Live! Hormuz Strait closed only to ships from US, Israel, Europe, allies: Iran

Never before has Indian govt looked so timid, fearful: Congress

A day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast, the Congress on Thursday said it is shocking that there has been no response from the Modi government and claimed that never before has the Indian government looked so "timid and fearful".

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said maybe it should not be surprising since the Modi government has still not broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran.

In a significant escalation of the West Asia crisis, a US submarine on Wednesday torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast when it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.

In a post on X, Ramesh said the Indian Navy's flagship multilateral exercise, MILAN, was first held in 1995 and the 13th edition was held in Visakhapatnam from February 19 to February 25, 2026 with 18 warships from other countries, including the USA and Iran participating.

The exercise was inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Ramesh pointed out.

"This makes yesterday's sinking of the Iranian warship that took part in the Milan exercise by a US Navy submarine in the Indian Ocean some 40 nautical miles south of Galle in Sri Lanka all the more extraordinary. The Iranian warship was on its way back home," he said.

This US action has enormous implications for India as well and it is shocking that there has been no official response to it till now, Ramesh said.

"Maybe it should not be surprising since the Modi government has still not broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran. Never before has the Indian government looked so timid and fearful," the Congress leader said.

Iranian ayatollah calls for blood of Israelis, Trump amid US-Israel strikes

Iranian state television aired a message Thursday from an ayatollah in Iran calling for the “shedding” of blood from Israelis and US President Donald Trump. The message came from Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli and represented one of the few clerical statements coming from Iran as it faces a combined airstrike campaign from Israel and the United States.

“We are now on the verge of a great test and we must be careful to fully preserve this unity, to fully preserve this alliance,” he said in the statement. He called for “the shedding of Zionist blood, the shedding of Trump's blood.” “The Imam of the time says, Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,'” the ayatollah added. 

RS poll: AIADMK’s Thambidurai, PMK Anbumani file nominations

AIADMK sitting MP M Thambidurai and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday filed their nomination papers for the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha.

Senior parliamentarian Thambidurai was accompanied by party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and other senior leaders during the filing of the papers at the Secretariat here on the last day of filing the nominations for the biennial election on March 16.

Anbumani, a former union minister, was accompanied by AIADMK senior leaders, including K P Munusamy during the filing of nomination.

The PMK (Anbumani faction), which is part of the AIADMK-led alliance in the state, was allotted the seat by the AIADMK on March 4.

Both Thambidurai and Anbumani are set to become Rajya Sabha MPs based on the numerical strength of the AIADMK in the state Assembly.

Of the six seats from Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK can secure four based on its current strength in the Assembly, while the AIADMK can win two seats.

Flight services between Kolkata, Dubai resume partially

Flight services between Kolkata and Dubai resumed partially on Thursday, after a four-day suspension due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, officials said.

A flydubai aircraft from Dubai landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here at 2:40 am with 130 passengers on board, marking the first arrival from the Middle East after services were halted for over 113 hours, they said.

The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was scheduled to arrive at 12:25 am, Kolkata airport officials said. The same aircraft departed for Dubai at 3:59 am with 55 passengers, they said.

The last flight to depart for the Middle East from Kolkata before the suspension was an Emirates aircraft to Dubai on February 28, the officials said.

International services between Kolkata and cities such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were disrupted, after airlines temporarily suspended operations amid escalating tensions and airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East, due to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Iran says US struck its ship IRIS Dena, ‘guest of Indian Navy,’ without warning

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday levelled a grave allegation against the United States of America, claiming that Frigate Dena, 'a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning'. 

"The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India's Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set," Araghchi wrote in a post on X.

Middle East conflict intensifies as Iran, Israel exchange strikes; US conducts missile test

The Middle East military conflict expanded further as tensions between Israel and the US on one side and Iran on the other escalated over the past several hours. Iran launched multiple missile strikes targeting Israel, while Israel reportedly carried out attacks on Iranian internal security units, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij forces. Preparations were reportedly underway in Tehran related to the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Meanwhile, the US tested a Minuteman III missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, and the Pentagon confirmed the deaths of two American soldiers in Kuwait. A tanker explosion off Kuwait led to an oil spill, and Qatar evacuated residents living near the US Embassy in Doha as a precaution.

Nitish Kumar to decide on Rajya Sabha nomination, says Lalan Singh

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh said that the decision to file nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls would be taken solely by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, emphasizing that it was Kumar’s choice and highlighting his transformative work in the state.

Rupee rebounds from all-time low, gains 48 paise to 91.57 against US dollar in early trade

Rupee recovered from its lowest level and gained 48 paise to trade at 91.57 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, tracking positive momentum in domestic equity markets.

However, higher crude oil prices, a strengthening American currency and intense selling of Indian equities by foreign investors amid escalating tension in the Middle East kept the local unit under pressure, forex analysts said.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 92.16 and touched a high of 91.30 before trading at 91.57 against the American currency, registering a gain of 48 paise from its previous closing level.

The Indian currency slumped 56 paise to close at its all-time low of 92.05 against US dollar on Wednesday, after logging a steep loss of 41 paise on Monday. The forex market was closed on Tuesday on account of Holi.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.20 per cent higher at 98.93.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was up 2.78 per cent at 83.66 per barrel in futures trade, after escalating threats of disruptions in the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

The military conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran continued on Thursday as Iranian missiles hit Israel after an American submarine sank an Iranian warship on Wednesday.

Sensex jumps over 400 points, Nifty crosses 24,600 as easing war fears lift markets

Indian stock markets opened in the green on Thursday, with the Sensex rising more than 400 points and the Nifty rising over the 24,600-mark, as expectations of possible de-escalations in the war between Iran and Israel-US boosted investor sentiment, among other key factors. This came after stock markets saw massive selloff in the previous sessions, driven by geopolitical tensions. 

Sensex opened 414 points higher at 79,530, while the Nifty 50 rose around 150 points at 24,615.95. Today’s gains added Rs 3.9 lakh crore to the total market capitalisation of all companies listed on BSE.

Canada, Australia leaders urge war de-escalation, but agree Iran can't get nuclear weapons

The Canadian and Australian prime ministers on Thursday called for a de-escalation of the Iran war but added the Iranians must never gain a nuclear weapon.

Canada's Mark Carney and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese discussed the war during their meeting in Australia's capital, Canberra.

The meeting came after news that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and Turkiye said NATO defences intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkiye's airspace.

“We want to see a broader de-escalation of these hostilities with a broader group of countries than just the direct belligerents involved,” Carney said at a press conference with Albanese.

“We stress that that cannot be achieved unless we're in a position that Iran's ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, develop a nuclear weapon, and to export terrorism, is ended. So that process must lead to those outcomes,” Carney added.

He said the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which were “showing tremendous restraint,” should become involved in the de-escalation process.