Washington, May 6 (IANS) Oil prices plunged as much as 10 per cent on Wednesday after reports suggested the United States and Iran were nearing a possible agreement to end the Gulf conflict, easing fears of prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, dropped as much as 10 per cent in early trading before recovering slightly to trade around $94.32 a barrel, according to Business Insider. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 7 per cent to…
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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…
Washington, April 30 (IANS) The White House is asking other countries to join a US-led international coalition aimed at enabling ships to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, American media has reported. The so-called “Maritime Freedom Construct” (MFC) was spelt out in an internal State Department cable sent to US embassies on Tuesday, urging US diplomats to press foreign governments into signing up, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Wednesday (local time).The MFC would be a joint e…
Washington, April 30 (IANS) President Donald Trump has said that the United States is weighing a possible reduction of American troops in Germany, with a decision to be made over “the next short period of time,” after he decried European allies over a lack of support for the US-Israeli war against Iran. Trump made the remarks in a social media post on Wednesday (Local time) following a recent report by The Wall Street Journal that his administration is considering punishing some members of the N…
Washington, April 26 (IANS) Security arrangements at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner have come under intense scrutiny a day after a gunman breached outer defences and opened fire at one of Washington’s most high-profile events, raising questions over how the suspect accessed the venue with multiple weapons. Former law enforcement officials and eyewitness accounts have pointed to potential gaps in the layered security system at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump, senio…
Washington, April 22 (IANS) A series of US ship seizures and maritime interdictions far beyond the Persian Gulf is marking a new phase in the conflict with Iran, as Washington moves to choke off Tehran’s oil lifelines and test its strategic limits.US forces on Tuesday (local time) seized a tanker in the Indian Ocean suspected of carrying Iranian oil, expanding operations well outside the Middle East, The Washington Post reported.The move follows a broader directive by the Trump administration …
Washington, April 22 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran and ordered the continuation of a naval blockade, saying Tehran must first present a “unified proposal” before talks can move forward. In a statement posted on Truth Social on Tuesday (local time), Trump said the decision followed a request from Pakistan’s leadership and internal divisions within Iran’s government.“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured… we have be…
Washington, April 21 (IANS) US-Iran peace talks appeared to be on shaky footing as Tehran signalled reluctance to join negotiations in Pakistan and President Donald Trump adopted a hard public line, raising fresh doubts over a deal ahead of a looming ceasefire deadline.A second round of talks between the United States and Iran, expected to take place in Islamabad, remains uncertain after Iranian officials indicated they may not participate following the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged vessel, T…
Washington, April 21 (IANS) The Iranian cargo ship seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman was part of a fleet linked to Chinese ports and suspected supply routes, a media report said.The M/V Touska, an Iranian-flagged container vessel, is tied to a network of ships that frequently sail to China and have been linked to transporting materials with potential military use, The Wall Street Journal reported.The ship was intercepted after attempting to breach a US naval blockade and was later boarded …
Washington, April 19, (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Iran of breaching a ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of sweeping retaliation, even as he announced fresh negotiations in Pakistan aimed at ending the conflict. “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!” Trump wrote on social media. He added that “many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom.”The P…