A good news from Iran in the midst of escalation in fighting with Israel. Iran opened its airspace, in a special gesture, allowing evacuation of nearly 1,000 Indians in three special flights.
On Friday night, a flight carrying 290 Indian students, mostly from Kashmir, landed in Delhi as part of ‘Operation Sindhu’ launched by the government to evacuate Indians. This was the first of three flights. The second and third flights will arrive on Saturday and Sunday.
Most of the Kashmiri students were studying medicine in Urmia University and Tehran Medical University. The students were first taken by road to Mashhad in Iran and the flight brought them to India. Similarly, 110 students reached Armenia and from there, they returned to Delhi.
There are nearly 6,000 Indians in Iran and nearly half of them are students.
The opening of airspace by Iran for evacuation of Indians during the ongoing war is a clear proof of India’s strong diplomatic presence. Not only Iran opened its air space in the midst of a war, but it also allowed its Mahan Airlines to evacuate Indians.
This special gesture is a reply to all those naysayers in India who were claiming that Iran was unhappy because of Prime Minister Modi’s personal friendship with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. This gesture shows, Iran is not only a friend of India, but is also ready to take extraordinary steps to help Indians. This is a big achievement on part of Prime Minister Modi. It is the magic of our Tricolour.
You may remember, five years ago, when Indian students were trapped when war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Modi personally rang up both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease fighting for a ceratin period to allow Indians to evacuate.
A special corridor was set up in Ukraine, for Indians to cross over to neighbouring Poland, and from there, tthey were airlifted to India. At that time, even some Pakistani students used the Indian tricolour on their vehicles to flee Ukraine.
Iran war : Why Trump wants to tread softly?
On the eighth day of war, Israeli planes destroyed more than 35 missile launch and storage sites inside Iran. Israeli planes also bombed Iran’s nuclear program research and development installation and an industrial complex.
Iran rained more than 400 ballistic and hypersonic missiles on Israel. Many civilian localities in Tel Aviv, Haifa gas supply plant, refinery and energy infrastructure were targeted. Israel has censored reporting on damages caused by Iran’s missiles.
Israel has killed several nuclear scientists in Iran. One more scientist was killed in Tehran on Friday. Israel’s first priority is to put Iran back by several years in its development of nuclear program. Israel’s second priority is to eliminate the top line leadership of Iranian armed forces. It was twice done recently. On the other hand, while Iran’s missile attacks are broad and widespread, they lack specific targets.
In brief, the war will end only when both countries will be able to analyze their losses. Israel has the capability to defeat Iran, but it will take several years to assess the damage caused to Israel in this war.
One example will suffice. Israel is incurring expenses to the tune of nearly $725 million (Rs 6,300 crore) daily on this war. This daily expenditure is only on the ongoing war. Neither Netanyahu nor Donald Trump had any idea about war expenses that would shoot up. This could be one of the reasons why Trump is hesitating before jumping into this war.
Trump would now like to explore a solution through negotiations, because he has realized that entering this war could prove costly, if it prolongs. If Russia and China join hands, difficulties will mount. Trump does not want Iran to become stronger. As an astute businessman, he may have already counted his probable gains and losses. That is why Trump wants to tread softly.
Iran war : Munir, ISI ready to help US
Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir is waxing eloquently after his two-hour long meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House. At an interaction with people associated with Washington think tanks, Munir said, Pakistan had been on the frontline of the global war against terror.
Munir claimed that it was Pakistan which faced the biggest losses, in terms of lives and money, after it joined the global war on terror. Interestingly, the army chief invited US investors to come to Pakistan to invest in rare earth minerals.
In Pakistan, Jamiat Ulema Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman warned that Pakistan’s atomic weapons would be next on Israel’s agenda and none of the Islamic countries will come to Pakistan’s rescue, just like in Iran’s case.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir may continue to claim their country’s victory in the four-day conflict with India, but Pakistan’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spilled the beans in an interview with a Pakistani news channel.
Dar disclosed, after Indian air force struck Noor Khan and Shorkot Rafiqui air bases, Saudi Arabian deputy Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan rang him up and offered to speak to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire. Clearly, Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir’s claims of victory hold no water.
The surprising part is that Asim Munir, at his meeting at Pakistan embassy with US think tank intellectuals, did not reveal anything about his talks with Trump.
Munir only went on lambasting former PM Imran Khan and explained how he spoiled Pakistan’s relationship with the US. Munir then claimed how he put that relationship back on the rails in his two-hour meeting with Trump.
The army chief even described his lunch with Trump as an unprecedented one-on-one meeting, but the fact is, while his national security adviser and ISI chief Asim Malik was present, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy on Middle East Steve Witcoff were also present at the talks.
It was Witkoff who did much of the talking on Iran-Israel war. He was giving instructions to Asim Munir on how Pakistan could help in helping the US. Munir tamely listened to his instructions.
Whenever Donald Trump will decide on joining the war against Iran, he is surely going to find Asim Munir, his army and ISI ready. This was the sole purpose of the luncheon meet with Asim Munir, which Trump easily achieved.