Latest Tehran News & Updates

New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should accelerate energy diversification and deepen ties with reliable partners, including India, after the West Asia crisis exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains and energy security, a report said.According to a report by Malaysian media outlet Bernama, Associate Professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Rahul Mishra, said ASEAN countries should strengthen engagement with mid…

Tehran, May 6 (IANS) Iran has launched a new system to control ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported, continuing a maritime standoff that now involves a US blockade and threats of military action. Under the new rules, all ships planning to pass through the narrow waterway must receive permission via email from Iranian authorities, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting state-run Press TV. Iran is calling the initiative a “sovereign governance system.”Ships would be require…

Washington, May 6 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations against Iran without congressional approval, calling the War Powers Act “100 per cent unconstitutional”.The remarks came during a wide-ranging White House briefing on Tuesday in which Rubio defended the administration’s military response in the Strait of Hormuz, broader pressure on Iran and Washington’s Middle East strategy.“The War Powers Act is uncon…

Washington, May 5 (IANS) Two US Navy destroyers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, US media outlet CBS News reported. The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, said the report, citing Pentagon officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, on Monday night (local time).No US warship was struck, though Iran launched small boats, miss…

Tehran, May 5 (IANS) Fifteen of the remaining 22 crew members of an Iranian container ship seized by the United States last month have entered Iran, media reported.The Iranian-flagged vessel, the Touska, was boarded and seized by US forces off the coast of Iran’s southeastern port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman on April 19 under a US naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping. Semi-official Fars news agency said on Monday that the ship had a total of 28 crew members, who were taken into US custo…

Islamabad, May 4 (IANS) Pakistan may continue to position itself as a bridge between Washington and Tehran, but such a role cannot be manufactured through publicity or driven by a desperate search for global relevance. The repeated collapse of the Islamabad talks is therefore not just a missed “diplomatic opportunity” but a serious credibility setback, a report said on Monday.According to a report in ‘Stringer Asia’, the second collapse of the much-hyped “Islamabad talks” exposes a deepe…

Tehran, May 4 (IANS) The Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday claimed that it hit a US Navy frigate with two missiles that sought to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.The US frigate, which had set sail near Iran’s southern port city of Jask to cross the Strait of Hormuz “in violation of the traffic and shipping security,” was hit after ignoring the Iranian naval forces’ warning, Fars cited local sources as saying.It added tha…

Mumbai, May 4 (IANS) Global crude oil prices declined almost 3 per cent on Monday after US President Donald Trump said Washington would take steps to help clear vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, though the lack of a breakthrough in US-Iran talks kept prices above the $100-mark.International benchmark Brent crude slipped 66 cents or 0.61 per cent to $107.51 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell $2.83 or 2.77 per cent to $99.11 a barrel.On the domestic front, crude oil fu…

Mumbai, May 4 (IANS) Indian equity benchmarks opened on a strong note on Monday, with indices gaining 1 per cent each in the morning trade, aided by softer crude oil prices amid indications of easing tensions in West Asia amid early Assembly election trends in key states.Sensex surged as much as 833 points or 1.08 per cent to hit an intraday high of 77,746.79 in early deals, while Nifty touched 24,245.85, up 250 points or 1.03 per cent.On the sectoral front, buying interest was seen across auto,…

Tehran, May 3 (IANS) Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei condemned US President Donald Trump’s remarks that called the US seizure of Iranian vessels “piracy.””The president of the United States has openly described the unlawful seizure of Iranian vessels as ‘piracy,’ brazenly boasting that ‘we act like pirates,'” Baghaei said in an X post.”This was no verbal slip. It was a direct and damning admission of the criminal nature of their actions against international maritime navigation…