Indian benchmark equity indices, the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, experienced a significant drop in early trade due to elevated oil prices, weak global market trends, and renewed fears of military operations in the Middle East following US President Donald Trump's statements regarding Iran. Track Sensex, Nifty on May 20.
Dozens of US planes carrying ammunition landed in Tel Aviv, raising concerns about potential strikes on Iran. Negotiations between the US and Iran remain deadlocked over key issues, with both sides issuing fresh demands and warnings.
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.
Donald Trump shared a video on Truth Social purportedly showing explosions in Isfahan, Iran, following reports of attacks in Tehran. The authenticity of the video is unverified, but reports suggest a joint US-Israeli strike on an ammunition depot.
US Vice President J D Vance stated that while progress was made during peace talks in Islamabad, it is now up to Iran to further the discussions and address US concerns regarding its nuclear ambitions.
US President Donald Trump concluded his Beijing summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing it as 'incredible' and highlighting 'fantastic trade deals' and a 'very strong' relationship between the two leaders.
US President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that his administration has received a proposal from Iran aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in West Asia, but described the offer as insufficient.
'As result, Netanyahu 'convinced' Trump to go to war with the help of overoptimistic Israeli intelligence assessments, essentially explaining to him that they only need to bomb Iran for 3-4 days, and the regime would then collapse.' 'Rather unsurprisingly, Netanyahu is ever since blaming his own intel service for the entire operation failing.'
'Iran cannot trust the USA because it considers the USA to be Israel-controlled. And no, the IRGC is not going to accept anything else but major US concessions.'
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Israel launched airstrikes early Friday targeting key nuclear facilities in and around Iran's capital Tehran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that Iran is no longer capable of enriching uranium or producing ballistic missiles, following a joint military campaign with the US.
The embassy also said that the exit must be undertaken in coordination with the mission.
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.
Is the current rally telegraphing a durable peace plan in West Asia, boosted by United States (US) President Donald Trump's incoherent and contradictory posts on social media?
The operator's liability in the case of an incident is limited to 3,000 crore for reactors with thermal power above 3,600 Megawatt; 1,500 crore for reactors with thermal power between 1,500 Mw and 3,600 Mw; 750 crore for reactors with thermal power between 750 Mw and 1,500 Mw; 300 crore for reactors with thermal power between 150 Mw and 750 Mw; and 100 crore for reactors having thermal power up to 150 Mw, fuel cycle facilities other than spent fuel reprocessing plants and transportation of nuclear materials.
US Vice President J D Vance is expected to travel to Islamabad for peace talks with Iran to end the seven-week war, amid a fragile ceasefire and ongoing tensions.
The Indian government has introduced a bill to overhaul the civil nuclear sector, allowing private participation and establishing a new liability regime. The SHANTI Bill, 2025, aims to repeal existing acts and address industry concerns.
The question is whether the clocks allow enough time for two deeply mistrustful sides to get there, and whether the surface calm holds long enough for the paddling to produce something before the ceasefire ends on April 22, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
The intriguing bit is that Trump is likely to attend the talks in Islamabad this weekend -- if he does, it will be the clearest signal yet that the US is ready to exit the war with some sort of win to show, since he cannot afford to go for the talks and return empty-handed, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War
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.
Hours after ceasefire, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned against any country supplying military weapons to the Islamic Republic, stating that he would impose a 50 percent tariff on all goods exported to the United States.
Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, expressed doubts about the United States' intentions regarding negotiations, citing conflicting actions and a desire to force Iran into accepting US demands.
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.
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.
US President Donald Trump warned that the United States is prepared to launch a military strike on Iran if peace negotiations in Islamabad fail, while Vice President JD Vance departed for talks in Pakistan.
The ceasefire is still technically holding, to the extent that no overt hostilities have been reported yet, but the rhetoric has hardened dangerously. The week ahead will also clarify whether the Islamabad failure was a negotiating tactic or whether Washington has genuinely locked itself into a position from which the only exits are climb-down, escalation, or the slow bleed of a new status quo that nobody chose and nobody controls. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
A spokesperson for the Central Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said that Iran's armed forces are prepared to intensify their response if aggression continues.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
The US President clarified that these negotiations do not involve the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
After his remarks at the White House. Trump, in his Truth Social pos,t warned that any retaliation from Iran would be met with "force far greater than what was witnessed tonight."
The clock on the ceasefire is running out. But everyone's already whispering about round two, possibly as soon as this weekend.
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, special envoy, foreign ministry of Israel, has asserted that the situation has effectively been a "multi-front regional conflict" since its inception, while claiming significant military and strategic gains against adversarial forces.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel and the US struck Iran because Tehran had restarted its nuclear programme and it would have gone 'immune within months'. He claimed Iran was building new underground sites to shield its missile and nuclear programmes from attacks.
The US Navy seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, escalating tensions as ceasefire talks face uncertainty. The incident raises concerns about the fragile ceasefire and the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
Although extensive air attacks have been carried out to destroy most of Iran's defence capabilities, the latter's resilience and sustenance during the war clearly indicate that the US landing force would encounter severe resistance in the operation, explains Commodore Venugopal Vengalil (retd).
The US blockade on Iranian ports is aimed to curb Iranian energy exports, thereby crippling its economy to force Iran back to the negotiating table, points out Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
'What we have yet to see on either the US or the Iranian side is willingness to compromise on their ultimate demands and the flexibility to reach an agreement to end the war.
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.
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.
