Russian President Vladimir Putin received Iran’s foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Kremlin, June 23, 2025 The former President and Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev who is one of the most authoritative voices at the Kremlin, wrote on the Telegram channel on June 23 a critique on the Middle East crisis following the US attack …
Middle East in Crisis – 4
Russian President Vladimir Putin (3rd from left on top) met with heads of international news agencies, St. Petersburg, June 19, 2025 Putin in reflective mood muses on US-Iran confrontation The US President Donald Trump who sought President Vladimir Putin’s active help a fortnight ago to mediate in the negotiations over Iran nuclear issue has …
Middle East in Crisis – 3
Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility from where, according to Iranian reports, ‘plumes of smoke were rising’, June 17, 2025 Trump orders ‘unconditional surrender’ by Iran. Who’s listening? Israel’s blitzkrieg against Iran five days ago is failing spectacularly. The Russian media reported that: i) Israel’s Rafael weapons complex has been destroyed; ii) Haifa oil refinery is in …
Middle East in Crisis – 2
Scene of an apartment building destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile impact, Bat Yam, Israel, June 15, 2025 Netanyahu’s war on Iran has no future An unnoticed undercurrent of the Israel-Iran war is that three Christian nations in Europe — UK, France and Germany — have joined the fray with alacrity on the side …
Middle East in Crisis —1
Protestors in an anti-Israeli gathering hold up Iranian and Palestinian flags, Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025 Why did Israel jump the gun? The Israeli Defence Forces called the aerial attack on Iran by some 200 planes in the early hours of Friday, June 13, as a “preemptive strike.” International law gives no scope to attack …
US snubs India’s war on terror
The Indian media reports make out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reception for the seven parliamentary delegations waging the war on terror turned into a social occasion to celebrate the flashes of ‘national unity’ before the hurly-burly of politics returns as the election cycle picks up. The PMO did not issue any press release on …
Profiles in courage: Trump & Eisenhower
Satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after Ukrainian drone attack on Belaya Air Base, Irkutsk, eastern Siberia, June 4, 2025 President Donald Trump had a difficult week. No, this isn’t about Elon Musk or Harvard University. On Wednesday, his call to Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t go well. It turned into a ‘conversation’, …
Panda-led team returns from West Asia
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) met with U.S. President Donald Trump (R), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025 The multi-party delegation led by the BJP Vice-President and spokesman Bijayant Panda which toured four countries in the Gulf region — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria — to rally support for the government’s war on terror …
Trump won’t walk away from Ukraine war
President Donald Trump: Bracing for a longer Ukraine war One of the mysteries of the Ukraine endgame is that President Donald Trump did not issue an executive order on January 20 withdrawing all support for Ukraine. That would have been the easiest way to end the war. The conditions were propitious — Candidate Trump didn’t mince …
Putin succeeds in engaging with Trump
Playing chess on phone: US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin in deep conversation (File photo) The mystique of engaging with the US President Donald Trump will remain a hot topic. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s sensational visit is the latest instance underscoring that it can be dangerous to get too close …