Iran has extended an invitation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other party leaders, including Salman Khurshid and Pawan Khera, to attend the burial ceremonies of its late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The ceremonies are scheduled from July 5 to 9 across various Iranian cities. India will also be represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Ata Hasnain.
US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said that he has "left instructions" to launch a massive military action against Iran, if Tehran succeeds in the plan of assassinating him, while stressing that the country would be bombed "at levels they have never seen before", New York Post reported.
The Indian prime minister has been invited by President Pezeshkian to the burial ceremonies, the diplomatic sources said.
A high-level Indian delegation, including Bihar Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, paid tributes to the assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, conveying India's condolences.
Pakistan and Qatar have successfully mediated separate meetings between US and Iranian negotiators in Doha, reporting positive progress on a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at West Asian peace. Further discussions are planned after the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The latest development comes as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran continue despite renewed hostilities. CNN reported that US and Iranian officials are still working towards a nuclear agreement by mid-August, even as preparations for possible military action have continued in parallel.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched missile and drone strikes on four US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. This action is in retaliation for recent American strikes against targets in Iran, which the IRGC condemned as a "violation of commitments" and an "anti-civilian act." The IRGC has warned of an expanded "crushing response" if US aggression continues.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Washington has the capability to liquidate the surviving Iranian leadership with "one shot" if it desired, pointing to the congregation of top Iranian officials attending the week-long state funeral for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life in joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28.
Pakistan capital Islamabad is emerging as the leading venue for the next round of technical negotiations between the US and Iran, a media report said Sunday.
Iranian officials allege a US airstrike on Mashhad airport damaged a Mahan Air plane set to collect vital medical aid from India.
In the central Iranian city of Isfahan, residents gathered at Imam Square to protest the strikes and to mourn what state media termed the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei. Demonstrators raised slogans including "God is great" as the airstrikes continued.
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has been chosen to assume control of the country.
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.
Baghaei also alleged that recent unrest in Iran was fuelled by foreign interference, claiming riots were triggered by "very evident" interventionist remarks by US and Israeli officials.
India on Monday evacuated 290 Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan citizen from Iran amid an escalation in hostilities between the Persian Gulf nation and Israel following the United States bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites.
Another special flight carrying 296 Indian nationals and four Nepalese nationals stranded in conflict-hit Iran landed safely in New Delhi on Wednesday, taking the total number of people evacuated under Operation Sindhu to 3,154.
With few exceptions, female fans have been banned from sports events in the Islamic republic since the 1979 revolution and FIFA faced calls for the men's team to be banned from the 2022 World Cup over the issue.
India on Tuesday evacuated over 1,100 citizens from Iran and Israel amid ongoing tensions between the two countries, taking the number of evacuees under Operation Sindhu to 3,170.
One Iranian woman, who is the wife of an Indian national has also been evacuated, he added.
165 Indian nationals were evacuated from Israel by the Indian Air Force under Operation Sindhu in an effort to get citizens back home safe amid the Israel-Iran conflict.
'Iranians admire Indian cinema and often mention Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan when you meet them.'
Mohammad Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, said more evacuation flights could be operated in the coming days to bring back Indians if required.
An Iranian passenger plane burst into flames and skidded off the runway as it was landing in a northeastern city of Mashhad, killing 17 people, said the state news agency.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly women, took to the streets following the death of Mahsa Amini -- a Kurd native, chanting anti-government slogans that target the core of the Islamic regime and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Biden administration should expect continuity in Iran's policies under Raisi. This may not necessarily mean that strengthening of ties with the West will be Raisi's top priority, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Second seed Krishnan Sasikiran was held to a draw by Oliver Barbosa of the Philippines in the first round of the ongoing Asian Individual Chess Championship in Mashhad, Iran. Fresh from his exploits in the Dubai International Open, where he finished second, Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi scored a thumping victory over Lou Yiping of China to start on a positive note.
Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi chalked out an easy victory over fellow Indian Abhijeet Kunte to maintain a clean slate after the second round of the Asian Individual Chess Championship in Mashhad, Iran.
A beautiful documentary from Delhi. A shocking satire that spares no one. A thriller about a serial killer in Iran. A Pakistan film about family secrets... Aseem Chhabra lists the best films he saw in Cannes.
Images and a round-up of all the World Cup qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
In the Middle East, which is already coping with the Qatar-Saudi Arabia tensions, comes another pressure point.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday came under attack globally a day after it carried out mass execution of 47 people, including Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr who was a vocal critic of the government and the Saudi monarchy.
Saudi Arabia has severed diplomatic ties with Iran following attacks on the kingdom's embassy and consulate in the Islamic Republic over the execution of a Shiite cleric.
