India is navigating a complex diplomatic landscape, attempting to balance its 'forever honeymoon' with the Israel-UAE-Bahrain axis against its historical ties with Iran, as evidenced by recent high-level visits and evolving geopolitical realignments in the Middle East, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
China has denied reports of finalising a deal with Iran to sell CM-302 supersonic anti-ship missiles, amidst rising tensions in the Middle East and joint US-Israeli airstrikes.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that the Israeli strikes on Lebanon's capital of Beirut "should not have happened", warning that such escalation could jeopardise the peace agreement with Iran to achieve a complete solution to the West Asia conflict, which, according to him, is within reach.
Indian Navy's destroyer INS Kochi responded following the attack on the vessel, MV Andromeda Star, on April 26, officials said, adding all the crew members are safe.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the deaths of three Indian seafarers in US military strikes on commercial vessels, calling Modi a 'compromised PM' who lacks the courage to confront those responsible.
An oil tanker carrying 24 Indian seafarers reported a fire off the coast of Oman, with all crew members confirmed safe. The incident occurred amidst renewed hostilities between Israel and Iran, who exchanged attacks on petrochemical facilities.
India has strongly protested a US military strike on the commercial vessel Settebello off the Oman coast, which left three of the 24 Indian crew members missing. The US Central Command stated it disabled the Palau-flagged vessel for violating a blockade of Iranian ports.
'The flip side of this is that he won't hesitate to call out India if he thinks its policies are hurting US economic interests or border US foreign policy goals.'
While the Andaman and Nicobar islands serve as a vital, stationary asset for projecting power in the Indian Ocean, referring to them as an unsinkable aircraft carrier ignores key military and geopolitical limitations, explains Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
The SCALP missiles were launched by the Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jets along with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to take out the terrorist headquarters in Muridke and Bahawalpur districts of Pakistan.
Residents across the Gulf region, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, experienced fear and disruption following attacks, leading to flight suspensions and heightened security measures.
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.
Glimpses from Tel Aviv, Central Israel and Haifa after Iranian missiles rained on Israeli cities, June 15 and June 16, 2025.
The modern war is about quality over quantity, points out Mihir S Sharma.
The United States has paused a proposed USD 14 billion arms sale to Taiwan due to concerns about maintaining sufficient munitions for potential conflicts, particularly in light of the ongoing situation with Iran.
Barclays Global Service Centre India MD & CEO Praveen Kumar has urged Indian banks to modernise their technology architecture and build AI-based defence systems to counter emerging cyber threats posed by AI tools.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that the Israeli military will not withdraw from its security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, directly opposing the newly announced American-led diplomatic framework with Tehran. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir further asserted Israel's sovereignty, stating, "Trump's agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!"
Falling debris from an intercepted Iranian drone caused a 'limited fire' at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura refining facility in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Defence Ministry spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said, according to Al Arabiya.
US President Donald Trump maintains that the ceasefire with Iran is still in effect despite recent military engagements near the Strait of Hormuz. He also commented on a recent clash where US forces responded to Iranian attacks on US Navy destroyers.
The claycourts of Roland Garros were transformed into a complex geopolitical chessboard on Tuesday as they produced a French Open semi-final lineup featuring a number of emotionally charged matches in the shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine.
An Indian national has been killed in Kuwait following Iranian strikes on a power and water desalination plant. The Indian Embassy is providing assistance and coordinating with Kuwaiti authorities.
The launch highlights the growing maturity of India's nuclear medicine ecosystem.
The fragile ceasefire in West Asia between the US and Iran to halt the hostilities in the region for two weeks faces renewed uncertainty as Tehran reportedly moved to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz once again due to Israel's intensified offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to Iranian state media Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which US President Trump says was "not included" as part of the ceasefire deal.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said it struck several targets in Tehran, Shiraz and Ahvaz simultaneously over the past 24 hours, targeting sites linked to Iran's ballistic missile programme, air defence systems and military headquarters.
The United States is facing growing discontent from its Gulf allies after several countries in the region complained that they were not given advance notice of the US-Israel strike on Iran that triggered widespread retaliatory attacks, according to media reports.
Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, threatening massive retaliation if it attacks Qatar again, following reports of an Israeli strike on Iran's South Pars gas field and an attack on Qatar's LNG facilities.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for strikes on an American base, alleging it was in response to earlier aerial attacks near Bandar Abbas Airport. The incident follows reports of confrontations between Iranian and US forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian embassy also posted a video purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike, with plumes of smoke visible.
On Saturday, it was reported that a drone strike had targeted the Fujairah Port in the UAE, triggering a fire.
Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under a large-scale missile and drone attack overnight on December 27, with multiple explosions reported across the city and surrounding regions, one day ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as diplomatic efforts continue to end the four-year-long war.
Indian missions in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and other Gulf countries have issued advisories urging Indian citizens to exercise caution and follow local safety guidelines amid rising regional tensions.
A US military Apache attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, with its crew successfully rescued, as US President Donald Trump confidently declared an imminent 'total victory' over Iran within two weeks and a new nuclear deal, despite ongoing regional volatility and a recent de-escalation between Iran and Israel.
Reports indicate Pakistan targeted Bagram airbase in Afghanistan as part of Operation Ghazab lil Haq, following alleged Afghan Taliban attacks. The operation aims to address the failure to stop terrorist attacks originating from Afghan soil.
The United Arab Emirates intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones, resulting in casualties and damage to infrastructure, including the Dubai airport and Burj Al Arab.
Iran's representative in India, Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi, describes the ongoing tensions between Iran and the US-Israel alliance as a state of 'no war, no peace,' calling for an immediate halt to the conflict and questioning the lack of pressure on the US and Israel to cease aggression.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US consulate in Dubai were reportedly targeted by suspected Iranian drone attacks amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Rao, who works in the housekeeping section at the airport, informed his parents that he and several others escaped with minor injuries.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said that the United States has not ruled out the option of sending troops on the ground in Iran and that military operations in the Persian Gulf nation would end once the objectives of Operation Epic Fury are achieved.
Occasionally, the silence of the night shift would be shattered by an ear-splitting alarm: 'ALERT, ALERT... This is a security warning.' We were drilled to move away from the windows and avoid the lifts, recalls Krishna Kumar NP, a veteran Dubai-based journalist.
'We caught General Pervez Musharraf talking over the phone with his Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Mohammad Aziz. Musharraf was visiting China; Aziz was in Rawalpindi.'
