India expresses concern after Israeli air strikes on Iran, urges both to avoid escalatory steps
New Delhi: India on Friday expressed deep concern after Israel launched waves of air strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites and urged both countries to avoid escalatory steps.
Earlier, the Indian missions in Tehran and Tel Aviv advised thousands of Indian nationals in both countries to remain vigilant and stay safe following the Israeli air strikes.
The Israeli military carried out at least two waves of air strikes that targeted locations in the cities of Tehran, Natanz, Tabriz, Isfahan, Arak and Kermanshah. Iran's state-run media reported that several nuclear scientists and Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were among those killed in the Israeli strikes.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel 'must expect severe punishment' for the 'crime' of attacking the country and killing several commanders and scientists.
'We are deeply concerned at the recent developments between Iran and Israel,' the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
'India urges both sides to avoid any escalatory steps. Existing channels of dialogue and diplomacy should be utilised to work towards a de-escalation of the situation and resolving underlying issues,' the statement said.
The statement noted that India 'enjoys close and friendly relations with both the countries and stands ready to extend all possible support'.
The Indian side is closely monitoring the evolving situation, including 'reports related to attacks on nuclear sites'. Indian embassies in both countries are in contact with the Indian community, and all Indian nationals in the region were advised to 'exercise caution, stay safe and follow local security advisories'.
A social media post by the Indian embassy in Tehran said: 'In view of the current situation in Iran, all Indian nationals & persons of Indian origin in Iran are requested to remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the Embassy's Social Media accounts & observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities.'
Another social media post by the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv stated that 'all Indian nationals in Israel are advised to stay vigilant and adhere to the safety protocols as advised by the Israeli authorities and home front command (oref.org.il/eng)' because of the prevailing situation in the region.
'Please exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel within [Israel] and stay close to safety shelters,' the advisory said.
Iran is currently home to more than 4,000 Indians, mostly students, academics and petty traders. They are mostly concentrated in Tehran and a few other cities.
The number of Indians in Israel has swelled to more than 32,000 in recent months after Israeli authorities increased the hiring of Indian blue collar workers to replace Palestinians in sectors such as care-giving and construction. Indians living in Israel are spread across the country.
People familiar with the matter said there were no immediate plans to evacuate Indian nationals from both countries. The situation is being closely monitored and all steps are being taken to ensure the well-being of Indian nationals, they said.
The scale and scope of Friday's air strikes by Israel was much greater than tit-for-tat attacks carried out in 2024.
In April 2024, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel after the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. This was followed by another round of hostilities last October, after Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel responded on both occasions by targeting Iranian infrastructure and military facilities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
25 minutes ago
- Economic Times
US-bound scholars carry cares of the word on shoulders
Live Events Termination Biggest Fear An Indian researcher applying for a doctoral position in medicine at a leading US university earlier this year decided to drop any mention of LGBTQ+ health disparities from the grant project was reframed as a data-driven analysis of demographic trends in patient outcomes, instead of spotlighting gaps in healthcare access for sexual minorities. The core research remained the same, but the language was 'sanitised' to sidestep any political red flags in a shifting American research the Donald Trump administration's war on diversity, equity and inclusion ( DEI ), climate action and public health research intensifies, Indians seeking US grants and PhD positions are rethinking how to frame, and sometimes where they pursue, their academic ambitions, said consultants.'The concern, especially for those applying for PhD or post-doctoral positions, is two-fold — first, the fear that their proposed research might not receive funding and second, that even if funded, their work could be undermined or prematurely terminated if it falls out of favour politically,' said Vibha Kagzi, founder of our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)Subject areas such as climate science, DEI and public health are increasingly being viewed as 'politically sensitive,' she said, prompting students to reassess whether their proposals are 'safe' to get through repurposed US funding February, more than 2,100 National Institutes of Health grants worth $9.5 billion have been cancelled. At Harvard University alone, $2.7-billion National Science Foundation grants have been including Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, Pennsylvania and Northwestern have faced funding freezes, affecting everything from Alzheimer's research to Kumar, regional director for South Asia, at IDP Education, said the ripple effects of the cancellations are evident. 'The recent adjustments to federal funding have impacted some top US institutions, especially those heavily reliant on government grants. This has affected a segment of students applying for Fall 2025 PhD intakes, with some reporting delays or pauses in research-related admissions due to funding constraints.'ForeignAdmits founder Nikhil Jain said anxiety levels among applicants are unprecedented. 'The biggest fear isn't about getting rejected: it's having funding pulled after you're already there,' he said. 'We've had students where NIH terminated their advisor's grant mid-PhD, and suddenly they're scrambling to find new funding or face visa issues.'Jain and his team are working closely with students to strip politically sensitive terminology from proposals. 'Any mention of DEI is toxic now, as is 'underrepresented communities'. Climate change has become 'extreme weather events'. We tell students to avoid 'structural racism', 'reproductive health equity' and 'environmental justice'. I've seen applications get flagged for using 'critical theory' or even 'gender' in the context of medical research. Students are self-censoring to an extreme degree,' he applicants are preparing two versions of their research statements—one for US funders, another for European bodies like the European Research Council (ERC). Interest in European destinations has surged, with enquiries for ERC grants up 13% since April, according to a 'tactical' shift in student applications, Kagzi said, 'While the core intellectual enquiry often remains intact, the language, framing and even methodology are being recalibrated.'Researchers are adding quantitative models, machine learning components or economic competitiveness angles to make their work more fundable, she Zaveri, founder of Career Mosaic, said many applicants are opting for 'topics with broader applicability that might not attract undue attention, or raise questions in sensitive areas'.
Economic Times
26 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Iran launches fresh missile attack on Israel as Israeli strikes continue amid rising tension in Middle East
Israel announces more missiles incoming from Iran Live Events Sirens and explosions heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel As the tensions in the Middle East refuse to die down soon, Iran launched a second round of missiles against Israel late Saturday, June 15. The fresh attack from Tehran came as Israel's military resumed attacks in Iran following earlier strikes that targeted nuclear and military sites. They also claimed the lives of key leaders in the country's governing claimed that hundreds of airstrikes over the past two days killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran's nuclear program, in addition to several top generals. Iran's U.N. ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 latest hostilities in the Middle East have hit the U.S. and Iran's scheduled sixth round of indirect talks over Tehran's nuclear program on Sunday in Oman, as its foreign minister said that the meeting was canceled after Israel's strikes on military has said that the latest missiles from Iran are incoming, and explosions are heard overhead in parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv. The missile barrage on Saturday was confirmed and announced by Iranian state countries have been trading blows a day after Israel's blistering attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Three drones were launched toward a base housing U.S. forces in Iraq following Israel's strikes on Iran, a U.S. military official and a second U.S. official said Saturday, according to news agency two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The drones were shot down, the officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack on Ain al-Asad air base in western and the boom of explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, were probably heard in the sky over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Saturday. According to AP, at least two Iranian missiles probably hit the ground in Tel Aviv, but there was no immediate word of Israeli military said another long-range Iranian missile attack was taking place and urged civilians, already rattled by the first wave of projectiles, to head to shelter. Around three dozen people were wounded by that first wave. The Iranian outlet Nour News, which has close links with the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said a fresh wave was being launched.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
US-bound scholars carry cares of the word on shoulders
An Indian researcher applying for a doctoral position in medicine at a leading US university earlier this year decided to drop any mention of LGBTQ+ health disparities from the grant proposal. The project was reframed as a data-driven analysis of demographic trends in patient outcomes, instead of spotlighting gaps in healthcare access for sexual minorities. The core research remained the same, but the language was 'sanitised' to sidestep any political red flags in a shifting American research environment. As the Donald Trump administration's war on diversity, equity and inclusion ( DEI ), climate action and public health research intensifies, Indians seeking US grants and PhD positions are rethinking how to frame, and sometimes where they pursue, their academic ambitions, said consultants. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Struggling with Slow Internet? Read This First Search7 Learn More Undo 'The concern, especially for those applying for PhD or post-doctoral positions, is two-fold — first, the fear that their proposed research might not receive funding and second, that even if funded, their work could be undermined or prematurely terminated if it falls out of favour politically,' said Vibha Kagzi, founder of (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Subject areas such as climate science, DEI and public health are increasingly being viewed as 'politically sensitive,' she said, prompting students to reassess whether their proposals are 'safe' to get through repurposed US funding filters. Live Events Since February, more than 2,100 National Institutes of Health grants worth $9.5 billion have been cancelled. At Harvard University alone, $2.7-billion National Science Foundation grants have been withheld. Termination Biggest Fear Universities including Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Princeton, Pennsylvania and Northwestern have faced funding freezes, affecting everything from Alzheimer's research to robotics. Piyush Kumar, regional director for South Asia, at IDP Education, said the ripple effects of the cancellations are evident. 'The recent adjustments to federal funding have impacted some top US institutions, especially those heavily reliant on government grants. This has affected a segment of students applying for Fall 2025 PhD intakes, with some reporting delays or pauses in research-related admissions due to funding constraints.' ForeignAdmits founder Nikhil Jain said anxiety levels among applicants are unprecedented. 'The biggest fear isn't about getting rejected: it's having funding pulled after you're already there,' he said. 'We've had students where NIH terminated their advisor's grant mid-PhD, and suddenly they're scrambling to find new funding or face visa issues.' Jain and his team are working closely with students to strip politically sensitive terminology from proposals. 'Any mention of DEI is toxic now, as is 'underrepresented communities'. Climate change has become 'extreme weather events'. We tell students to avoid 'structural racism', 'reproductive health equity' and 'environmental justice'. I've seen applications get flagged for using 'critical theory' or even 'gender' in the context of medical research. Students are self-censoring to an extreme degree,' he said. Many applicants are preparing two versions of their research statements—one for US funders, another for European bodies like the European Research Council (ERC). Interest in European destinations has surged, with enquiries for ERC grants up 13% since April, according to Jain. Acknowledging a 'tactical' shift in student applications, Kagzi said, 'While the core intellectual enquiry often remains intact, the language, framing and even methodology are being recalibrated.' Researchers are adding quantitative models, machine learning components or economic competitiveness angles to make their work more fundable, she said. Abhijit Zaveri, founder of Career Mosaic, said many applicants are opting for 'topics with broader applicability that might not attract undue attention, or raise questions in sensitive areas'.
