The United States has ordered the withdrawal of non-emergency staff from its consulates in Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan, citing security concerns amid regional tensions and protests.
According to the Pentagon, the vessels were targeted as part of efforts to prevent the deployment of naval mines in the strategically vital passage through which a significant portion of global crude oil shipments transits.
The Lebanese army has begun evacuating some of its forward positions along the border with Israel and redeploying troops to other posts, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported on Tuesday, amid intensified Israeli military activity in the area.
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.
India expresses concern over the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, condemning violence and calling for justice. They also address the return of a BNP leader and reiterate support for free and fair elections.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered to host talks between the US and Iran to help resolve the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, following reports of Pakistan's involvement in backchannel diplomacy.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy and his remarks referencing the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the West Asia situation.
Even as the benchmark and broader indices were down sharply on Monday due to escalating tensions in West Asia, the Nifty Defence index ended the session in the green.
The military command clarified in a statement published on X that the aircraft were engaged in error during active combat operations on Sunday.
'We are getting used to the constant alerts to take shelter, listening to sonic booms from jets flying above us, hearing news of neighbouring ports being targeted, and being the only ship in the terminal.'
The US Embassy acknowledged the attack in a post on X, urging Americans to avoid the facility 'until further notice' and announcing that all appointments had been cancelled.
A United States missile strike has reportedly hit an educational facility in Khomeyn in central Iran, according to a report by Al Jazeera citing Iran's Mehr news agency. The site was identified as the Dr Hafez Khomeyni School.
'The next two to three weeks will not be decided in Washington.' 'They will be decided in Tehran, in whatever calculation Iran makes about the costs of continued resistance against the costs of appearing to have yielded.'
Amid rising tensions in West Asia following a series of strikes and counter-strikes, the United States Embassy in Muscat on Tuesday instructed its staff to shelter in place.
Quoting assembly of experts member Mirbaqeri, the report stated that while a "majority consensus over Khamenei's successor has been reached," the transition process is not yet fully complete as "some obstacles regarding the process need to be resolved."
This weekend, Donald Trump has begun to say the quiet part out loud -- that he wants to take control of Iran's oil, a formulation more in line with his robber-baron style of international relations.
Days after Russia alleged that Ukraine targeted President Vladimir Putin's official residence in a drone attack, Russian authorities on Thursday said they had shared what they described as evidence related to the incident with the United States, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Iranian embassy also posted a video purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike, with plumes of smoke visible.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged its citizens to immediately depart from several Middle Eastern countries, citing "serious safety risks."
In the letter issued, considering the last night attacks by Pakistani forces in Jammu and Jaisalmer regions, the provision also authorises the use of local authority funds for such emergency measures, giving them precedence over other financial obligations.
Trump may strike. He may announce productive talks and extend again. He may do both at the same time. Iran will not open the Strait on someone else's terms, so no matter what happens, that problem will remain unsolved. And the IRGC will still be collecting its $2 million toll from every ship bold enough to ask permission to pass.
The vessel sank on March 4, 2026, approximately 20 nautical miles west of Galle, after reportedly being struck by a torpedo from a United States submarine.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the Rajya Sabha on India's position regarding the escalating conflict in West Asia, emphasising the need for peace, dialogue, and the safety of civilians, while also prioritising India's energy security and trade interests.
'Was the five-day pause ever meant to hold, or was it simply another instrument of signaling, of positioning, of buying time in a war where even the pauses are tactical?' asks Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
A Delhi court sentenced four men to life imprisonment for the 2017 murder of a 17-year-old boy in Kirti Nagar, West Delhi, finding they acted with common intention.
The pause gives the US time to breathe, to regroup, to move its expeditionary force into position without risk of interception along the way. It gives Iran nothing -- on the ground, attacks against its infrastructure continue apace. Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been actively involved in mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran following the outbreak of war, ensuring the safety of Pakistani citizens in affected regions.
A devastating airstrike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre has killed hundreds, escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan and prompting international calls for de-escalation and investigation.
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
'The White House lunch that Trump hosted for Munir last year came just after Munir returned from a visit to Iran, at a moment when Israel and Iran were at war.' 'Trump said after that lunch that the Pakistanis know Iran very well. He likely views Munir as a useful interlocutor that can give helpful insights on Iran.'
'Torpedoes travel at more than 100 kilometres per hour, about 50-60 knots.' 'It must have been a matter of a few minutes before it detonated under the Iranian ship.' 'The Iranian ship would have probably got three, four minutes and wouldn't have known till they actually heard the whirr of the torpedo.'
During this Ramzan, another religious practice was turned into an offence: Breaking the fast, or iftar.
With the Iran war escalating sharply and crisis deepening in the global energy market, India on Monday unveiled a coordinated plan to support exporters and shippers caught in the fallout.
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.
The escalating conflict in West Asia widened on Monday as Israel launched airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, following projectile fire from Lebanese territory into northern Israel. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said in a series of posts on X that it carried out targeted strikes against senior members of Hezbollah in the Beirut area in response to the projectile fire launched toward Israel, particularly toward the north of the country.
Amid escalating tensions with Iran, President Trump is urging nations dependent on Middle Eastern oil to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard critical global energy supplies.
Government officials are reportedly apprehensive that the 30,000 to 40,000 US troops currently deployed within the region could serve as the primary target of the Islamic Republic in the event of an all-out war.
Tensions escalate at the UN Security Council as the US and Israel defend their military actions against Iran, while Iran condemns the strikes as war crimes, raising fears of a wider Middle East conflict.
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.
'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.'
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