Iran fired missiles and drones at US military-linked facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait after a new wave of American strikes on Iranian targets, pushing Gulf security concerns sharply higher and raising fresh risks for shipping, energy markets and regional airspace. The attacks targeted areas associated with US forces in Bahrain and Kuwait, two Gulf states that host important American military infrastructure. Air defence systems were activated, sirens […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US forces hit about 90 targets along Iran’s coast on Wednesday, extending military action for a second straight day and deepening doubts over efforts to turn a fragile truce into a permanent peace deal. US Central Command said the operation was designed to weaken Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which […]
By K Raveendran The Narendra Modi government’s position on fuel prices now looks less like prudent caution and more like an overly defensive reading of a market that has already absorbed much of the Iran-US risk. The more calibrated question, therefore, is not whether New Delhi is right to watch the West Asian security situation, […]
The article Modi Govt’s Overcautious Oil Market Reading Hurting Retail Fuel Customers appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they fired missiles and drones at US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday, widening a confrontation that has put a fragile ceasefire under severe strain after US strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the operation hit sites linked to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and Ali Al […]
A Ukrainian drone attack set off a fire at Russia’s Saratov oil refinery overnight, extending Kyiv’s campaign against fuel assets that support Moscow’s military operations and domestic supply network. Footage circulating from the Volga region showed flames and smoke rising from the refinery area after explosions were reported around 3am local time. Saratov regional governor Roman Busargin acknowledged a drone threat and said warning systems could be […]
Gulf banking systems remain well placed to absorb near-term shocks from the US-Iran conflict, but their credit strength is now tied closely to whether the ceasefire holds and whether the Strait of Hormuz returns fully to dependable commercial use. Fitch Ratings says the durability of the truce between Washington and Tehran will be central to the outlook for banks across the Gulf Cooperation Council, where lenders entered […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Reports that Washington may scale back its troop presence in Saudi Arabia have sharpened scrutiny of a defence relationship that has long underpinned Gulf security, after Riyadh resisted the use of its bases and airspace for operations tied to the Strait of Hormuz during heightened confrontation with Iran. The episode has exposed a difficult shift in one of the region’s most consequential partnerships. […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff held what Washington described as positive discussions with regional leaders in Qatar, while technical contacts with Iran moved ahead through mediators as both sides sought to preserve a fragile ceasefire and turn a temporary truce into a wider settlement. The Doha meetings form part of an indirect negotiating track designed to reduce the risk of renewed […]
China widened its export-control campaign against Japan by placing 40 more entities under restrictions, intensifying a political and security feud with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government over defence policy, Taiwan and the use of critical dual-use technologies. The measures announced on Monday add 20 entities to a restricted export list and place another 20 on a watch list, tightening Beijing’s scrutiny of Chinese-origin goods, software and technology […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Iran and the United States exchanged fresh attacks on military targets across the Gulf, placing fragile ceasefire talks under severe strain and drawing Kuwait and Bahrain deeper into a confrontation already unsettling shipping, energy markets and regional diplomacy. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that its naval and aerospace units had launched missiles and drones at US-linked facilities, naming Ali Al […]
Bahrain reported an Iranian drone attack and a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, putting a fragile US-Iran ceasefire under its sharpest test since Washington and Tehran agreed to pause fighting and reopen the Gulf’s most important energy corridor. The incidents triggered new US strikes on Iranian military targets and prompted fresh accusations from both sides that the other had breached the interim […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai UAE authorities confirmed there was no security threat after an emergency missile warning was pushed to mobile phones across the country on Friday evening and withdrawn within minutes, briefly unsettling residents before officials traced the episode to a technical malfunction in the national early warning system. The first message, sent at about 5.17pm on June 26, warned of “potential missile threats” and instructed […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has assured Gulf Arab partners that Washington will not pursue a deal with Tehran at the expense of their security, as the Trump administration tries to build regional support for a preliminary accord aimed at ending months of confrontation with Iran. Rubio delivered the message in Manama at a meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers and […]
Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala is reviewing a potential commitment to a private equity project fund seeking to acquire control of MNC Solution, a listed South Korean defence components maker, in a deal that would deepen Gulf exposure to Seoul’s expanding weapons supply chain. The proposed investment would be made through a fund being assembled by Korea Investment & Securities Co. Partners Private Equity Division, which was […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain from June 23 to 25 as Washington moves to reassure Gulf partners over a preliminary accord with Iran that has stirred unease across the region. The visit marks the Trump administration’s most direct diplomatic push to explain the terms of the framework to close allies whose […]
Washington and Tehran have published the text of an interim agreement signed by their presidents to halt a wider Middle East war, even as President Donald Trump warned that the United States could resume strikes and target Iranian officials if Tehran failed to meet its commitments. The 14-point memorandum, signed on Wednesday by Trump and President Masoud Pezeshkian, extends an earlier ceasefire for 60 days and opens […]
Leonardo and Abu Dhabi’s EDGE Group have set a target of more than €4 billion in orders over five years for a new defence sensors and systems joint venture, signalling a deeper industrial push by the UAE into high-end military technology and a wider export drive by Europe’s defence manufacturers. The venture, detailed at a Paris event on Wednesday, is expected to begin operations with contracts already […]
By K Raveendran The US-Iran deal marks a genuine easing of one of the most dangerous geopolitical shocks to hit the energy market, but it should not be mistaken for a reset button. The immediate risk of a military breakdown has declined, and that matters for every stakeholder: Washington, Tehran, Gulf producers, Asian importers, shipping […]
The article Oil’s Peace Dividend Is Real But No Return To Pre-War Situation appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
A Russian frigate fired warning shots near a UK-registered civilian yacht in the English Channel, causing no injuries or damage but intensifying concern over Moscow’s naval activity close to Britain. The incident took place at about 11.40am on Tuesday, around 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight and outside UK territorial waters. The vessel involved was the 40ft sailing yacht Bright Future, carrying retired couple […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai A proposed $300 billion private investment fund has become the most sensitive economic element in the US-Iran framework agreement, with more than half of the target committed as Washington and Tehran prepare for a formal signing ceremony on Friday. The vehicle, described by a person with direct knowledge as the Reconstruction and Development Fund, is intended to create a commercial incentive for both […]
By Asad Mirza The framework peace agreement between the United States and Iran has reduced the immediate risk of a wider regional war. Yet the accord leaves unresolved the central issues that have fuelled four decades of confrontation, making its long-term survival far from assured. The announcement of a framework peace agreement between the United […]
The article Can The US-Iran Peace Deal End Decades Of Hostility In West Asia? appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Lee met the Pope at the Apostolic Palace on Monday during the Vatican leg of a wider European tour, accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung. The meeting placed religion and diplomacy at the centre of Seoul’s outreach strategy, as the Lee administration looks for channels beyond formal security talks to keep a peace agenda alive despite Pyongyang’s weapons programme.
The invitation was tied to World Youth Day 2027, the Catholic Church’s largest youth gathering, which Seoul will host from August 3 to 8. The event is expected to bring large numbers of young Catholics and other visitors to the capital, giving South Korea a global platform and offering Pope Leo his first major Asian pastoral journey if he accepts.
Lee and Pope Leo agreed to cooperate on the successful staging of the event, while the South Korean leader briefed the pontiff on his government’s approach to peace-building. Seoul wants the Vatican to sustain moral and diplomatic attention on the peninsula at a time when inter-Korean contact remains frozen and North Korea has shown little interest in official exchanges.
The meeting also touched on the possibility of a papal visit to North Korea, a move that would be unprecedented and politically sensitive. No pope has visited Pyongyang, and any such trip would require a formal invitation and guarantees from the North Korean authorities. The late Pope Francis had repeatedly signalled willingness to go if invited, but the plan never progressed beyond exploratory diplomacy.
Lee’s Vatican stop followed a peace Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, celebrated by South Korea-born Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik. Lee told the congregation that the “ember of hope” for dialogue and cooperation with North Korea remained alive, recalling the June 15, 2000 inter-Korean declaration that opened the way for family reunions, exchanges and humanitarian cooperation before relations deteriorated again.
The president has sought to present his North Korea policy as a shift from confrontation towards risk reduction. His administration has suspended propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border and has said it does not seek unification by absorption or ideological competition. Officials frame those steps as confidence-building measures aimed at preventing accidental clashes and rebuilding basic military trust.
Pyongyang has not responded positively. North Korea has continued to define relations with Seoul as those between hostile states and has maintained its commitment to nuclear weapons and missile development. That position limits the scope for diplomacy and makes any papal role dependent on choices by Kim Jong Un’s government rather than on Vatican willingness alone.
After meeting Pope Leo, Lee held separate talks with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s senior diplomat for relations with states and international organisations. Those discussions covered bilateral ties, World Youth Day, regional affairs and the contribution of the local Catholic Church to education, welfare and democratic development.
The Vatican and the Republic of Korea established diplomatic relations in 1963. Pope John Paul II visited the country in 1984 and 1989, while Pope Francis travelled there in 2014 for Asian Youth Day. The 2027 event will return the papacy to a society where Catholics are a minority but hold a visible role in civic life and social services.
South Korea’s Catholic population surpassed 6 million at the end of 2025, representing about 11.4 per cent of the population. The Church has grown steadily over the past two decades, though it faces the same demographic pressures as the wider country, including ageing congregations and fewer vocations. World Youth Day is therefore being treated as both a diplomatic opportunity and a test of the Church’s appeal to younger generations.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Donald Trump’s pledge that the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely opened” by Friday has left European partners pressing for details before committing naval assets to clear mines and escort commercial vessels through the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoint. The US president arrived at the Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains saying a preliminary US-Iran accord had settled the immediate question of shipping […]
By Nitya Chakraborty Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taking part in the outreach session of the 52nd meeting of G7 being held in Evans of France hosted by the French President Emanuel Macron. Already the main session started on Monday with the participation of the leaders of the seven nations. The main task of […]
The article Can PM Narendra Modi Redeem India’s Status As Defender Of Global South At G7 Meet In France? appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
