Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The United States has slapped fresh sanctions on dozens of Iranian firms and individuals having links with the country's nuclear and missile programme, expanding its list of penalties following the United Nations Security Council's fresh resolution.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a dangerous phenomenon, but the terrorist organisation can not be defeated by air strikes alone, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said.
Plenty of other factors are likely to keep a lid on prices.
World leaders said they were looking forward to working with Joe Biden, as they welcomed the 46th President of the United States with praise and took parting shots at his predecessor Donald Trump.
'As matters stand, Russia and Saudi Arabia, two of the world's biggest oil producers, are set for a hard landing as they didn't diversify their economies as much as they should have when the oil prices were booming.'
The US side is yet to respond to the invitation but initial indication has been positive, it is learnt.
"Non-Aligned Movement Summit is not meant to be a slap to any country," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday amidst projection by some that holding of the international meet in Tehran was a diplomatic victory for sanction-hit Iran and a 'slap' to the United States.
The world's attention is on the new Taliban and the imminent announcement of an inclusive government in Kabul, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar
India announced its intention to acquire S-400 'Triumf' surface-to-air missile systems in 2015. The contract worth $5.43 billion was signed during the visit of President Putin to India last year.
India's purchase of oil from Iran has dropped slightly in last two years and is expected to drop further given the difficulties New Delhi might have in making payments through banks due to tough sanctions imposed by US-led international community against top Iranian banks.
India's fertiliser subsidy bill is likely to shoot up by 55 per cent to record Rs 2.5 lakh crore this fiscal as the government will provide additional funds to make up for the spike in cost from higher import price, top sources said on Thursday. The government will ensure that there is no shortage of fertilisers in the country during the kharif (summer-sown) and rabi (winter-sown) season and it is already in talks with major global producers to import key soil nutrients, they added. According to the sources, Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is likely to visit many countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Morocco, soon to secure imports on both short and long term basis.
Obama and Putin discussed the necessity of countering the Islamic State and the situation in Ukraine, the White House said.
'Putin is just flexing his muscles. He is not going to do anything. He is not that crazy.'
Over the previous eight sessions, Brent had lost about $7 a barrel, almost 20 per cent
As settlement in dollars has become difficult due to sanctions imposed against Iran, India and Iran will explore other currencies like the euro, yen and dirham to resolve the stalemate over payment for oil imports at their meeting later this week in Tehran.
Kim Yong Chol delivered a letter from the North Korean leader to Trump.
The missile was launched at 23:41 North Korea time from Jagang province in the north of the country, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
'It is only when Beijing sees a country with an infirm political will such as India that it acts up as the PLA has done in eastern Ladakh.'
In a war situation, the policy of 'what is not mine is enemy' tends to hold sway. It is high time professional militaries took air defence seriously, notes Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).somewhat, it is high time professional militaries took Air Defence seriously, suggests Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
Politicians, bureaucrats hold different opinions about the delaying of the 2+2 summit.
Pakistan failed to fulfil six of the 27 mandates so far as a result of which the country continues to be in the grey list of the FATF.
The Modi government has been put on notice.'Will it buckle under such pressure? These are times when the moral fibre of the leadership makes all the difference, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Would Ukraine be such a pushover if it had that nuclear stockpile?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
Trump hopes that the US will be able to deal in a very open and honorable fashion with North Korea.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday urged India to do "even more" to cut its purchases of oil from sanctions-hit Iran to keep pressure on that country to o prove its nuclear programme is peaceful.
'The prospects for both India and the global economy is that we are headed towards a very difficult time.' 'I see very uncertain at least 8-10 months for both India and the rest of the world.'
'The Chinese are only about 160-170 km behind.' 'It will not take much time for them to bring their troops back, considering that they have better infrastructure -- and the weather is now favourable.' 'They can move in much faster as the terrain favours them.'
North Korea on Friday launched an ICBM for the second time in a month.
There is growing acceptance of the idea in the international community that engaging the Taliban government is a far better approach than ostracising it, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Any Indian government at this juncture would have voted and spoken exactly this way. It isn't just about the vast Indian dependence on Russian-origin military equipment. It is also about trust, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
India and Pakistan will on Tuesday discuss financing of the $4.1-billion Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the transit fee that Islamabad will charge for allowing the passage of the pipeline to India and security issues.
Given that India will get a huge part of its oil supplies from Iran through its government-owned oil PSUs, any unwelcome shocks in global crude rates could be absorbed well enough.
Trump was good for world peace. He didn't start a war anywhere, which is not something that can be said for most of his predecessors, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will undertake his first-ever visit to India next week on his way to Sri Lanka. Ahmadinejad's visit comes at a time when Iran is facing United Nations sanctions and isolation from several countries. NSA M K Narayanan pitched for better treatment of Iran internationally, saying it was an ancient civilisation, and a major country with tremendous influence.
The United States will continue to focus on the Asia-Pacific region and shape a future of greater security, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday, even as he vowed to veto any Congressional bill imposing new sanctions on Iran to give "diplomacy a chance to succeed".
The list, according to media reports, also features reducing ties with Iran and closing a Turkish military base.
The mandates which Pakistan has failed include action against all United Nations-designated terrorists like Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar, Lashker-e-Tayiba founder Hafiz Saeed and the outfit's operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
'I wear heels. It's not for a fashion statement.' 'It's because if I see something wrong, we're going to kick them every single time.' 'If you challenge us, be prepared for what you're challenging us for, because we will respond.'
