V.S. Achuthanandan, former Kerala CM and Communist veteran, suffers heart attack
V.S. Achuthanandan, former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], was hospitalised around 10 a.m. on Monday (June 23, 2025) at SUT Hospital at Pattom in Thiruvananthapuram following a heart attack. He is 101 years old.
Hospital sources said Mr. Achuthanandan has been admitted to the ICU and that his current condition was stable.
Popularly known as 'VS', Mr. Achuthanandan turned 101 on October 20, 2024.
Mr. Achuthanandan had been a towering and fiery presence in Kerala politics for decades.
Mr. Achuthanandan was born into a family of agricultural workers at Punappara in Alappuzha in 1923.
In 1964, Mr. Achuthanandan left the Communist Party of India's (CPI) national council to become one of the founding members of the breakaway CPI(M).
The Punnapra-Vayalar uprising, often called Kerala's October Revolution, against the Travancore Diwan's bid to self-rule and to follow the American model of governance led to a mass uprising in which he was tasked with working underground to organise people. But he was arrested in Poonjar and subjected to the worst custodial torture at the Pala police station.
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Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Why Iran gave ‘early notice' of its attack on US base in Qatar
A day after the United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, Iran on Monday (June 23) retaliated with missile attacks against the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters of the US Central Command. The Iranian attack was telegraphed, calibrated, and evidently symbolic in nature. After promising retaliation following the American strikes, Iran gave 'advance notice' to their Qatari and American counterparts to minimise casualties. Almost all Iranian missiles were intercepted, with no American or Qatari casualties reported. This was confirmed by US President Donald Trump himself, who posted on Truth Social that Iran's response was 'weak and expected,' and 'there will, hopefully, be no further HATE.' 'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,' he wrote. Monday was the 11th straight day in which Iran and Israel exchanged missile strikes. According to reports, the latest Israeli strikes were the largest in scale, including an attack on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC') headquarters. Iran's Qatar gamble The American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites have neither eliminated Iran's enrichment capabilities, nor destroyed its existing stock of enriched uranium. Iranian officials claimed that stockpiles of 60%, 20%, and 3.67% enriched uranium had already been withdrawn from Fordow, partially or fully, ahead of the strikes. (This stockpile will remain central to Iran-US negotiations, if they ever resume). Arab media reports suggest that Washington supplied advance notice to Tehran of its June 22 strikes, and communicated privately that the attacks were a 'one-off' and that it was willing to resume negotiations. Across the 10 days of Israeli attacks, the Iranians consistently maintained two positions – that it was willing to resume nuclear negotiations if Israel ceased its attacks, and that Iran would certainly attack US bases (including those in Arab states) if the US joined Israel's attack. After the American attacks, Tehran had to find the optimal point between acting to preserve the credibility of its threats, and restraining itself enough to retain space for negotiations and recuperate. This is more so given Iran's abject economic condition, which has increasingly worsened over the last five years. Among all Arab states, Qatar was arguably among the few where the Iranians could risk targeting US assets, and attempt to contain diplomatic fallout. Qatar, which has positioned itself as a neutral mediator for the region's many conflicts (including between Israel and Hamas), has long maintained strong ties with Iran. This relationship was among the crucial reasons for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain imposing an unprecedented blockade on Qatar between 2017 and 2021. This blockade ended in 2021, two years before the Arab rapprochement with Iran. Iran's 'advance notice' allowed Qatar to shut its airspace an hour before the attacks. Moreover, the US has spent the last week removing its aircraft from the base. By June 19, there were reportedly less than five American aircraft left at Al-Udeid. Iran's Israel challenge While the US strikes were the first American military attacks on Iranian soil in history, it is Israel's sustained attacks which have imposed the most substantial costs. Iran now faces an active threat to the Supreme Leader, attacks on its military, energy, and nuclear sites, and the elimination of key IRGC senior leaders. Its homeland defences have all but been decimated. However, while Ali Khamenei has reportedly named his successors in the event of his own demise, the IRGC has reorganised itself enough to sustain its missile salvos against Israel. For Iran, this is both symbolically and substantially important. Its threshold of success is lower, defined simply by its ability to hit Israel, beating both American air defence units in the region, and Israel's multi-layered AD systems. Following the US strikes, the IRGC for the first time employed its homegrown Kheybar Shekan solid-fuel missiles against Israel. This is what triggered a larger-than-before Israeli salvo on Monday. Unlike the US, which declared its one-time operation complete and successful, Israel's campaign continues to be fought with the maximal objectives of both Iranian nuclear dismantlement and regime change. Despite contradictory statements coming from the White House, Washington evidently remains unwilling to support the latter objective. Moreover, any bombing campaign, let alone a one-off strike, is likely to only delay, not end, Iran's road to a nuclear weapon. It is this clear inference that has always pushed both the US and Europe to seek negotiations with Tehran, despite the severe imbalance in conventional military power. What did not happen Despite issuing threats to this end, Tehran in the end did not close — or even try to close — the Strait of Hormuz, as has always been the case. The Strait is vital for both global and Iranian energy needs, and even now, the Iranian position is not dire enough to warrant a blockade. What is more interesting is the complete absence of its proxies in the Iranian retaliation. While the Yemeni Houthis declared an end to their April ceasefire with the US, the group has not yet resumed attacks against US shipping. The Houthis have thus far shown a marked ability to start/halt attacks on their own terms. On the other hand, Iran's Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah, has consistently maintained ambiguity, especially in the light of its significant internal challenges. Even after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, Hezbollah engaged only in calibrated rocket and drone attacks, drawing Israeli retaliation at a level it could absorb. Hassan Nasrallah did not commit to a full-scale war — until Israel initiated it in the second half of 2024, and killed Nasrallah himself. On June 20, Hezbollah's current chief, Naim Qassem, expressed strong solidarity with Iran amid Israel's attacks, but committed only to 'act as we see fit' — retaining the ambiguity that the group has now preferred for the past 20 months. In Iraq, Iran has cultivated the Hashd-al-Shaabi as an umbrella proxy group since 2019, after their successful campaign against ISIS in Iraq. The government in Baghdad, though firmly opposed to the Israeli and American aggression against Tehran, has long worked to remove Iraq as a proxy battleground, and to potentially integrate the Hashd, which has a strength of about 50,000 fighters collectively, into Iraq's armed forces. While US bases in Iraq were most expected to bear the brunt of any Iranian retaliation, Iran evidently did not press this militia into action, much like in January 2020. That month, after the US assassinated Iran's Maj Gen Qassem Soleimani, the IRGC launched missiles directly at US bases at Ain-al-Assad and Erbil in Iraq but excluded Hashd from an operational role. The Americans did not suffer any casualties, and chose not to escalate — then too Iran had telegraphed its impending attack. Not using its proxies, arguably allows Iran a greater ability to calibrate its actions, with relatively lesser risk of inadvertent escalation. But the attack on Al-Udeid is markedly different from the Iranian 2020 action in Iraq. The Al-Udeid base is the US military's crown jewel in the Middle East. The 29 year old self-sufficient base houses 10,000 troops from multiple countries and is the nerve-centre for US operations in the region. However, like in 2020, the US has recognised Iran's need to save face, and has refrained from escalating in response — as Trump's message makes amply evident. What now? With Israel keeping up its attacks, it is uncertain whether Iran will remain committed to its offer — which stood between June 13 and June 22 — to negotiate if the Israelis stop their assaults. Iran is close to withdrawing from the NPT and suspending cooperation with the IAEA, which indicates that the US attacks may have made it even more determined to pursue a nuclear weapon. However, Iran's economic imperatives for negotiations remain. In the larger scheme of things, the developments of the past few days might have convinced the Arab states in the Middle East of the value of nuclear deterrence. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long worried about an Iranian nuclear weapon and Iranian or Houthi-led attacks against their energy sites, the Israeli actions have potentially created a new threat-in-being. The UAE completed the first nuclear power plant of the Arab world last year, and Saudi is on the road to its own. One downstream impact of the Israeli aggression against Iran may be an increase in the collective Arab anxiety, regardless of their recent rapprochement with Israel.
India Gazette
33 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Any decision to close Strait of Hormuz will impact global oil supply, say experts
New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): Amid rising tensions in the Middle East due to continued military action by Israel and Iran, experts have said that any closure of the Strait of Hormuz will hit global oil trade. Former diplomat KP Fabian said India has expressed concern at the recent escalations and that conveyed that it is on side of peace and humanity. The United States entered the war on Sunday and bombed Iran nuclear sites. Fabian referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving a telephone call from Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday. President Pezeshkian briefed PM in detail and shared his perspective on the current situation in the region, especially the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. PM Modi expressed India's deep concern at the recent escalations. 'PM Modi has very diplomatically said that India is upset with the escalation, meaning American attack on Iran's nuclear sites. For good diplomatic reasons, the PM didn't want to name America, nor did he want to name Israel for constantly bombing. But it is clear that India is very much concerned, and India has good reasons to be concerned about,' Fabian said. Answering a query, Fabian said that any closure of Strait of Hormuz will affect crude oil trade and will have negative impact on global economy. Former Ambassador Anil Trigunayat said the situation in the Middle East is becoming dangerous and referred to the United States entering the war and bombing Iran's nuclear sites. He said PM Modi, in his conversation with Iran President, thanked him for the continued support being extended for safe return and repatriation of the Indian community. He said any move by Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz will have an adverse impact on global trade. 'This will affect the supply of oil and other goods traded from the Middle East to the other parts of the world,' he said. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's important shipping chokepoints connecting the oil-rich Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. Around 20 per cent of global production flows through the waterway. Iran controls its northern side, according to CNN. It said that Iran's Parliament has approved a motion to close the Strait of Hormuz, though the final decision lies with the country's Supreme National Security Council. (ANI)
India.com
44 minutes ago
- India.com
Iran Israel war: Iran can target these US bases located in..., American soldiers and weapons in its range are...
Iran Israel war: Iran can target these US bases located in…, American soldiers and weapons in its range are... Tehran: Amid the conflict between Iran and Israel, the situation has taken an extreme turn after the United States conducted airstrikes on Tehran's nuclear bases. Iran has threatened America following the US airstrikes on three nuclear sites. Due to this, America has issued an advisory for its citizens going abroad. If we look at the weapons being used during the conflict by these countries, it would not be wrong to say that the situation in the entire West Asia may worsen in the coming days. The biggest questions are: what options does Iran have to take down the US? How much damage can Iran cause to America at the military level? How can Iran take direct action against America? Let's find out… What Options Does Iran have to Attack America? Iran has several ways to respond to the US. The biggest option is to attack US military bases located in West Asia. Apart from this, it can close the Strait of Hormuz, activating its allies in the West Asian region, which is Iran's Axis of Resistance. Developing nuclear weapons can also be an extreme step against America. How Much Damage Can Iran Cause To America On A Military Level? Following the airstrikes on nuclear bases, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that it has identified where the US aircraft came from, and now those places are under its surveillance. IRGC stressed that American military bases in West Asia are not its strength and can be easily penetrated. Notably, US has several military bases in West Asia. The most prominent among these bases are in Kuwait, Bahrain, and UAE. These countries are located across the Persian Gulf and are closer than Israel. As per sevral reports, America has deployed advanced air defence system at these military bases, however, due to Iran's abundance of missiles and drones, these systems can also fail. Surprisingly, Israel, which is about 2,000 kms away, has also failed to stop Iran's drones and missiles fired simultaneously. Where and how many American soldiers are present in West Asia? The United States initially sent troops to West Asia in July 1958. This deployment was followed by the dispatch of US Marines and soldiers, numbering 15,000, to Beirut in response to escalating conflict in Lebanon. Currently, about 40,000 to 50,000 US soldiers are present in West Asia. Ost of them are part of the warships and military fleet that are deployed in the region. According to the American think tank Council of Foreign Relations, US has set up military bases at 19 locations in West Asia. These locations include permanent and temporary bases. Of these eight are permanent bases, established in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Where Are US's Most Important Bases In West Asia? In the year 1996, US established its largest military base in West Asia. Spread over 60 acres, the base can park 100 aircraft at a time. About 10 thousand soldiers are also deployed here. These soldiers are part of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and have been US's strength during military operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Naval Support Activity (NSA), Bahrain About 9,000 soldiers of the US Defence Ministry are deployed at this base. This base is the base of the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy. From this base, America monitors and supplies its ships, aircrafts to other small bases in the region. This camp is located 55 km away from Arifjan city. It was built in 1999 and is mainly used as a logistics (transportation), supply and command hub. Ali Al-Salem Airbase, Kuwait The US 386th Air Expeditionary Wing is stationed at Ali Al-Salem Base. This wing is deployed to deliver weapons for airlift operations during conflict in different countries. Al-Dafra Airbase, United Arab Emirates The US has established a command center for air strikes at this airbase. America's most modern F-22 Raptor stealth fighters are deployed here. The US Air Force use this airbase for air operations. This base is important for conducting operations in northern Iraq and Syria. The US helps the Kurdish fighters and the Iraqi army form this base. Between 2003 and 2011, 1,70,000 US soldiers reached this base. Prince Sultan Airbase, Saudi Arabia It has been a very important base to conduct operations in Iraq.
