Iran targets Dubai, Saudi despite apology; US to deploy 3rd aircraft carrier
India Today
A week after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the conflict continued to escalate across the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE being targeted by Tehran on Saturday. This came despite the Iranian president apologising to neighbouring countries for the attacks.
Huge explosions were heard across Iran as Israel carried out a "broad-scale wave of strikes" using 80 fighter jets targeting Tehran and Isfahan, where key nuclear facilities are located, as the war entered its eighth day. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE saw fresh drone and missile attacks on Saturday, even as Iran's president apologised to the Gulf nations for the strikes.
However, President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a pre-recorded message, vowed to "never surrender", firing a warning shot at US President Donald Trump. On Friday, Trump asserted that the US wouldn's negotiate with Tehran without its "unconditional surrender".
The conflict, which has upended global energy supplies and crippled air travel in the Middle East, has left 1,332 people dead in Iran and around 10 across the Gulf.
The major development of the day was a surprise address by the Iranian president, who apologised to the Gulf nations after carrying out wide-ranging strikes over seven days. Pezeshkian said Iran would stop bombarding its neighbours unless any attack on Tehran originated from the Gulf nations. Hours later, Trump called Tehran the "loser of the Middle East" and warned that Iran "will be hit very hard" today.
However, after the address, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE saw fresh drone and missile attacks. The Dubai airport, one of the busiest in the world, briefly suspended operations after debris from a drone intercepted by UAE's air defences fell in the runway. Visuals showed a huge plume of smoke rising from the airport.
UAE also saw the Al-Dhafra Air Base, also used by the US, come under attack for the second time this week. Iranian state media claimed a US air combat centre, satellite communications hub, and radar systems were targeted using drones.
Amid the widening US, Israel–Iran war, the cyber front intensifies as the Handala hacker group claims attacks on US companies and Israeli intelligence-linked figures.
A post about a software developer's salary in Bengaluru and savings amount has started a conversation among X users about how to save wisely.
The profiles of at least three of China's leading nuclear, missile and radar experts were scrubbed from the website of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the country's most prestigious academic body. This comes as a series of purges under Premier Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign have decimated the upper echelons of China's military and scientific community.
The aircraft had also been used by senior Iranian officials and military figures for both domestic and international travel, and for coordinating with allied countries, the Israeli military said. Meanwhile, Dubai International Airport has resumed flight operations after a temporary suspension of about seven hours caused by a drone strike near a fuel tank facility.
A government school teacher's gesture of buying a new uniform for an orphaned student has received widespread attention after a video of the act was shared on Instagram.
A father travelling with his toddler addressed fellow passengers ahead of a flight, asking for patience and understanding if his child became unsettled.
The lottery system for a segment of Green Cards, known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme, has been restarted. However, the stricter rules being enforced by the US won't impact Indian Green Card aspirants. Here's why.
Instead of putting an end to rumours, the video has triggered another wave of speculation about Netanyahu's fate. Several users on 'X' (formerly Twitter) have claimed that the video posted on 'X' was an AI-generated deepfake.
US jets strike military facilities near Iran's Chabahar free trade zone
The video, recorded inside the train coach, shows the compartment littered with snack packets, water bottles, soiled spoons and bedsheets scattered on the floor.
The US is planning to deploy a third aircraft carrier in the Middle East amid the war with Iran. Aircraft carriers, one of the most expensive defence systems, are floating military bases that project power. Here's how aircraft carriers are used and where India stands.
Donald Trump warned that Nato could face a 'very bad' future if member states fail to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and to support Washington's efforts amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.
When we look at Iran through the prism of religion and see a Shia Islamic country, we negate its thousands of years of rich pre-Islamic Persian culture. A dive into the world of Zoroastrianism and Vedas shows us how Indians and Iranians have been sharing languages, Gods, sciences and a sacred fire for thousands of years.