(March 10, 2026)
For Russia, which remains one of the world’s largest oil exporters despite Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine, the price rally directly translates into stronger state revenues.
Henning Gloystein, managing director for energy and resources at Eurasia Group, said Russia has “already hugely benefited” from the crisis after Washington granted India a temporary waiver allowing it to continue purchasing Russian crude.
(July 18, 2026)
Pakistan deployed the HQ-9 battery to Saudi Arabia in May 2026 under the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, according to the Times of Islamabad and The Daily Star. The system is operated exclusively by Pakistani military personnel — not Saudi or American crews — and functions as a standalone package integrated with Pakistan’s own command-and-control architecture rather than with Saudi Arabia’s existing air defense network, according to Defence Security Asia reporting from May 2026. The Jerusalem Post noted that Pakistan “deploys the defenses as part of a package because of their interoperability with other Pakistani systems,” a formulation that carries an embedded concession: the HQ-9 is not interoperable with anything else at the base.
(…)
The HQ-9 family’s combat record is now the most extensively documented peacetime marketing success that has failed every wartime test it has faced. During Operation Sindoor in May 2025, Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighters launched two BrahMos-A air-launched cruise missiles at Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi, and Pakistan fired approximately 18 HQ-9B interceptors in response, according to Indian Defence Research Wing. The result was zero confirmed intercepts — both BrahMos missiles struck their targets, an 0-for-18 record that prompted Brandon J. Weichert, national security writer at The National Interest, to call the system “a Frankenstein’s Monster” reverse-engineered from Russian S-300 technology.
Three vessels with Indian crew members onboard were attacked by the United States over the past three days near the coast of Oman. The attacks on the MT Jalveer, Settebello, and MT Marivex coincide with the US and Iran renewing hostilities against each other. The attacks were condemned by the ministry of external affairs.
The US military said it attacked the oil tanker, MT Settebello, after it tried to “violate” the blockade put up by the US outside the Strait of Hormuz, off the Oman coast.
Earlier, Forward Seamen’s Union of India general secretary Manoj Yadav told news agency ANI: “We have been unable to establish a connection with the ship. The latest information I have indicates that two have died, while the Chief Engineer is still reported as missing.”
The deceased were identified as Suresh Patnala, Aditya Sharma (deck cadet) and Shivanand Chaurasiya (fitter).
Video of the moment a US strike hit an oil tanker has been released.
Three Indian crew were killed in the attack. The US said the ship had violated its blockade of Iranian ports.
Watch the video below:
14 May 2026 08:39 BST
The Strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial ships if they coordinate with Iran’s naval forces, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday.
The minister is currently attending the Brics foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
India is hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 14-15 under its current presidency of the grouping, with foreign ministers and senior representatives from member and partner countries expected to attend. The meeting is being viewed as a key preparatory exercise ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi in September.
(February 26, 2026)
The timing of the visit was notable. It came months before contentious Israeli elections and as Netanyahu’s international standing has deteriorated amid allegations of war crimes, UN accusations of genocide and an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
(March 27, 2026)
Below are other „friendly“ nations to Iran whose vessels are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz
We particularly spoke about energy security concerns. Agreed to remain in touch.
People queue for petrol for two-wheelers amid concerns over potential supply disruptions, as authorities say there are no shortages, during the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, in Ahmedabad, India
While Iran has kept a tight grip on the strait, a small number of other ships have made the crossing under varying circumstances, signaling that Tehran is selectively letting through some non-Iranian oil cargo in negotiated safe voyages, according to maritime analysts.
Here’s a look at some of the countries that have had their vessels go through the critical energy route since the war began.
Here is what we know about which countries’ ships are being allowed to pass through the strait and which nations are reported to be negotiating for safe passage.
(22. März 2011)
Am 19.März, dem Tag des Angriffs von Frankreich, Großbritannien, Kanada, Italien und den USA auf Libyen, wurde in Moskau eine der erbärmlichsten Erklärungen in der russischen Geschichte veröffentlicht (Angriffskrieg gegen Libyen beginnt: Ticker). Das russische Außenministerium von Sergei Lawrow:
“In Moskau bedauern wir diese bewaffnete Intervention im Rahmen der UN Resolution 1973, die hastig beschlossen wurde.”
Die Weltöffentlichkeit konstatiert: Russlands Staatsführung ist ein Haufen Tölpel, dem – wenn er schon nicht lesen kann und deshalb nicht weiss was vor sich geht – selbst das Wort „Veto“ mit einem einfachen Armhochhalten schon zu viel ist. Das Gleiche gilt für die Atomschwachmacht China, deren leseunkundige kommunistische Staatspartei immerhin 1.3 Milliarden Menschen herumkommandiert. In der Parteizeitung „People´s Daily“ redete man sich heute nun selbst in ein Gewissen, was man nicht hat (1):
„Die blutgetränkten Gewitter, denen Irak seit acht Jahren unterzogen wurde und das unaussprechliche Leiden seines Volkes sind ein Spiegel und eine Warnung. Die militärischen Attacken auf Libyen, folgend den Kriegen in Afghanisten und Irak, sind das das dritte Mal, dass einige Länder bewaffnete Aktionen gegen souveräne Staaten gestartet haben. Es sollte augenscheinlich sein, dass jedes Mal, wenn militärische Mittel benutzt werden um Krisen zu begegnen, dies ein Schlag gegen die Charta der Vereinten Nationen und die Regeln der internationalen Beziehungen sind.“
Die Weltöffentlichkeit versteht: früher hiess es in China „Bombardiert das Hauptquartier“, letzten Freitag hiess es „Bombardiert Libyen“ und heute wieder anders herum. Mal sehen, zu was sich Chinas Staatsführung am Donnerstag entscheidet. Vielleicht der Einfachheit halber zu „Bombardiert irgendwas“.
From Srinagar streets to mosques in Delhi, Lucknow, India’s Shia community and political leaders condemn Khamenei‘s killing, warning of a world without international law
(February 26, 2026)
The renewed political and economic engagement with the Taliban comes at a time of surging cross-border violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has plunged relations between the two neighbors to a dangerously low point. Just this week, tensions flared back up after a fresh round of deadly strikes and clashes. And nuclear-armed India wasted no time in strongly condemning Islamabad over the attacks and voiced support for Kabul’s sovereignty.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the Israeli parliament Knesset — a first by an Indian Prime Minister — reaffirmed that India stands with Israel in its battle against terror.
(February 25, 2026)
A new classified framework is expected to open exports from Israel of previously restricted military hardware to India. Among the systems reportedly under discussion is Israel’s Iron Beam, a 100kW-class high-energy laser weapon inducted into the Israeli army in December 2025. Cooperation on Iron Dome missile defence technology transfer for local manufacturing is also under consideration.
For Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to both the United States and the United Nations, the visit marks a decisive moment.
“News coming out suggests they are going to sign a special strategic agreement, one that could be seen as a counterpart to the agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year,” he said. “Israel already has such special agreements with countries like the US and Germany.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 30 called out India, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries that condemned the so-called „Ukrainian assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin“ while largely turning a blind eye to Russian mass attacks on Ukrainian cities.
„It is confusing and unpleasant that some countries, like India, the UAE, and a few others, condemned what they claim were our drone strikes on Putin’s residence — which didn’t even happen,“ Zelensky said during an online press conference with Ukrainian journalists.
„Where is their condemnation of the fact that our children are being bombed and people are being killed all this time? I don’t hear India, frankly, nor the United Arab Emirates.“
India frequently accuses Pakistan of being behind attacks on its soil, saying that they are orchestrated by groups operating from sanctuaries across the border. A deadly terrorist attack this spring that killed 26 people in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir led to days of military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
At the time, Mr. Modi’s government issued a warning that it would treat any future terrorist attack on its soil as an “act of war.”
(August 20, 2025)
The three bills sparked a massive uproar in Lok Sabha with Opposition MPs tearing the copies of the draft legislation and throwing them at Home Minister Amit Shah. Following the uproar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah referred the bills to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
The Committee has been mandated to submit its report to the House by the last day of the first week of the next session. The next session (Winter session) of the Parliament is likely to be convened in the third week of November.
(February 17, 2025)
At the end of the last legislative session, his government introduced a constitutional amendment that would mandate that all elections—federal, state, and local—be held simultaneously every five years. To move forward, the amendment needs approval from two-thirds of parliament, more than the government currently commands.
The US Department of Commerce has published a list of companies that help the Russian Federation circumvent sanctions and for which they will introduce next week a practically complete ban on the export of goods to the United States, the department’s website reported.
The new export restrictions, which will come into force on September 16, are being introduced against 23 companies from China, three firms from Turkey, two from the UAE, one company each from India, Singapore and Taiwan.
“The two leaders continued their one-to-one dialogue on the way to the hotel where they were to be joined by members of their teams. However, on reaching the hotel they did not deboard the Russian president’s limousine and continued their conversation for 50 minutes,” further reported PTI quoting Russian national radio station VestiFM.
It was a scene in eastern China almost certainly intended for an audience on the other side of the world: The leaders of China, Russia and India, the three largest powers not aligned with the West, smiling and laughing like good friends as they greeted each other at a summit on Monday.
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Patel Airport in Ahmedabad. The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, reached an altitude of 625 feet before yawing and crashing into a medical college hostel. The pilot issued a Mayday call before the crash. One survivor, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, walked away from the wreckage. The crash is being investigated, with focus on the aircraft‘s flaps position during takeoff.
A CCTV footage has captured the harrowing moment an Air India flight took off from Ahmedabad airport before crashing into a student hostel shortly after.
But the most significant causes for concern came late Friday, when explosions hit the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, the garrison city adjacent to Islamabad.
The base is a key installation, one of the central transport hubs for Pakistan’s military and the home to the air refueling capability that would keep Pakistani fighters aloft. But it is also just a short distance from the headquarters of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which oversees and protects the country’s nuclear arsenal, now believed to include about 170 or more warheads. The warheads themselves are presumed to be spread around the country.
Your legacy is greatly enhanced by your brave actions. I am proud that the USA was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision. While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations. Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a “thousand years,” a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir. God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!
„Ich trage das Leid des geliebten ukrainischen Volkes in meinem Herzen. Möge alles getan werden, um so bald wie möglich einen echten, gerechten und dauerhaften Frieden zu erreichen. Mögen alle Gefangenen freigelassen werden, und mögen die Kinder zu ihren Familien zurückkehren“, so Papst Leo XIV. vor den rund 100.000 Menschen, die für das erste Mittagsgebet nach der Papstwahl auf den Petersplatz geströmt waren. Doch auch der Gazastreifen fehlte nicht in seinem Appell:
„Ich bin tief betrübt über die Geschehnisse im Gazastreifen. Der Beschuss muss sofort eingestellt werden, die ausgelaugte Zivilbevölkerung muss humanitäre Hilfe erhalten und alle Geiseln müssen freigelassen werden!“, so der Papst weiter. Mit Zufriedenheit reagierte er jedoch auf ein anderes weltpolitisches Ereignis, nämlich die Ankündigung des Waffenstillstands zwischen Indien und Pakistan. Diese habe er „mit Freude aufgenommen“ und hoffe, „dass durch die bevorstehenden Verhandlungen bald eine dauerhafte Einigung erzielt werden kann“.
Leo XIV., dessen erste öffentliche Worte nach der Wahl „Der Friede sei mit Euch allen!“ waren, schloss den Appell an diesem Sonntag mit den Worten: „Aber wie viele andere Konflikte gibt es auf der Welt! Ich vertraue diese herzliche Bitte der Königin des Friedens an, damit sie sie dem Herrn Jesus vorlegt, um für uns das Wunder des Friedens zu erlangen.“
He recalled, first, “the immense tragedy of the Second World War“, which came to an end 80 years ago, on 8 May, „after causing 60 million deaths.”
Pope Leo then turned to the modern wars plaguing the world today: “I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people,” he said, urging that „every effort be made to reach a true, just, and lasting peace as soon as possible“.
„May all prisoners be freed, and may the children be returned to their families“, he said.
He then turned to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. “I am deeply pained by what is happening,” he said. “Let the fighting cease immediately, let humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population, and may all hostages be released“.
With a sense of hope, Pope Leo XIV then welcomed the recent announcement of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. “I hope that, through the upcoming negotiations, a lasting agreement may soon be reached,” he said.
However, he continued, “how many other conflicts are there in the world?”
(…)
Former Chief Minister of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, has urged the leaders of India and Pakistan to stop the ongoing military attacks and talk directly to resolve tensions. She called on both Prime Ministers to pick up the phone, communicate, and work toward a peaceful solution to the current crisis.
In a strong statement, Mufti said military operations have never solved core issues between the two countries. She stressed that such actions fail to bring lasting peace and only increase suffering on both sides. “Military action is not the answer. It never was and never will be,” she added.
Most modern domestically developed Chinese platforms have not yet been battle-tested, said Eric Zhu, a defence analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “So having the combat record is a plus for their export potential.”
While Indian sources have disputed some aspects of these claims, the market response was immediately felt. Dassault Aviation, which had seen a rise in stock value due to strong Rafale sales, witnessed a minor drop. On the other hand, reports of shares of Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the producer of Pakistan’s J-10C and JF-17 jets, surged.
(May 7, 2025)
A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN today that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan, in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat.
Pakistan claimed earlier today to have shot down five Indian Air Force jets in retaliation for Indian strikes, including three Rafales. Indian officials are yet to respond to the claim.
According to American media reports, President Trump issued a statement following India’s attacks that martyred innocent Pakistani civilians and Pakistan’s strong retaliatory response.
In his statement, Trump said, “I know the leaders of both Pakistan and India personally and have good relations with them. I understand them well. Both sides have now settled their scores, so it’s time for them to resolve the issue peacefully.”
US President Donald Trump on India and Pakistan said, „I get along with both. I know both very well and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop.“