankis have also sought that all investigation and forensic records be shared with them. The plea has been filed against the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the ...

Family moves HC for return of mortal remains of seafarer killed in Iran war

The family of seafarer Dixit Solanki who died last month in a suspected attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking the return of his mortal remains. The petition, filed by Solanki's father Amratlal Solanki and sister Mitali Solanki through advocates S B Talekar and Madhvi Ayyappan, has sought directions to the Union government to expedite the repatriation of his remains, claiming lack of clarity from the authorities. The plea will be heard on April 6 by a bench headed by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar. Dixit Solanki (25) was killed on March 4 when an explosive-laden drone boat struck an oil tanker -- MT MKD Vyom -- off the coast of Oman amid the West Asia conflict, becoming its first Indian casualty. In their plea, the Solankis have also sought that all investigation and forensic records be shared with them. The plea has been filed against the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the ...

Oil prices surge on Iran war risks; Asian markets trade cautiously

Oil prices continued to surge on worries of a prolonged Iran war, but the Asian markets that were open Friday rose moderately in cautious trading, while others were closed for the Good Friday holidays. Benchmark US crude rose 11.4 per cent to USD 111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8 per cent to USD 109.03 per barrel. "A more extended conflict raises the threat to physical infrastructure, extends disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, and will entail a longer post-war recovery period, with price impacts spilling over later into the year," according to a report from BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions. The US only relies on the Persian Gulf for a fraction of the oil it imports, but oil is a commodity and prices are set in a global market. The situation is very different in Asia. Japan, for example, relies on access to the Strait of Hormuz for much of the nation's oil import needs and would need to rely on alternative routes. But some analyst

West Asia war: Trump urges Iran deal before 'it's too late'; Brent at $109

The West Asia conflict continues to escalate as the US and Iran exchange warnings and global oil prices surge, with Brent crude rising to $109 a barrel. Here are the top updates at 10 am (IST)

Iran drafting proposal with Oman to 'monitor' Hormuz for safe passage

Iran on Thursday claimed its drafting a proposal with Oman to 'monitor' Strait of Hormuz. The comments by Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, described the proposal as "intended to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships passing through this route." Iran's attacks on shipping in the region, as well as reportedly demanding as much as USD 2 million for passage through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, have created a stranglehold on the route. It is unclear what the proposal would mean. Oman did not immediately acknowledge it. The strait runs through Iranian and Omani territorial waters but is considered an international waterway that should freely allow ships to pass. "Naturally, when we face an act of aggression, navigation encounters serious problems, and this is the result of the aggressive act," Gharibabadi said. "We are currently at war and cannot expect pre-war rules to govern wartime conditions.