A projectile struck near Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in one security personnel casualty and damage to an auxiliary building. The incident has raised concerns about nuclear safety and potential regional consequences, drawing criticism from Iranian officials and prompting calls for restraint from the IAEA.
The Natanz nuclear facility is one of Iran's key nuclear installations and has previously been at the centre of international concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Facing escalating threats from the US, Iran is mobilizing its citizens to form 'human chains' around power plants as a defensive measure against potential airstrikes, raising concerns about international law and civilian safety.
In a bid to de-escalate Middle East tensions, the US has presented Iran with a comprehensive 15-point peace plan focusing on nuclear disarmament and regional stability in exchange for sanctions relief.
Popularly known as 'Little India', Dimona has a large Indian-Jewish population, and the community members, mostly from the state of Maharashtra, maintain strong links with India and have consistently put efforts to solidify them.
Iran has put forward a comprehensive 10-point framework that it says forms the basis of a complete resolution.
The urgency for a resolution is underscored by the military situation, as joint operations by Israel and the US have consistently been "targeting Iran's missile systems, launch sites and other critical infrastructure" since the onset of the conflict.
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Tedros said that the war in the Middle East has reached a perilous stage with strikes reportedly hitting the Natanz Enrichment Complex in Iran, and the Israeli city of Dimona, where a nuclear facility is located.
As days turn into weeks and America loses more planes, as the destruction of trillions of dollars worth military assets piles up, and dead bodies of soldiers return in ever greater numbers in coffins, Trump will have to answer some very difficult questions to save his presidency, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
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.
The United States, which entered this war in expectation of a short, sharp win along the Venezuela model, is now preparing for deeper involvement in a conflict it does not fully control, without the allies it typically relies on, against an adversary that is not behaving as expected, in a global environment that is already absorbing economic shock. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
When missiles fly in this region, they are never just aimed at military targets.
'To suddenly give the impression of taking a position that is hostile to Iran, or, at least, not friendly to Iran, is not a good thing.'
What we are watching is something different: A fog manufactured and maintained by the people who started the war, so that the question of why it was started never has to be answered, observes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the war in the Middle East.
The embassy of Iran in India on Wednesday shared a statement made by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, where he said that they (IAEA) did not have any proof that Iran is going to make nuclear weapons.
While the final military and intelligence assessment has yet to come, Trump has repeatedly claimed to have "completely and totally obliterated" Tehran's nuclear programme.
Global nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said there was no radiation leak or release from any nuclear facility in Pakistan during the country's recent military conflict with India.
India's nuclear energy share in total installed capacity remains limited, fluctuating between 1.9 per cent and 2.9 per cent from FY10 to FY24.
Newly declassified documents from the United States National Security Archive have revealed that Pakistan's nuclear proliferation was a significant concern for both the US and Russia, with leaders expressing 'nervous' fears about the country's atomic stability.
India and Russia are expected to unveil a major nuclear energy partnership during Vladimir Putin's visit, potentially involving Russian small modular reactors and expanded cooperation as India pushes toward its 100-GW nuclear goal by 2047.
A fire erupted in Russia's Kursk Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday after Ukraine launched a drone attack at one of Russia's biggest nuclear power plants, damaging a transformer and causing a fall in the output of one of its reactors by 50 per cent, Anadolu Agency reported, citing the plant's press service.
Following attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) has stated that the attacks are a violation of international law and that Iran's nuclear industry will continue its development.
'Within minutes, my mobile began ringing. It was National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, asking why the Iranians were complaining.' 'I explained that we had only restated our position in the light of the conclusion reached by the IAEA, but will remain helpful to Iran to reach a consensus.' 'Then came a call from Foreign Secretary Kamal Sibal, repeating what Mishra said about the Iranian complaint.' 'I was very impressed that Iran was able to reach two top officials in India to intervene at short notice,' recalls Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
In a statement released on Friday, the United Nations Atomic Watchdog said it is monitoring the situation very closely.
The US attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities has triggered fears of a wider regional conflict, with many leading countries and blocs calling for restraint.
China and Russia on Sunday strongly condemned the United States air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, with China calling it a serious violation of the United Nations Charter that heightens tensions in West Asia, and Russia terming the strikes 'irresponsible' and asserting that they grossly violate international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions.
The Israel-Iran conflict has entered a 'decisive phase' after the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear sites Sunday morning, feel strategic affairs experts with some of them arguing it was Washington, DC's 'responsibility' to not get involved in the military standoff.
In a high-risk military operation early Sunday, the United States launched coordinated airstrikes on three of Iran's most fortified nuclear sites -- Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan -- marking a decisive escalation in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
The BRICS nations condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, advocated for a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, and criticized rising tariffs during their summit in Rio de Janeiro. They also addressed global challenges and called for reforms in international institutions.
Trump has a major decision to take in coming days -- specifically, how to rescue Israel from the attritional war that lies ahead, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday questioned the safety of nuclear weapons in the hands of Pakistan, and said they should be taken under monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
At the end of the day, for many worldwide, the ongoing mutual attacks between Israel and Iran would seem a contest devoid of any moral high ground and only a bout between two ordinary adversaries, one that nevertheless risks spinning out of control into a larger conflagration, notes Shyam G Menon.
The Indian government has come out with a nice name for its tried and tested 220MW pressurised heavy water reactor -- Bharat Small Reactor.
'Bharat Small Reactors are essentially similar to the existing 220 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. The existing regulations are applicable for BSRs.'
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was taken over by Russian forces last month, has stopped transmitting data to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations atomic watchdog has said, expressing deep concern for the staff working under Russian troops at the nuclear site in northern Ukraine.
The landmark India-US civil nuclear deal of 2008, brokered during Manmohan Singh's tenure as Prime Minister, is seen as a crowning achievement in his foreign policy legacy. The agreement ended India's nuclear isolation, fostered a strategic partnership with the US, and opened doors to advanced technologies and defense cooperation. This historic deal also laid the groundwork for India's engagement with the global nuclear community.
'The very fact that his autobiography is called India Rising is a correct example of his wish for India to be a developed country and do as best as possible by science reaching to the common people.'
Putin also told his French counterpart that Kyiv does not comply with the agreements reached with Moscow on the evacuation of civilians from combat areas, the Kremlin said.
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