Arabian Post Staff Independent financial advisory firm deVere Group has built and launched live pricing and analysis pages across all four markets, designed for investors managing money across borders and currencies rather than sitting inside a single market. “We built these pages because our investors are living across dozens of countries, and they were checking four different markets through four different sources just to get a full […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is travelling to Tehran on Thursday for talks aimed at lowering regional tensions and reopening a diplomatic channel between Iran and the United States. Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Foreign Minister, is expected to meet senior Iranian officials and discuss steps that could reduce the risk of further escalation. Doha has […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US allies believe mines remain in the Strait of Hormuz despite President Donald Trump’s declaration that American forces have cleared the strategic waterway, exposing a widening difference over the security of one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Allied assessments indicate that US forces have removed or destroyed some Iranian mines in international waters but have probably not eliminated the entire threat. […]
Washington’s expanding economic offensive against Tehran is threatening to squeeze China’s access to discounted Iranian crude after war, blockades and maritime attacks sharply reduced flows through the Middle East’s main energy chokepoints. Chinese imports of Iranian crude moving through the Strait of Hormuz averaged about 530,000 barrels a day in July and August, down roughly 36 per cent from the first half of 2026 and 72 per […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran and Oman have moved towards a temporary arrangement to restore safer commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, proposing a jointly managed navigation corridor and mine-clearing operation while negotiations continue on a permanent system for the strategic waterway. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi discussed the phased framework during talks in Tehran on Tuesday, August 25. The proposal […]
By TN Ashok The much-awaited political reunion between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal appears to have hit the rocks even before the two former allies could formally sit down to negotiate a seat-sharing formula for the 2027 Punjab Assembly election. The problem is not ideology. Nor is it the bitter history […]
The article BJP-SAD alliance shaky as BJP claims big brother role appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Washington has sanctioned the Wellbred commodities group and businesses spanning Singapore, the UAE, Switzerland and France, expanding pressure on a global commercial network linked to Iranian oil trader Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. The measures designate Singapore-based Wellbred Capital Pte Ltd, UAE-based Wellbred Trading FZCO and Switzerland-based Wellbred Trading SA. La Nivernaise de Raffinage SAS, a French cooking-oil refinery controlled by Wellbred Trading SA, has also been placed under […]
Arjavi Indraneesh Iraq’s proposal for a joint security council bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran into a formal mechanism is more than another attempt at regional mediation. It reflects Baghdad’s growing conviction that diplomatic contact between the two powers, while valuable, is no longer sufficient to prevent security crises from spilling across borders. National Security Adviser […]
The article Iraq tests new security formula for Saudi-Iran rivalry appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Iran is preparing for a sharp escalation in US economic pressure as President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country is fighting an “all-out economic, military and security war” and Washington readies another sanctions package. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to outline the measures on Monday, with the Trump administration signalling that the campaign will seek to isolate Tehran from international trade and financial networks. The measures […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Gulf states have intensified diplomatic efforts to break the Iran impasse, with Qatar and Oman seeking an interim arrangement that could restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and prevent another escalation across the region. Qatar is mediating between Tehran and Washington while working alongside Oman on a temporary solution for the strategic waterway. The initiative has gained urgency as commercial traffic […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Six armed men have seized control of a product tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen and diverted the vessel towards Somalia, raising fresh concern over a resurgence of piracy along one of the world’s most important shipping corridors. The tanker, identified as Sibu 1 and also known by its former name Seamull, was travelling west when it reported that an unauthorised […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has launched its ninth spot crude tender since the beginning of June, extending an unusually active sales campaign as the company seeks to keep supplies moving despite severe disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. The latest tender offers Upper Zakum, Umm Lulu and Das crude for loading in October and November. Bids are due by August 24 and […]
Azad Mirza Nearly six months into the US-Israel war on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has become less a shipping lane than a rhetorical battlefield. This week that theatre reached a new pitch: Donald Trump posted an AI-generated map on Truth Social labelling the waterway “NEW US Territory,” insisting the strait is “open and operating” […]
The article Hormuz: Trump’s territorial bravado and Iran defiance appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
The rupee weakened to around 95.76 against the US dollar on Wednesday as rising crude oil prices, persistent tensions in West Asia and losses in domestic equities renewed pressure on the currency. The currency touched a three-week low during the session and finished near 95.75 to the dollar, extending its decline from Tuesday’s close of 95.68. Dollar demand from importers remained firm, while the sharp increase in […]
Oil prices extended gains on Wednesday as fading prospects for a settlement in the Iran war intensified concerns over supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz, keeping Brent crude above $91 a barrel. Brent crude futures rose 26 cents to $91.28 a barrel in early trading, marking a fourth consecutive session of gains, while US West Texas Intermediate crude advanced 37 cents to $85.31. Brent had settled […]
Matein Khalid So far, 2026 has been the best of all possible worlds for US money centre bank shares and Wall Street brokers, a Panglossian season of peak profits and blowout capital markets revenue growth. While software, memory and AI infrastructure stocks took a bungee jump on the Nasdaq in July, the major banks benefited from the SpaceX mega IPO, which generated a $500 million fee jackpot for […]
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely restricted on Tuesday as vessel movements stayed in single digits, while another ship was struck by an unidentified projectile and diplomatic efforts to ease the US-Iran confrontation remained deadlocked. Preliminary ship-tracking data showed six commodity vessels crossed the waterway on Monday, three entering the Gulf and three leaving. That was only a modest increase from the weekend and remained […]
Matein Khalid I feel as if I am no longer skating on thin ice with the AI bubble on Nasdaq but now tiptoeing on a minefield that could well explode at any moment under my feet. Why this premonition of imminent disaster? It is clear that Iran is going to humiliate President Trump and not do any kind of a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Prospects for a broader Middle East settlement have deteriorated after US President Donald Trump ruled out extending a temporary agreement with Iran, while renewed Israeli-Hezbollah violence placed Lebanon’s fragile ceasefire under mounting pressure. Asked whether Washington would seek more time under the memorandum of understanding signed with Tehran in June, Trump gave a categorical response: “No.” The agreement provided a 60-day window to […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Aramco is offering crude to selected Asian refiners from outside the Strait of Hormuz, opening another supply route as prolonged disruption at the strategic waterway reshapes Gulf energy exports. The company is negotiating privately with buyers for Arab Medium and Arab Heavy crude to be transferred between vessels off Fujairah in the UAE. Some of the cargoes are intended for September loading. […]
The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen below 300 million barrels, deepening concerns over Washington’s emergency oil cushion as prolonged Middle East supply disruptions force further withdrawals from government stockpiles. Federal inventory data for the week ended August 7 put the reserve at about 298.7 million barrels after a weekly draw of roughly 6.1 million barrels. That was the lowest level since 1983 and extended a sharp […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United States and Iran had not confirmed an extension of their 60-day peace framework on Monday, despite reports that the two sides had agreed to prolong the arrangement as its August 17 deadline arrived. Current reporting instead indicated that the negotiating period had expired without a broader settlement. The conflicting accounts injected fresh uncertainty into efforts to contain the conflict and restore […]
Trump instructed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale down the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises just hours before the drills were due to begin on Monday. The 11-day exercise, involving about 18,000 South Korean troops, nevertheless started as scheduled as military planners awaited details of how Washington intended to implement the presidential directive.
The decision marks a significant change in the handling of one of Washington’s most important security alliances in Asia. Trump described the exercises as costly and said they sent an unnecessarily hostile signal to North Korea, while stressing that he maintained a “very good relationship” with Kim.
Trump also connected the decision to wider tensions with Seoul over Iran. He said he had asked South Korea to join US efforts aimed at the “denuclearisation” of Iran but had received a negative response. His comments indicate that cooperation on security commitments in one region is increasingly being assessed alongside Washington’s expectations of allies in unrelated theatres.
Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of the two principal annual exercises conducted by US and South Korean forces. The drills combine computer simulations, command-post exercises and field training intended to test the allies’ ability to respond to threats from North Korea. Planned activities include precision targeting, manoeuvres, equipment deployment and exercises involving forces from several military services.
About 28,500 US military personnel are stationed in South Korea, where the American presence remains central to the deterrence strategy established after the 1950-53 Korean War. The conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has simultaneously been pursuing a reduction in tensions with Pyongyang. A day before Trump announced the exercise cutback, Lee called for renewed dialogue with North Korea and proposed efforts to replace the armistice with a permanent peace arrangement. His government has sought engagement while maintaining the alliance with Washington and strengthening South Korea’s military capabilities.
The exercise opened against an increasingly complex regional security environment. North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing days before the drills, while its expanding military partnership with Russia has raised concern among US and South Korean defence officials. North Korean troops deployed in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine have gained combat experience involving drones, electronic warfare and modern battlefield tactics that could strengthen Pyongyang’s forces.
North Korea has long condemned large US-South Korean exercises as rehearsals for invasion. Washington and Seoul reject that characterisation and describe the training as defensive. The exercises have nevertheless repeatedly become a bargaining tool during periods of diplomacy with Pyongyang.
Trump followed a similar approach during his first presidency. After meeting Kim in Singapore in 2018, he unexpectedly announced the suspension of major military exercises, calling them expensive and provocative. Several large drills were later replaced with smaller or modified exercises as Washington sought to keep nuclear negotiations alive.
Those talks ultimately failed to produce an agreement. Trump and Kim met three times between 2018 and 2019, but negotiations stalled over differences concerning sanctions relief and the scope of North Korea’s nuclear disarmament. Trump has continued to express interest in renewing personal diplomacy since returning to the White House.
Kim has also left open a narrow possibility of renewed talks, while rejecting Washington’s longstanding demand for North Korea’s denuclearisation. Pyongyang has accelerated development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and strengthened its strategic relationship with Moscow.
The reduction order has revived debate in Washington over military readiness. Critics argue that reducing combined exercises could weaken interoperability between US and South Korean forces at a time when North Korea’s military capabilities are becoming more sophisticated. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat and former US Navy pilot, described hollowing out the exercises as a mistake and warned against weakening preparedness.
President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, linking the decision to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s refusal to support Washington’s military campaign against Iran. Trump announced the move hours before the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was due to begin on Monday, August 17. The drills nevertheless started as scheduled, with […]
