At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He is jumping from calls to secure the waterway through diplomatic means to lifting sanctions and now escalating to a direct threat against civilian infrastructure in the Islamic Republic. Trump and his allies insist they were always prepared for Iran to block the strait, yet the Republican president's erratic strategy has fuelled criticism that he is grasping for answers after going to war without a clear exit plan. On Saturday came his latest attempt, via an ultimatum to Iran: Open the strait within 48 hours or the United States will "obliterate" the country's power plants. Trump's aides defended the threat as a hard-edged tactic to press Iran into submission. Opponents framed it as the failings of a president who miscalculated what it would take to get out of a geopolitical mire. "Trump has no plan to reopen t
At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He is jumping from calls to secure the waterway through diplomatic means to lifting sanctions and now escalating to a direct threat against civilian infrastructure in the Islamic Republic. Trump and his allies insist they were always prepared for Iran to block the strait, yet the Republican president's erratic strategy has fuelled criticism that he is grasping for answers after going to war without a clear exit plan. On Saturday came his latest attempt, via an ultimatum to Iran: Open the strait within 48 hours or the United States will "obliterate" the country's power plants. Trump's aides defended the threat as a hard-edged tactic to press Iran into submission. Opponents framed it as the failings of a president who miscalculated what it would take to get out of a geopolitical mire. "Trump has no plan to reopen t
Bessent said that Trump's actions are aimed at making the world a safer place
Bessent said that Trump's actions are aimed at making the world a safer place
Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours
Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours
Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today
The Air India Group has been significantly impacted by the Middle East conflict and the financial impact is "yet to be fully felt", according to Air India chief Campbell Wilson, who has also stressed the need for having a tighter-than-ever control of unnecessary expenditure. Loss-making Air India and Air India Express have been grappling with operational disruptions like other airlines since the start of the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran on February 28. "In the three weeks since the conflict started, we have had to cancel around 2,500 flights to the region. As of today, we can operate only around 30 per cent of our normal Middle East schedule because airports and/or airspace are closed, or are assessed to be beyond our safety threshold," Wilson said in a message to the staff on Friday. The airline's flights to the UK, Europe, and North America, are also taking longer flight paths due to airspace restrictions in the region, resulting in more fuel consumption. Wilson sa
Conflicting signals from Donald Trump on the Gulf war unsettle markets, drive oil volatility, and expose deeper global economic imbalances and geopolitical risks
The escalating US-Israel war with Iran deepens global uncertainty, disrupts energy supply chains, and exposes geopolitical fractures from NATO to Asia
As the Strait of Hormuz disruption deepens, India faces rising inflation, supply shocks, and fiscal strain, with markets yet to fully price in the risks
The threat of Iranian attacks during the US-Israeli war on Iran has kept most ships from getting through the narrow strait, the conduit for around a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies
The threat of Iranian attacks during the US-Israeli war on Iran has kept most ships from getting through the narrow strait, the conduit for around a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies
Indian companies are facing disruptions ranging from shipment delays to shortages of key raw materials due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said on Sunday, highlighting growing stress across sectors dependent on global trade flows. In a statement, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said firms are already seeing "downstream effects" as the conflict disrupts key maritime routes and tightens global supply chains. "Indian companies are experiencing downstream effects, from shipment delays to constraints in key energy inputs, as well as emerging shortages in essential raw materials and intermediates across several sectors that rely heavily on timely cross-border flows," he said. The industry body noted that disruptions have also placed pressure on energy markets and trade, affecting both imports and exports, with ripple-effects being felt across manufacturing and other industries. "The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted critical
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting Sunday evening with senior ministers to review to take stock of petroleum, power, and fertiliser sectors in view of the evolving West Asia situation, sources have said. The focus of the meeting is to ensure uninterrupted supply, stable logistics and efficient distribution across the country, and the government is taking proactive steps to this end, they said. Continuous monitoring of global developments to protect consumer and industry interests is the key focus of the government, they said. On March 12, Modi said that the war in West Asia has triggered a worldwide energy crisis, posing a critical test of national character that requires dealing with circumstances through peace, patience, and increased public awareness. The prime minister emphasised that his government is working relentlessly to address disruptions that have emerged in international supply chains. "Continuous efforts are also underway to determine how we can overco
India once explored Iranian gas imports via Pakistan through the $7 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline. Here's why India exited the project
The channel has been a focal point since the start of the war, but Iran's geographic and strategic advantages mean the US has been unable to restore traffic
The channel has been a focal point since the start of the war, but Iran's geographic and strategic advantages mean the US has been unable to restore traffic
The prolonged disruption has significantly curtailed communication channels both within the country and with the outside world, raising concerns
The prolonged disruption has significantly curtailed communication channels both within the country and with the outside world, raising concerns