June 10, 2026 10:19 AM

Fragile Israel-Iran pause persists as violence escalates in southern Lebanon

A fragile pause in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran appeared to hold on Tuesday, easing fears of an immediate return to large-scale cross-border exchanges that had raised concerns across West Asia. However, prospects for a broader and lasting ceasefire remained uncertain as fighting continued on other fronts, particularly in southern Lebanon. Iranian state media reported funeral ceremonies in Tehran for air defence personnel killed during the recent confrontation, while Iranian officia...

June 10, 2026 9:54 AM

Iran targets US bases in Jordan and the Gulf after Trump orders strikes near Hormuz

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported. The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April. The Iranian strikes, which included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain, came after the U.S. military said on X it had targeted Iranian air defence, ground cont...

June 3, 2026 9:35 AM

Trump administration drops $1.8 billion ‘weaponization’ fund after Republican backlash

The Trump administration is abandoning the president's $1.8 billion "weaponization" fund, U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday, after a rare backlash from Republican senators. "We are not moving forward with the fund," Blanche said. "Period." But Blanche also told lawmakers that an agreement with Trump to bar future audits of his or his family's past tax records will remain in place. The fund emerged from a legal settlement between President Donald Trump and the...

June 3, 2026 9:32 AM

US, NATO allies to launch scaled-back Baltic Sea drills

The U.S. and NATO allies will launch scaled-back drills in the Baltic Sea this week, as conflicts in other regions draw ships away, though the exercise will still send a message of unity and strength to Russia, a senior German military official said. The annual exercise, held for more than five decades since 1971, brings together some 20 vessels from 15 nations with around 6,000 personnel - roughly half the size of last year's drills - during a period of heightened tensions in the Baltic region...

May 29, 2026 5:40 PM

US trade delegation to visit India next week as bilateral trade talks progress

A United States trade delegation is expected to visit India next week to advance ongoing negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, amid growing optimism over the possibility of an interim deal being finalised in the coming months. Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said trade discussions between the two countries have remained “positive and constructive” so far. “We had a trade team that visited the Unit...

May 27, 2026 11:05 AM

US Senator calls Pakistan’s role in Iran diplomacy ‘more than problematic’

Pakistan’s refusal to consider joining the Abraham Accords has triggered sharp criticism from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who said Islamabad’s role in any Iran-related diplomacy was “more than problematic”. The remarks came after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif publicly rejected any possibility of Islamabad joining the Abraham Accords, saying such a move would violate the country’s “fundamental ideologies”. In a post on X, Graham said, “It has been apparent to...

May 26, 2026 3:32 PM

India, US sign critical minerals framework to strengthen supply chain cooperation

India and the United States on Tuesday signed a major framework agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in the mining, processing and supply of critical minerals and rare earths, marking a significant step in deepening strategic and economic ties between the two countries. The Framework on “Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths” was signed in New Delhi by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The M...

May 25, 2026 10:29 AM

‘I am a big fan of PM Modi, India can count on me’: Trump reaffirms strong bilateral ties at Delhi event

US President Donald Trump on Sunday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reaffirmed Washington’s close ties with New Delhi during a surprise live virtual address at the 250th US Independence Day celebration held at the US Embassy in New Delhi. Speaking during the event attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, Trump described himself as a “big fan” of PM Modi and said India could count on the United St...

May 18, 2026 9:56 PM

Iran Faces Mounting Global Pressure as G7 Pushes Sanctions and Gaza Flotilla Is Seized

Iran is facing intensifying diplomatic and economic pressure on multiple fronts today, as G7 finance ministers gathered in Paris called for tighter coordination on sanctions, Israeli naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla near Cyprus, and a new Amnesty International report laid bare the scale of executions inside the country. At the G7 finance ministers' meeting in Paris, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on allied nations to align behind a coordinated sanctions regime aime...

May 18, 2026 7:05 PM

Fuel supplies remain stable, over 3,200 Indian seafarers repatriated amid West Asia crisis

The Centre on Monday said that fuel supplies across the country remain stable despite the evolving crisis in West Asia, with more than 1.72 crore LPG cylinders delivered in the last four days and over 3,217 Indian seafarers safely repatriated from the Gulf region so far. At an inter-ministerial media briefing held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, officials from the Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, External Affairs, and Chemicals and Fertilizers o...