While keeping their options open, the United States and European Union have signaled that talks with Iran over its nuclear programme could resume, for the first time in more than a year, after Tehran dropped its pre-conditions to a dialogue.
As tensions mounted in the Persian Gulf, Pakistan on Thursday assured Iran that it will not provide any assistance to American forces in the event of a United States attack on Tehran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday blamed Iran and its "protege" Hezbollah of carrying out the twin bomb attacks on Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia, accusing Tehran of being the "world's largest terror exporter".
The US is working with countries, including India to reduce their dependence on Iranian oil, a top official has said, noting it understands the energy needs of New Delhi and its long-standing ties with Tehran.
A military strike against Iran would have "unintended consequences", US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned, sounding the Obama administration's strongest reservation about an attack since the release of a UN report, which suspected Tehran was working on a nuclear explosive device.
India, which imports 12 per cent of its oil from Iran, will not scale down its petroleum imports from Tehran despite US and European sanctions against the Islamic republic, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said.
The United States military is "fully prepared" for any confrontation with Iran over moves to close the strategic Gulf of Hormuz, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said, as the White House indicated that the option of diplomatic negotiations was still open for Tehran. "We always continue to make preparations to be prepared for any contingency," Panetta told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. Panetta was asked whether Washington was adjusting American forces.
A Chinese vessel was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Oman on Friday. The cargo ship belonging to a Nanjing company was hijacked at about 9:30 am local time (1030 IST) in the Sea of Oman near the Iranian port Chabahar, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Three more positive cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in India.
Resisting US pressure to further scale down oil imports from sanction-hit Iran, India on Monday made it clear that it has to look at the issue involved beyond the energy trade as it has "vital" security stakes in the Gulf region.
The sanctions by Western nations came in response to a report by the UN atomic watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency about Iran's nuclear programme and after their proposal to impose new sanctions in the United Nations was blocked due to opposition from Russia and China.
The White House has urged India and its other allies and friends to help isolate Iran and put pressure on the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
To facilitate wheat exports of up to 1.5 million tonnes to Iran, discussions are on with Tehran with regard to lifting the 16-year old ban on the Indian grain, a government official said.
The United States has condemned the death sentence handed to American-Iranian ex-Marine Amir Mirzai Hekmati in Iran and asked Tehran to release him immediately.
India on Friday called for the full implementations of United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against Iran without harming its legitimate economic activities, as New Delhi underlined the need to resolve the row over Tehran's nuclear programme peacefully.
The United States has asked Iran to return the drone that Tehran says was brought down while it was flying over its territory, US President Barack Obama said on Monday, in a first open confirmation by Washington that the aircraft was in Iranian hands.
Iran on Wednesday refused to "accept" or "deny" its role in the bomb attack on an Israeli car in New Delhi but questioned the basis of the allegations, saying it should be left to India to verify the real position.
A suspected Iranian on Tuesday exploded three bombs in Bangkok blowing off both his legs and injuring four others, a day after Israeli embassy cars were targeted in Indian and Georgian capitals for which Israel blamed Tehran.
Kashima claimed their first continental title with a gutsy scoreless draw against Persepolis at the imposing Azadi Stadium
The semi-official news agency Tasnim said an unspecified number of women had entered the Azadi (Freedom) Stadium to watch Persepolis seek to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Japan's Kashima Antlers and claim their first continental crown.
Proponent of a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, a top Israeli leader has warned the West that no country was immune to Tehran's missiles and that the range of these rockets covers most of Europe.
Indian films, and Raj Kapoor in particular, have a special place in Iranian cinephilia or cinemadoosti, Ranjita Ganesan discovers on a visit to Iran.
The United States has asked Iran to return the drone that Tehran claims was brought down while it was flying over its territory, but expressed doubt that the country would do so. "You know, we submitted a formal request for the return of our lost equipment, as we would in any situation to any government around the world," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "Given Iran's behaviour to date, we do not expect them to comply," Clinton said.
Succumbing to the US pressure, India has decided to cut crude oil import from Iran by over 11 per cent this fiscal to 15.5 million tons.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran and India need to help spread justice in the world as the duo share humane perspectives on international affairs. Ahmadinejad spoke in a meeting with India's National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon on Monday in Tehran.
Two defectors from Iran's intelligence service have testified that Iran had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks in United States, according to a court filing that has sought damages for Tehran's direct support for the most deadly act of terrorism in American history.The defectors in the court filings had said that Iranian officials had "foreknowledge of the 9/11 attacks".
A profligate India finished their campaign in the AFC Under-19 qualifiers in the third place after a 1-2 defeat against Pakistan in Tehran.
In a clinical display by the Indian football team, the colts got off to a winning start in the AFC U-19 Qualifiers, beating 10-man Turkmenistan 3-1 at the Takhti Stadium in Tehran, Iran on Monday.
Grandmaster D Harika missed out on some chances to settle for a draw with Georgia's Sopiko Guramishvili, while Padmini Rout survived a scare before enforcing a draw with China's Tan Zhongyi in the first game of the third round of World Women's Chess Championship in Tehran.
This is the first payment Indian refiners have made to Iran since February.
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