By David Lawder and Elizabeth Howcroft

PARIS, March 16 (Reuters) - Any potential delay to a planned summit this month between the U.S. and Chinese presidents would not stem from trade or shipping disputes with China but from the possibility that Donald Trump needs to remain in Washington because of the war with Iran, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.

By Ariba Shahid

KARACHI, March 16 (Reuters) - Ship-tracking data shows a Pakistan-bound oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, indicating that some countries are able to negotiate safe passage for their vessels despite the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Since the war began more than two weeks ago, Iran has attacked several ships in the Gulf, in effect closing the strait, conduit for a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas, and driving up global energy prices. [O/R]

With assault rifles, daggers and posters of Iran's late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waving in the air as tens of thousands chant "death to America, death to Israel", there's little mistaking where the loyalties of Yemen's Houthis lie.

But will the battle-hardened militia backed by the Islamic republic join the war with the United States and Israel?

Since the Middle East war erupted, the Houthis have held regular demonstrations in their capital Sanaa, where supporters have come out in full force to rally behind their brothers in arms in Iran.

The surge of drone use in conflicts worldwide, seen most vividly in the Ukraine and Middle East wars, will accelerate the race to develop high-power laser systems that could down the devices far more cheaply than traditional defensive weapons.

It is a critical issue for governments threatened by low-cost, easily obtainable drones that can wreak outsize destruction, and are usually shot down only by the most advanced -- and expensive -- missile technologies.

March 16 (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to create a coalition to reopen the vital waterway.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier on Monday that Japan had made no decision about dispatching naval vessels to escort ships in the Middle East. An official of Japan's Foreign Ministry said there was no request from Rubio in their call for Japan to send warships.

BERLIN/BRUSSELS/LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. allies said they had no immediate plans to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, rebuffing a request by President Donald Trump for military support to keep the vital waterway open.

Trump called on nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to U.S.-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the strategic channel off its shores for tankers transporting a fifth of global oil supply.

By Emma Farge

GENEVA, March 16 (Reuters) - The head of a U.N. investigation said on Monday that an Israeli air strike on a prison last year was a war crime, and warned of risks of further repression following the current U.S.-Israeli bombings.

More than 70 people were killed when Israel struck Tehran's Evin prison last June during an air war with Iran, Iranian authorities have said. The jail, known for holding political prisoners, has also been damaged in the latest U.S.-Israeli air strikes, raising fears for the detainees, who include a British couple.

By Tim Cocks

JOHANNSESBURG, March 16 (Reuters) - South Africa has no reason to cut ties with Iran, its director general of foreign affairs said, after the new U.S. ambassador was quoted as saying the country's association with the Islamic Republic was an impediment to good relations with Washington.

Iran vowed at the United Nations on Monday that it would not submit to "lawless aggression", saying 90 million citizens were in "grave danger" from US and Israeli strikes.

At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where countries were discussing the rights situation in Iran, UN experts highlighted Tehran's deadly crackdown on protesters in recent months and warned that repression would likely worsen amid the Middle East war.

By Saurabh Sharma and Krishna N. Das

NEW DELHI, March 16 (Reuters) - Iran has asked India to release three tankers seized in February as part of talks seeking the safe passage of Indian‑flagged or India‑bound vessels out of the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Indian authorities seized the three Iran‑linked tankers near Indian waters alleging they had concealed or altered their identities and were involved in illegal ship‑to‑ship transfers at sea.