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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is the first payment Indian refiners have made to Iran since February.
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.
Trump called on Iran to "work together" to eliminate the Islamic State, saying the killing of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was "good" for Iran.
'If the missing people really had any contact with IS, it would be dangerous.' 'Majority of Muslims do not approve of this.'
On the 30-share index, Maruti was the biggest loser, shedding 3.60 per cent. Other major laggards were Yes Bank, IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, Hero MotoCorp and NTPC -- ending up to 2.33 per cent lower.
'I would urge my Indian friends to look at how significant the overall support was.'
Israel has told the US to keep a military strike option open to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a suggestion rejected by Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the suggestion reportedly to the US Vice President Joe Biden during talks in New Orleans on Sunday.
In the wake of tumultuous political events in Egypt, which brought about the downfall of embattled president Hosni Mubarak, United States has said that Iran should not restrict its people from the freedom of expression and assembly.
The 59-year-old diplomat was among the longest-serving spokespersons of the MEA. He had held the post between 2002 and 2008.
'Does the country risk being enclosed in a geographical cocoon if it spurns a multi-continent project for which everyone else has signed up,' asks T N Ninan.
Making a statement on the situation after cases of coronavirus surfaced, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the government is taking all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Rigi, whose Sunni Baloch group Jundallah (soldiers of God) is closely linked to Taliban and active in Iran's Sistan-Balochistan province bordering Pakistan, was charged with 79 counts of various crimes.
All Indian nationals on board a ship taken hostage by Somali pirates are safe and negotiation for an early release of the crew is on, Foreign minister S M Krishna told Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Friday, allaying concerns about the safety of the people from the state.
The suspension of gmail comes as Iranian authorities have deployed force across Tehran to conduct last-minute security sweeps and warn residents to refrain from joining anti-government protests planned for Thursday, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Fox News reports.
Noting that the international community is united around Iran's misbehaviour, United States President Barack Obama has said it will be worth watching how China operates at the United Nations Security Council where his administration is likely to propose additional sanctions against Tehran.
In the rapidly changing world structure, Iran and India must stay together and should not neglect the present opportunities to replace the 'dying' big powers, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told visiting External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Tuesday. Krishna, who was in Tehran representing India at the meeting of the G-15 developing nations, met Ahmadinejad. The Iranian president highlighted the need for the two nations to work together on regional issues.
The Group of Fifteen (G-15) developing countries, including India, have called for effective supervision of major financial centres and institutions to prevent repeat of recent global economic crisis which they said had adversely impacted the developing nations.
India on Monday sought comprehensive reform of international financial institutions to enable enhanced capital flows and infrastructure investment in developing markets, which it said will strengthen recovery from the worst global economic crisis since 1945.
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