Page 66 - Us-iran Tensions

Too soon to judge war's impact, says Powell as inflation keeps Fed on hold

Fed's next move may ultimately be a hike, a possibility Powell acknowledged came up again in discussions this week - though that's not the base case for the majority of policymakers

Gold prices crack below $5,000; can slide another 9%: YES Securities

The West Asia conflict has changed the bullish narrative around Gold. High oil prices, US recession-cum-inflationary fears, and fading Fed rate cut bets weigh on the sentiment, says YES Securities.

What is the '19th-century rule' shipping firms are invoking amid Iran war?

Global carriers such as MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd have told customers they may discharge containers at alternative ports, invoking a long-standing maritime contract clause

A look at past moments that threatened Strait of Hormuz's oil flows

The US and Israel's war with Iran has thrust the Strait of Hormuz once again into the crosshairs of a geopolitical conflict. Iran has ground to a halt nearly all traffic in the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the globe's oceans, shutting down a critical path for the world's flow of oil. Attacks on commercial ships and threats of further strikes have stopped nearly all tankers from carrying oil, gas and other goods through the passage. That's also led to cuts from some of the world's largest producers, because their crude has nowhere to go. This is hardly the first time the Strait of Hormuz has been weaponised. Ship seizures and past fighting in the region have raised alarm for commercial ships, at times severely disrupting their ability to sail through. Iran has also repeatedly threatened to close the strait in response to sanctions and other tensions over the years, but stopped short of cutting off traffic entirely. Even with the bulk of traffic halted amid t

EU summit will focus on West Asia war, loan to Ukraine blocked by Hungary

European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday for talks on the Iran war, energy prices, migration and an enormous loan for war-ravaged Ukraine being held up by Hungary. Many of those leaders have deflected entreaties by US President Donald Trump to send military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the global flow of oil, gas and fertiliser. Rising energy prices because of the war and fears in Europe of a new refugee crisis have pushed leaders to make the Middle East one of the top priorities at the summit. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, has floated the idea of a "toolbox" of measures to lower energy prices for leaders to discuss because no single policy will work across the myriad markets in the 27-nation bloc to blunt economic shocks from the war, according to a senior European diplomat who wasn't authorised to be publicly named so spoke on condition of anonymity. The summit will also focus on a long-brewing standoff

Israel's strategy of killing Iran's top leaders could backfire: Experts

Israel has killed one senior Iranian leader after another in airstrikes as it seeks to topple the Islamic Republic. But its past experience of targeting senior militants shows the strategy has limits and can sometimes backfire. Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The group still fires rockets. It took out Hamas' top brass. The group still controls half of Gaza and has not laid down arms. As a strategy, targeted killing has rarely been employed against a state. While it may provide tangible achievements that leaders can brand as victories - especially in wars with no clear endgame - it rarely addresses the underlying grievances that propel conflicts. Jon Alterman, chair of Global Security and Geostrategy at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the impact of targeted killings often fades over time. He noted that Iran's government and military are made up of several overlapping institutions that have so far survived waves of punishing US and Israeli

Israel's strategy of killing Iran's top leaders could backfire: Experts

Israel has killed one senior Iranian leader after another in airstrikes as it seeks to topple the Islamic Republic. But its past experience of targeting senior militants shows the strategy has limits and can sometimes backfire. Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The group still fires rockets. It took out Hamas' top brass. The group still controls half of Gaza and has not laid down arms. As a strategy, targeted killing has rarely been employed against a state. While it may provide tangible achievements that leaders can brand as victories - especially in wars with no clear endgame - it rarely addresses the underlying grievances that propel conflicts. Jon Alterman, chair of Global Security and Geostrategy at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the impact of targeted killings often fades over time. He noted that Iran's government and military are made up of several overlapping institutions that have so far survived waves of punishing US and Israeli

Explained: What South Pars-North Field is and why it matters to Iran, Qatar

Israel's strike on South Pars has put focus on the world's largest gas field shared by Iran and Qatar, a key source of energy that powers both economies and influences global gas supply

Hollowed-out US State Dept strains diplomacy, struggles to manage Iran war

In the escalating war in Iran, the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs would ordinarily be at the centre of the geopolitical fray. The bureau's role would be to coordinate US foreign policy across an 18-country region, much of which has become a chaotic battlefield scarred by drone and missile strikes as the US and Israel remain locked in conflict with Iran. But now that bureau is also working with fewer resources. The administration's most recent budget proposed a 40 per cent cut to the bureau, though Congress eventually enacted less dramatic cuts. The administration also eliminated the dedicated Iran office, merging it with the Iraq office. Personnel and management choices - coupled with President Donald Trump's moves to shrink government and confine decision-making to a tight circle - are limiting the ability of the United States to handle a global emergency, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former US officials. Veteran diplomats with deca

Hollowed-out US State Dept strains diplomacy, struggles to manage Iran war

In the escalating war in Iran, the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs would ordinarily be at the centre of the geopolitical fray. The bureau's role would be to coordinate US foreign policy across an 18-country region, much of which has become a chaotic battlefield scarred by drone and missile strikes as the US and Israel remain locked in conflict with Iran. But now that bureau is also working with fewer resources. The administration's most recent budget proposed a 40 per cent cut to the bureau, though Congress eventually enacted less dramatic cuts. The administration also eliminated the dedicated Iran office, merging it with the Iraq office. Personnel and management choices - coupled with President Donald Trump's moves to shrink government and confine decision-making to a tight circle - are limiting the ability of the United States to handle a global emergency, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former US officials. Veteran diplomats with deca

US, Israel coordinated on South Pars strike, contradicting Trump's claim

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Washington had no knowledge of the attack, claiming Israel "acted out of anger" striking at Iran's South Pars Gas Field

US, Israel coordinated on South Pars strike, contradicting Trump's claim

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Washington had no knowledge of the attack, claiming Israel "acted out of anger" striking at Iran's South Pars Gas Field

Japan's PM Takaichi meets Trump as he seeks help securing Strait of Hormuz

The meeting that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will have at the White House on Thursday originally seemed like a prime opportunity to have President Donald Trump's ear before he embarked on a trip to China. But now, the war in Iran and Trump's unsuccessful call for Japan and other nations to help protect the Strait of Hormuz means the China trip has been delayed and Takaichi may be likely to get an earful. Trump has repeatedly complained on camera and online that US allies, including Japan, have rejected his request to help safeguard the critical waterway for oil and gas transport. "In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!" Trump exclaimed on Truth Social after his initial call for help was rebuffed. The prime minister acknowledged before she left Japan that she expects her meeting with Trump will be "very difficult." She and her ministers have denied that ...

West Asia war updates: Iran hits Qatar LNG hub; Brent crude above $111

Iran strikes energy sites, including a key LNG hub in Qatar, as tensions rise across West Asia; oil prices climb past $111. Here are the top updates at 9 am (IST)

FBI probes ex-counterterror official over alleged classified info leak

The FBI is investigating whether Joe Kent, who resigned his position as a top counterterrorism official this week in protest of the Iran war, improperly shared classified information, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. The investigation precedes Kent's resignation Tuesday from his role as director of the US government's National Counterterrorism Centre, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing FBI inquiry. But it comes as the Justice Department has undertaken multiple investigations over the last year into political foes of President Donald Trump, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Prosecutors have repeatedly struggled to make charges stick amid rejections from judges or to secure indictments in the first place. Additional details about what the investigation, which was first reported by Semafor, is examining were not immediately available. Kent disclosed his departure from the ...

For US, unmet expectations in Iran fit a familiar pattern in West Asia

Iran's military retaliation, along with the political defiance of its new leaders, evokes a decades-old pattern of unrealised goals for American interventions in the region

For US, unmet expectations in Iran fit a familiar pattern in West Asia

Iran's military retaliation, along with the political defiance of its new leaders, evokes a decades-old pattern of unrealised goals for American interventions in the region

Nifty stares at gap-down open, will it re-test 23,000? Key levels to watch

Global markets were down over 1% in Thursday's early trade amid escalating West Asia tensions, and fresh spike in crude oil prices. GIFT Nifty hints at a near 500-point gap-down start for the Nifty.

Strikes hit world's biggest natural gas field in Iran as Tehran retaliates

Israel killed Iran's intelligence minister as it kept up its campaign against the Islamic Republic's top leadership and reportedly attacked an Iranian offshore natural gas field Wednesday, as the war escalated pressure on the region's economic lifeblood: energy. Iran condemned the strike on its massive South Pars natural gas field, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of "uncontrollable consequences" that "could engulf the entire world." Iran hit a major natural gas facility in Qatar, keeping up attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors' energy facilities as it continued to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel - through which one-fifth of the world's oil travels. The price of oil surged another 5 per cent to over USD 108 a barrel on international markets, increasing the price of gasoline and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, is now up close to 50 per cent since the start of the war. As the Trump administration looks for way

Strikes hit world's biggest natural gas field in Iran as Tehran retaliates

Israel killed Iran's intelligence minister as it kept up its campaign against the Islamic Republic's top leadership and reportedly attacked an Iranian offshore natural gas field Wednesday, as the war escalated pressure on the region's economic lifeblood: energy. Iran condemned the strike on its massive South Pars natural gas field, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of "uncontrollable consequences" that "could engulf the entire world." Iran hit a major natural gas facility in Qatar, keeping up attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors' energy facilities as it continued to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel - through which one-fifth of the world's oil travels. The price of oil surged another 5 per cent to over USD 108 a barrel on international markets, increasing the price of gasoline and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, is now up close to 50 per cent since the start of the war. As the Trump administration looks for way