Daily Briefing: Iran, Israel and the Trump card
Good morning,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Calgary, Alberta, to attend the G7 summit at the invitation of his Canadian counterpart, Mike Carney. Modi's visit to Canada would be pivotal to improving bilateral ties that soured after former prime minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has rejected the charge. Officials on both sides have been busy outlining a potential joint working group to address transnational crimes. Modi's visit may also lead to the reappointment of an envoy to Canada. The goal is to enhance trade and investment between the two countries in the long run.
On that note, let's get to today's edition.
As Modi arrived at the G7 summit, US President Donald Trump was getting ready to cut his visit short amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Trump left the summit late on Monday after talks with the heads of state, and will skip the second day, when he was supposed to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Escalation: The Iran-Israel conflict entered its fifth day this morning. Air raid sirens went off in Tel Aviv shortly after midnight as Iran launched additional missiles towards Israel. Late on Monday, Israel had hit Iran's broadcasting authority. Asked if Israel was aiming for a regime change in Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a press conference said it was 'impossible to predict', but it 'could be the result'. 'We are changing the face of the Middle East, and this could lead to far-reaching changes within Iran itself,' he added.
Trump card: Trump insisted that Iran 'should have signed the deal I told them to sign', referring to the now-suspended talks between Washington and Tehran over the latter's nuclear programme. 'What a shame, and a waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,' Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. He urged everyone to 'immediately evacuate Tehran', though it wasn't immediately clear why. Reports indicate that the US has increased its military presence in the Middle East. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth maintained that the deployment of additional forces was intended to enhance the US 'defensive posture in the region'.
Let's talk: Iran has signalled that it is ready to resume talks with US representatives. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated, 'If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.' 'It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,' he added, urging a 'return to diplomacy'.
Also read: The war wasn't on TV, it was outside my window: Indian students trapped in Iran await evacuation
As Parliament prepares to move on an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal isn't convinced that the case against the High Court judge stands. Sibal has been part of two impeachment processes against senior judges, dating back to 1993 and 2018. In an interview with The Indian Express, Sibal raises some pertinent questions: Why did the police not seize cash found at Justice Varma's house? Why was an FIR not filed? Why did the Chief Justice of India forward the in-house panel report to the government? Read on.
Follow the money: India has said it wants to get Pakistan back on the terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF)'s 'grey list' to curb the flow of funds to its neighbour. Without naming any country, the FATF released a statement on Monday, condemning the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and acknowledging 'gaps that need to be addressed through its mutual evaluations'.
'Weakened': Months before security forces intensified their offensive against Maoists, the politburo of the banned CPI (Maoist) informed cadres of their decision to 'retreat' in a secret circular floated in August 2024. The CPI(M) warned of waning support for its cause due to 'postmodernism, Ambedkarism and NGOs'.
Headcount: As India begins the Census 2027 process, the government is likely to use both the Central List and the State Lists of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the caste enumeration. While discussions on the matter are ongoing, sources have told The Indian Express that this may solve the challenge arising from the different castes listed as OBCs in different state lists.
How does the government count population? With the Census 2027 slated to be India's first digital census, how will it differ from previous exercises? Read my colleague Deeptiman Tiwary's in-depth explainer.
A divided West: Beyond India-Canada relations, the G7 Summit comes at a geopolitically fraught time. Columnist C Raja Mohan writes that the summit will give India a ringside view of the divisions within the G7 nations as Europe drifts away from American views on the Russia-Ukraine war and churnings in the Middle East.
Three decades ago, Dame Judi Dench appeared on the silver screen as M, the head of the British foreign intelligence agency, MI6. Reality finally caught up to fiction this week. Blaise Metreweli is set to become the first woman to head the MI6 in its nearly 116-year-long history.
🎧 Before you go, tune in to today's '3 Things' podcast episode, where we discuss the investigation into the Air India plane crash, the collapse of a bridge in Pune and India's next census.
That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take.
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