2 India-Qatar Flights Cancelled After Iran Attacks US Air Base In Doha
Two flights from India to Qatar have been cancelled after Iran launched a missile attack on the US air base in Doha. IndiGo and Air India operated these flights. The IndiGo flight was supposed to fly from Delhi, while the other flight was scheduled from Cochin. Several other airlines have also either diverted their flights or returned them to their origin airports over the tense situation in the Middle East.
Air India Express diverted its Doha-bound flight from Kochi to Muscat and returned its flight, which was scheduled from Kannur. "We have no other flights bound for Qatar," it said in a statement.
"We are monitoring the situation closely and will take all necessary precautions for the safety and security of our guests and crew, with inputs from the relevant authorities," it added.
In a post on X, IndiGo said some of its flights may experience delays or diversions due to the evolving situation in the Middle East.
"These adjustments are being made to ensure operations remain within safe and compliant airspace," it added.
Iran's military said on Monday it had carried out a "devastating and powerful" missile attack on the Al Udeid US airbase in Qatar, after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran's threat to retaliate for US airstrikes.
Kuwait said it was closing its airspace "until further notice" on Monday after a similar move from Bahrain as Iran attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for American strikes in Iran.
Meanwhile, Qatar has strongly condemned the attack, announcing it reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent to the "nature and scale of this brazen aggression", in line with international law.
The White House and the Defense Department are closely monitoring potential threats to the Al Udeid airbase, a senior White House official said.
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Indian Express
40 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
41 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Air India Express diverts flights after Qatar airspace suspension
New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): Air India Express on Monday diverted its Doha-bound flight from Kochi to Muscat and returned another flight from Kannur due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the temporary suspension of Qatar's airspace, the airline said. 'As a result of the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the suspension of Qatar airspace, Air India Express has diverted our Doha-bound flight from Kochi to Muscat and returned our flight bound from Kannur. We have no other flights bound for Qatar. Air India Express has no aircraft on the ground in Qatar,' a spokesperson with the airline said in a statement. 'We are monitoring the situation closely and will take all necessary precautions for the safety and security of our guests and crew, with input from the relevant authorities. We regret the inconvenience due to circumstances beyond our control and request guests to update their contact details for real time updates and check their flight status on or Chat with Tia for cancellations and refund options,' the spokesperson added. A major escalation unfolded in the Middle East on Monday after Iran reportedly launched multiple missiles targeting US military installations in Qatar and Iraq, including Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar--the largest US military installation in the region, according to a CNN report. The development came in response to US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities -- Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow -- in the early hours of Sunday. Two officials familiar with the situation confirmed to CNN that the US is tracking multiple missiles launched from Iran. A White House official said that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine are currently in the Situation Room, closely monitoring the unfolding events. Earlier, Iran's state TV reported that Iran had begun an operation against a US base in Qatar. Samaa TV, citing Iranian state TV, dubbed this operation against US bases in the region as 'Operation Basharat al-Fath'. According to CNN, US personnel at the embassies in Qatar and Bahrain are in 'duck and cover' as Iran launches retaliatory missiles toward Qatar and Iraq. The Qatari foreign ministry wrote on X that its government had temporarily shut down its airspace amid the heightened tensions. The move follows Iran's announcement of retaliation against the United States, which has heightened security concerns across the Gulf region. The US Embassy in Doha has already issued alerts to its citizens, advising them to remain in secure shelters until further notice. (ANI)
India Gazette
41 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"Terrorism is an enemy of humanity": BJP's Tarun Chugh on 1985 Kanishka bombing
Munster [Ireland], June 23 (ANI): BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Monday said that the Indian delegation paid tribute at the memorial for the victims of the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing on its 40th anniversary, and said that the tragedy served as a lesson that terrorism is a threat to humanity and must be fought against collectively. Speaking to ANI, Chugh said, 'Today, under the leadership of Union Minister Hardeep Puri, the Indian delegation paid tributes at the memorial of Kanishka bombing victims. This incident was very disturbing for us and has taught a lesson to the world that terrorism is an enemy of humanity, and we need to fight against it together.' 'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharat has taken a 'sankalp' (pledge_ to fight against terrorism so that humanity can be saved,' he said. Air India Flight 182, operating on the Montreal-London-Delhi-Mumbai route, on 23 June 1985, disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean as a result of an explosion from a bomb planted by Canada-based terrorists. The incident happened en route from Montreal to London. The remnants of the aircraft fell into the sea off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 22 Indian citizens. Earlier in the day, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, remembered victims of the Air India Kanishka Bombing on the 40th Anniversary and called on the international community to unite against terrorism. Speaking at the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka) bombing in Ahakista, Cork, Ireland, Puri said, 'The world needs to come together - not only in isolated episodes of solemn mourning such as these, but in collective, proactive efforts to combat terrorism. 'Recalling the tragedy of June 23, 1985, when Air India Flight 182 was destroyed mid-air by a bomb planted by Canada-based terrorists, killing all 329 on board, including over 80 children, Puri said the tragedy was not an accident but a 'deliberate, heinous act carried out by fringe elements seeking to divide India.' The Minister stressed that terrorism is not an issue of the past but a present-day threat that continue to endanger innocent lives across the world. 'India has suffered the scourge of terrorism for decades -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab to Mumbai. Time and again, our people have endured bombings, assassinations, and atrocities,' he said, while noting that countries across the world are grappling with this problem as he highlighted that global terrorism-related deaths increased by 22 per cent in 2024. Calling upon the Government of Canada to join India in countering this shared threat, Puri said,' Canada is a valued partner and friend. We share vibrant cultural and economic relations. India and Canada are bound by democratic traditions.' He urged deeper collaboration between the two nations through intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation efforts, and the disruption of terror financing. 'India stands ready to do more. Our security agencies, intelligence apparatus, and diplomatic channels are fully committed to partnering with the world to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated,' he said. Puri also thanked the people of Ahakista and the Irish government for their compassion in the aftermath of the 1985 tragedy and said, 'They opened their homes and hearts to grieving families--an act of humanity that continues to inspire.' He further noted that the unique friendship forged between India and Ireland in the wake of the disaster has blossomed into strong bilateral ties, with trade reaching nearly USD 16 billion in 2023. The Minister reiterated India's unwavering resolve to honour the memory of the victims by striving for global peace and security. 'Let today's commemoration be a united message--those who spread hate and terror will never prevail over humanity, democracy, and friendship.' The ceremony was attended by Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Canadian Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, local Irish officials, first responders, and families of victims, all coming together in solemn remembrance. (ANI)
