Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the escalating conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, particularly regarding the alleged assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader. Gandhi emphasised the need for India to uphold international law and advocate for peaceful resolution.
Amidst rising Middle East tensions, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlights India's strategic dialogue with Iran to safeguard maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring India's energy security and continued oil trade.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed for calm amid widespread protests following reports of the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Gold prices experienced a significant decline in futures trading due to uncertainty surrounding geopolitical tensions in West Asia and conflicting statements regarding the conflict. Investors are also awaiting key macroeconomic data for further direction on interest rate cuts.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled in early trade on Wednesday, tracking a bearish trend in Asian markets, as the conflict in West Asia widened, driving oil prices higher.
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.
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.
The official statement highlighted that these "blatant Iranian attacks" have also targeted members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and several other Arab and Islamic nations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump discussed the Middle East crisis, with a focus on the Strait of Hormuz.
For weeks, the war skirted the edge of catastrophe without tipping over. Missiles flew, there was much destruction, commanders were assassinated, cities across the Gulf and even in Israel struggled to absorb the shock. But one line held: Energy infrastructure, the arteries of the global economy, remained largely untouched. That is no longer true. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
An Indian national has been killed in Kuwait following Iranian strikes on a power and water desalination plant, bringing the total number of Indian fatalities in the West Asia conflict to eight.
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah has voiced his concern over the escalating violence in West Asia, urging all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions and protect civilian lives.
'Moments like this remind us how fragile life really is.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged its citizens to immediately depart from several Middle Eastern countries, citing "serious safety risks."
Two drones struck areas surrounding Dubai International Airport on Wednesday amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, injuring four people including an Indian national, though authorities said there were no fatalities and flight operations continued normally.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the West Asia conflict's impact on the global economy, particularly energy security, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He also engaged with GCC ambassadors and his Sri Lankan and German counterparts on the same issue.
'The entire US ecosystem built over decades at the bases in the Gulf region, especially the UAE, costing trillions of dollars have been decimated, dealing a mortal blow to the US Central Command's war capability,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
It may now be time to question the price India is paying for Israel's disregard of the serious undermining of India's energy security, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
Indian investors have seen their wealth erode by a staggering Rs 48.29 lakh crore since the West Asia war began on February 28, leading to a significant downturn in the BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty, driven by geopolitical tensions and rising crude oil prices.
Specifically, military experts are assessing if the 'Octopus' interceptor anti-drone system, produced in the UK to support Ukraine in countering Russian threats, could be repurposed to strengthen British protections against Iran's Shahed drones.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the country believes that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solutions to resolving disputes and that the continued escalation of the conflict serves no one's interests.
Trump's remarks came a day after the US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting three of Iran's key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Precious metal prices, particularly gold and silver, experienced a significant surge in the national capital as investors sought safe-haven assets amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
'...especially pressure on the rupee, the current account deficit, and foreign exchange outflows.' 'The key question over the next several months is whether the government can prevent external turbulence from feeding into domestic economic pessimism.'
Qatar, India's largest supplier of imported natural gas, has declared force majeure on deliveries following a halt in production in the wake of an Iranian drone strike -- a disruption that has led to a cut in supplies to Indian industry by up to 40 per cent, sources said.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has affirmed that the United States and his administration have achieved nearly total dominance over Iranian airspace following a series of coordinated military strikes.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict in West Asia, offering to host talks between the US and Iran and engaging with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, the UK, China, and the European Union.
Yash's Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups has been postponed to June 4, due to the escalating Middle East conflict.
The embassy of Iran in India on Wednesday shared a statement made by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, where he said that they (IAEA) did not have any proof that Iran is going to make nuclear weapons.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
AI reduces the time taken to find a target and launch a strike. This has led to a major increase in the pace of the conflict, with one report mentioning nearly 900 strikes launched on Iranian targets in the first 12 hours of an operation.
The US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran early Sunday, with President Donald Trump warning of additional strikes if Iran retaliates.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran is progressing successfully, highlighting Israel's strengthened position and hinting at new regional alliances.
Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women's football delegation slip their minders to claim asylum, but one has changed her mind and decided to go back to Iran.
West Asia conflict triggers sharp sell-off in Indian markets, with realty, banking and auto stocks leading losses amid energy shock fears.
World No. 4 Coco Gauff expresses concern over civilian casualties amid the Iran conflict, as the crisis disrupts tennis events in the Middle East and strands players in Dubai.
Protests erupted in Kashmir following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leading to restrictions on movement and mobile internet speeds.
Pakistan's Punjab government has announced the reopening of all public and private educational institutions after implementing fuel-saving measures due to the conflict in West Asia. The decision comes as fuel supply stabilises and the government secures national fuel stocks.
When missiles fly in this region, they are never just aimed at military targets.
