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✍️ Written by Saket Suman The U.S.–Israel war on Iran entered a sixth day with the conflict widening across three key theatres at once : intensifying strikes in and around Iran and Lebanon , expanding maritime risk from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean , and triggering sharper political fractures inside Western capitals and across the Global South as governments debate whether this is a limited campaign or the opening stage of a longer regional remap. RAF F-35B Lightnings and Typhoons, supported by Voyager refuelling aircraft are in Middle East; Via: UKdefUS India shifts from calibrated caution to formal state signalling A major India-centric development was New Delhi’s first formal condolence move following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening phase of the war. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, while Foreign Se...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman At a time when the war between the United States, Israel and Iran has been going on for well over its fifth day, the conflict’s impact has widened dramatically beyond the battlefield, and triggered internet blackouts inside Iran, collapsed shipping through one of the world’s most critical oil corridors, paralysed air traffic across the Gulf and, most significantly, prompted some sharply divided responses from global leaders. Representational Image; U.S. Marines with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit fast rope off of an MH-60S Knighthawk aboard USS Tripoli; Via: 7thFleet  For India, the widening conflict is no longer a distant geopolitical confrontation but a crisis unfolding uncomfortably close to home. The sinking of an Iranian warship IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean just today, after it had participated in a naval exercise in Visakhapatnam, has revealed how the war has already reached waters central to In...

India on Wednesday activated additional emergency coordination mechanisms as the West Asia war intensified, with the Ministry of External Affairs establishing a dedicated control room in New Delhi, maritime authorities creating a rapid-response support team for seafarers, and security restrictions tightening in parts of Kashmir following protests linked to the conflict. File/Representational Photo of senior MEA officials and Indian Ambassadors; Via: EAM Jaishankar In a statement issued March 4, the Ministry of External Affairs said the special control room has been set up to assist Indian nationals affected by the deteriorating security situation across Iran, Israel and the Gulf region.  The facility will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., providing direct contact lines for citizens seeking information, assistance or evacuation guidance as hostilities expand across multiple countries. The government also released emergency contact numbers for Indian embassies and missions ac...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman India’s political divide over the US–Israel–Iran war has sharpened as the Congress and Left parties have accused the Modi government of “silence” and “moral cowardice” over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , while the government has simultaneously expanded high-level outreach to Gulf leaders , activated trade and energy contingency mechanisms , and reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable path to restore regional stability. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, in an opinion piece in a mainstream daily, argued that New Delhi’s lack of a clear response to the assassination of Khamenei amounted to an “abdication” rather than neutrality and risked normalising targeted killings as instruments of statecraft.  File Photo; Via: LoP Raga She framed the killing of a sitting leader during a diplomatic process as a rupture in contemporary international relations and...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman India on Tuesday intensified its diplomatic outreach and economic preparedness measures as the West Asia conflict widened, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to leaders of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar, the External Affairs Minister engaging European counterparts, and key ministries reviewing trade, defence and energy contingencies. File Photo: PM NaMo The outreach followed the Ministry of External Affairs statement earlier in the day reiterating India’s concern over the deteriorating situation across Iran and the Gulf, the safety of nearly one crore Indian nationals in the region, and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to restore stability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman and condemned what he described as the violation of Oman’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said both sides agreed that sustained diplomatic engagement was essential for the earliest restorat...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman When a youth delegation from Darjeeling met Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan at Uprashtrapati Bhavan on February 24, 2026, the exchange was framed in the language of aspiration and identity. Welcoming what he described as “vibrant young minds from a region known for its natural beauty, rich culture and significant contribution to the nation,” the Vice President said India’s demographic strength is among its “greatest assets” and that the vision of “Viksit Bharat” and “AatmaNirbhar Bharat” calls upon young citizens to contribute with “innovation, integrity and enterprise.”  Members of Darjeeling Youth Delegation at Uprashtrapati Bhavan today; Via: VP India He urged them to remain rooted in their heritage while embracing development, noting that self-reliance reflects “confidence in our abilities and pride in our heritage.” The interaction, attended by Rajya Sabha member Harsh Vardhan Shringla, touched on outmigratio...

India’s Budget Session entered a fresh day of disruption on Monday, February 9, 2026, with the Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid a continuing confrontation between the government and the Opposition over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ’s insistence that he be allowed to speak before the general discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 begins.  The stand-off unfolded as Parliament was scheduled to start its first full round of debate on the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, even as the Rajya Sabha proceeded with a day-long discussion on budget priorities, fiscal policy and competing claims about growth, jobs and the distribution of central resources among States. File Photo of LoP RaGa; Via: Bharat Jodo on X The Lok Sabha opened with Speaker Om Birla congratulating India’s Under-19 men’s cricket team for its World Cup victory before Question Hour began, but proceedings were quickly interrupted by Opposition sloganeering demanding that Rahul G...

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were once again adjourned for the day within seconds of the House assembling on Wednesday evening for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s expected reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.  This unfolded in the wake of the renewed opposition protests that triggered chaos in the chamber and forced the cancellation of his speech. Representational Image of PM NaMo; Source: NationPress The House had reconvened at around 5 pm amid indications that the Prime Minister would address members, but disorder broke out immediately as Congress MPs entered the Well and aisles of the Lok Sabha. They were seen raising slogans against the suspension of eight Opposition members during the ongoing Budget Session of the Indian Parliament .  Several women MPs from the Opposition blocked access to the treasury benches, including the Prime Minister’s seat, and displayed a large banner reading “Do what is right.”  With the disruption escal...

The Budget Session of India’s Parliament descended into repeated disruptions on Monday after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from the unpublished memoir of former Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. This triggered sharp objections from the treasury benches and forced multiple adjournments before the House was suspended for the day. Rahul Gandhi ups the ante on national security; via: Shaandelhite The confrontation unfolded when Rahul Gandhi rose to respond to remarks made earlier by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who had criticised the Congress party’s record on nationalism .  Rahul Gandhi said he wished to counter those allegations by referring to passages concerning India’s military standoff with China , which he attributed to Naravane’s memoir, titled Four Stars of Destiny , and to a magazine article that had cited the unpublished book.  Highlights of Speech 02 Feb, 2026 S...