Both sides have now revealed a preference for escalation over strategic defeat, and each new provocation narrows the space for the next pause. The Touska seizure, Iran's refusal to negotiate under blockade, Israel's strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure -- all of these add up to an increasingly untenable situation. This makes the wild card -- Trump and his motormouth -- more consequential than ever, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
US Vice President JD Vance is set to arrive in Islamabad on Monday evening to lead a high-level American delegation in a second round of ceasefire negotiations with Iran, CNN reported, citing White House on Sunday.
Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan has significantly increased his lead in the Candidates chess tournament after defeating India's R Praggnanandhaa. In the women's section, R Vaishali leads after drawing with Anna Muzychuk.
There are enough people at the top decision-making level in Tehran who are still willing to negotiate, provided Trump can create the right setting for the negotiation to acquire a dynamic of its own, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Direct talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, have failed to produce an agreement after 21 hours of negotiations, with disagreements over Iran's nuclear ambitions and sanctions proving insurmountable.
The cost of the war is being counted not in the corridors of power in Washington or Tehran, but in Firozabad's darkened furnace rooms, Howrah's idle casting sheds, and a barbershop in Kochi where the wait is suddenly, inexplicably, an hour long, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
US President Donald Trump has announced plans to clear the Strait of Hormuz to secure the vital oil corridor, citing risks to global energy supplies and criticising other nations' inaction.
Chaffing under public ridicule in the US as well as internationally for having 'lost' the war, Trump is under immense pressure to do something, cautions Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has criticised the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for its stringent anti-cheating measures at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus.
The intriguing bit is that Trump is likely to attend the talks in Islamabad this weekend -- if he does, it will be the clearest signal yet that the US is ready to exit the war with some sort of win to show, since he cannot afford to go for the talks and return empty-handed, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War
By all available indications, the White House drafted a face-saving note and handed it, ready-made, to Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was supposed to then post it in the guise of a plea urging Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks 'to allow diplomacy to run its course'. Trump would then graciously accept Pakistan's 'request' and declare a ceasefire. Sharif dutifully posted the message on X. Except that he, or whoever was handling the account, forgot to delete the tell-tale first line visible in the edit history: 'Draft - Pakistan's PM Message on X'. Prem Panicker's must read blog on the Iran War.
Srivastava warned that continued bombing of Iran by the US and Israel could severely undermine any prospects of reopening critical maritime routes through negotiation with Tehran.
Taking Kharg would give the US control over virtually all of Iran's oil exports and thus provide significant leverage, notes Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War. It would also put American troops within range of Iran's remaining missiles, drones, and artillery on a piece of real estate that is just eight square miles in size, and just 15 miles from the Iranian mainland.
A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group emerged the lead bidder to acquire IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping Aditya Birla Group-Led Consortium Acquire IPL Champions RCB for Rs Rs 16,660 crore.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said the BCCI cannot intervene as the signing is related to a foreign league and it is up to the franchise to take a call.
Aryna Sabalenka likes the idea of 'rage rooms' at tournaments where players can vent their frustrations away from the cameras, though the World No. 1 said there would be nothing left to destroy after she uses it.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims control of the Strait of Hormuz and reports striking a US destroyer, escalating tensions in the Middle East following retaliatory strikes between Iran, the US, and Israel.
'We are profoundly energy-dependent on the Gulf. That dependency must now be redirected towards the United States, because we require American permission to procure oil.' 'We additionally require Iranian permission to acquire oil from that source. So India now has to seek two separate permissions merely to secure its energy supply.' 'Should we be compelled to source from America, or from Venezuela -- which is, in effect, American-controlled supply -- that will inevitably carry a price premium, an elevated shipping cost, and a considerably extended delivery timeline, given the distances involved.'
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
US defence officials confirmed that an F-35 did perform an emergency landing after an Iranian surface-to-air missile (SAM) barrage, with the pilot safe and an investigation underway.
India has clarified its position on the proposed interim trade agreement with the US, stating that the joint statement remains the basis for mutual understanding. Amendments to a White House fact sheet reflect shared understandings, with both sides working towards finalizing the agreement.
An awkward moment between OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei at the India AI Impact Summit went viral after the two rival CEOs raised their fists instead of holding hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a group photograph.
At least 101 people are missing and 78 are injured after a suspected submarine attack on an Iranian naval ship off Sri Lanka's southern coast on Wednesday, Reuters quoted sources in Sri Lanka's Navy and defence ministry as saying.
The Sri Lanka Navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from a sinking naval ship off the southern coast, while also recovering several bodies. The incident occurred outside Sri Lankan waters but within its search and rescue zone.
Iran is fighting a different war: Older, slower, and in some ways more dangerous. Iran doesn't need to shoot down an F/A-18. It only needs to make the Strait of Hormuz feel dangerous long enough for insurance markets, shipping companies, and oil futures traders to do the rest. Prem Panicker continues his must-read daily blog on the war in the Middle East.
Billionaire David Blitzer, co-founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is conducting due diligence on Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.
Dozens of Indian-flagged ships and over a thousand seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and surrounding areas due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amidst ongoing military actions involving the US, Israel, and Iran.
'The entire US ecosystem built over decades at the bases in the Gulf region, especially the UAE, costing trillions of dollars have been decimated, dealing a mortal blow to the US Central Command's war capability,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'TTP has vowed to take revenge for the attacks that Pakistan is carrying out against Afghanistan.' 'To diminish this threat, Pakistan is hitting Afghanistan hard.'
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by David Navara in the fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest took the lead with his third victory.
US President Donald Trump asserted that the trade deal with India remains intact despite a Supreme Court ruling against his tariffs, while also claiming he used tariffs to stop a war between India and Pakistan.
Albie and Morne Morkel find themselves in rival dugouts as South Africa face India in the T20 World Cup Super 8 clash.
Coco Gauff's bid for a third Grand Slam title went up in smoke at the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina on Tuesday, after the third seed enduring a nightmare on serve.
The deal shifts the US posture towards India from hostile to neutral, and that matters for growth, points out T T Ram Mohan.
United States President Donald Trump has released the first picture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on board the US Warship Iwo Jima.
A bewildered world is at a loss to find bilateral and multilateral measures to stop President Trump from pursuing his vision of a world unabashedly dominated by the United States, points out T P Sreenivasan.
A thrilling seventh game had both players scrambling in long rallies as the momentum shifted back and forth until Gauff fired a backhand winner and screamed in triumph.
India will now face a lower reciprocal tariff of 10 per cent, down from 25 per cent, after US President Donald Trump announced a new global levy on items imported into America in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict against his sweeping duties on several nations.
Marcandria Maurizzi registered a last-gasp win over Volodar Murzin on the prodigy board to help defending champions Triveni Continental Kings beat Fyers American Gambits 8-7 and consolidate their position at the top of the leader board in the Global Chess League (GCL) in Mumbai on Saturday.
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