West Asia conflict

March 13, 2026 11:03 PM

Explainer: Why is it so easy for Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz?

Following through on an old threat, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off a vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes. As oil markets worry about a global energy crisis, the United States has said it may consider escorting vessels through the strait, which could prove very hard to secure - something Yemen's Houthis proved in disrupting Red Sea shipping last year. About a f...

March 13, 2026 10:52 PM

Trump says US will hit Iran ‘very hard’ after easing sanctions on Russian oil

President Donald Trump said the U.S. was going to be hitting Iran "very hard over the next week", shortly after issuing a partial 30-day waiver for purchases of sanctioned Russian oil, hoping to ease prices fuelled by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Prices have been whipsawing on Trump's changing comments on the likely duration of the war, which has prompted Iran to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for a fifth of the world's oil. Trump has previously said the war is "complete"...

March 13, 2026 9:40 PM

Trump tells Fox News US would escort ships in Strait of Hormuz ‘if needed’

President Donald Trump said the United States would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed, adding in a Fox News interview that aired on Friday that the U.S. would strike Iran "very hard over the next week." Asked about helping oil tankers pass through the key shipping strait, Trump said: "We would do it if we needed to. But, you know, hopefully things are going to go very well. We're going to see what happens." He gave no other details. "We're going to be hitting them very hard...

March 13, 2026 9:40 PM

Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is ‘about to surrender,’ Axios reports

U.S. President Trump told G7 leaders in a virtual meeting on Wednesday that Iran is "about to surrender," Axios reported on Friday citing three officials from G7 countries briefed on the contents of the call. According to the report, Trump told allies that he "got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all," while boasting about the results of Operation "Epic Fury" on the G7 call Wednesday morning. Trump said that "nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender...

March 13, 2026 3:30 PM

Trump revels in killing of Iran’s leaders as war nears two-week mark

U.S. President Donald Trump derided Iran's leaders as "deranged scumbags" and said it was his great honor to kill them as the war in the Middle East approached the two-week mark on Friday with heavy exchanges of drone and missile strikes across the region. The conflict, which began with joint Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran at the end of February, has killed more than 2,000 people, disrupted the lives of millions of others and shaken energy and financial markets across the globe. In a post on soc...

March 12, 2026 10:07 PM

West Asia crisis: Government takes coordinated measures to ensure energy security, maritime safety and welfare of Indian nationals

The Centre on Thursday said it is taking coordinated steps across multiple ministries to ensure energy security, maritime safety and the welfare of Indian nationals abroad amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia. Senior officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting briefed the media in New Delhi on measures being taken to maintain fuel supplies, ensure maritime safety an...

March 12, 2026 10:00 PM

India resumes flights to Riyadh as Civil Aviation Ministry monitors West Asia air travel

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday said it is closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia and its impact on air travel between India and countries in the region, as Indian airlines gradually resume services affected by the regional developments. The ministry said flight operations by Indian carriers to and from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia resumed on March 12, restoring an important air link between the two countries. On the first day of resumption, three flights were operated to ...

March 12, 2026 7:29 PM

GCC Intensifies Defence Coordination After Drone and Missile Attacks Escalate Regional Crisis

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are intensifying coordination after a series of attacks that have pushed the region into one of its most serious security crises in decades. Officials say the bloc has shifted from diplomatic mediation to a posture of active defence following the escalation that began on the twenty-eighth of February. Since then, several member states have reported waves of drone and missile attacks targeting strategic infrastructure and urban areas, raising concerns abou...

March 12, 2026 10:55 PM

Lulu Group airlifts fresh food from India to Kuwait on special flights

Two special Kuwait Airways cargo flights have carried fresh food from India to Kuwait on Thursday, arranged by Fair Exports India, a division of Lulu Group. The first flight, KU5006, an Airbus A330-900, departed Cochin International Airport at ten-forty in the morning and landed in Kuwait at one-thirty in the afternoon local time, carrying thirty-two tons of fresh fruits and vegetables destined for Lulu Hypermarkets. The aircraft had flown into Kochi empty from Kuwait the previous evening. A s...

March 9, 2026 3:22 PM

Jaishankar briefs Rajya Sabha on West Asia situation; safety of Indians top priority

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Monday delivered a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha on the evolving situation in West Asia, describing the ongoing conflict as a matter of deep concern and outlining the government’s response to protect Indian nationals and safeguard national interests. Addressing the House, the minister said the current round of conflict began on February 28, involving fighting between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other, along wi...