Israel-Iran exchange fresh attacks; G7 Summit presents opportunity for India to boost ties with Canada; Gaza crisis overlooked

Indian Express

3 hours ago

Indian students evacuated from Iran amid intensified Israel-Iran conflict; Palestinians in Gaza said their plight was being forgotten; at the G7 summit, India and Canada agreed to resume trade talks and restore their high commissioners to each other's capitals; the EU seeks to 'achieve peace through strength' in Russia-Ukraine war; the UN warns of disastrous consequences stemming from ongoing and escalating hostilities in Sudan – here is weekly roundup of key global news.
Israel, Iran continue to exchange fatal attacks
As Iran and Israel continued to launch ballistic missiles and drone attacks on each other's military, defence, and some civilian infrastructure, India evacuated 290 Indian students from Iran on Friday as part of Operation Sindhu. In a special move, Tehran opened its airspace to facilitate New Delhi's evacuation efforts.
On the ninth day of the conflict (June 21), Israel and Iran exchanged fresh attacks as diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict struggled to make headway. Europe-Iran talks in Geneva this week barely showed any signs of progress with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Iran would be ready to consider diplomacy only after Israel stops its attacks on it.
Israel launched its offensive against Iran on June 13, claiming Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which has insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful, civilian purposes, retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel.
Israel is widely believed to be the only country in the region with nuclear weapons, although it neither denies nor acknowledges its arsenal. Israel is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which entered into force in 1970 aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
At the same time, Iran, a signatory to the NPT, has threatened to withdraw from the treaty amid escalating military conflicts with Israel. Tehran has said it is open to negotiating over its nuclear activities, but it has dismissed giving up all uranium enrichment.
The situation was further aggravated by other critical developments, including:
— Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said today it would be 'very dangerous for everybody' if the US joins Israel's 'aggression', while Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump's demand for unconditional surrender.
— However, President Donald Trump said he would take two weeks to decide whether the US should enter the conflict on Israel's side, which has caused division within his political base.
— Trump's meeting with Pakistan army chief Asim Munir at the White House also fuelled speculation that the US likely sought Pakistan's buy-in for any military intervention in Iran.
— This week, speculation mounted over whether the US would supply Israel with the weapons necessary to strike inside the Fordow plant, which is deep underground.
— Trump also said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes. Reuters also reported that the US military has moved some aircraft and ships from bases in the region that may be vulnerable to any potential Iranian attack.
— The US announced new Iran-related sanctions targeting entities that have procured 'sensitive machinery' for Iran's defense industry.
— The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that an Israeli strike on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, built by Russia and located on the the Gulf coast, could 'result in a very high release of radioactivity', with 'great consequences' beyond Iran's borders.
Amid all this, Iran says more than 400 people have been killed and at least 3,000 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. Signs of a wider regional conflagration further raised concerns among major stakeholders in the region and beyond, underlining the urgent need for restraint and diplomacy to avert the threat of regime change and impending disaster.
It may be noted here that US-led regime change in the past such as in Iraq and Libya spelled disaster for the respective countries. In the meantime, noted US-Iranian academic Hamid Dabashi has dismissed the speculation of regime change in an interview with The New Arab, and underlined the need for 'regional nuclear disarmament that includes Israel'.
All the while, the focus is shifted to the Arab states to avert the imminent disaster should the US military bases, Gulf energy infrastructure or critical maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz come under attack, unleashing devastating consequences for their energy-driven economies and disrupting the supply of oil and gas.
China and Russia, which is nonetheless strained by its war in Ukraine, also called for de-escalation.
As attention has been shifted to the Israel-Iran conflict, the catastrophic situation in Gaza appears to be overlooked where Israel is nearly daily killing aid seeking Palestinians and even targeting shelters across the tiny strip.
At least 140 people were across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, Reuters reported on Wednesday (June 18), adding some Palestinians in the Strip said their plight was being forgotten as attention has shifted to the Israel-Iran conflict.
A number of Palestinians have been killed at aid sites operated by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since Israel partially lifted its total blockade on the strip three weeks ago.
Separate airstrikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp, the Zeitoun neighbourhood and Gaza City killed at least 21 people, while five others were killed in an airstrike on an encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Reuters reported citing medics.
According to Gaza's health ministry, nearly 55,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's attack on Gaza triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas. Israel's war in Gaza also displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis.
The World Food Programme called on Wednesday for a big increase in food distribution in Gaza, saying that the 9,000 metric tons it had dispatched over the last four weeks inside Gaza represented a 'tiny fraction' of what was needed.
Meanwhile, a document by the European Union (EU) reported that Israel's Gaza actions may breach the EU-Israel human rights agreement.
According to the document seen by Reuters and AFP on Friday, the European External Action Service said that Israel may have breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the EU.
Under the EU-Israel agreement, which came into effect in 2000, the two parties agreed that their relationship would be based on 'respect for human rights and democratic principles'.
Earlier, European countries expressed concerns over Israel's operations in Gaza and the humanitarian situation there. The UK and four other countries last week placed sanctions on Israel's Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Notably, alongside the US, Germany and Italy are the three countries that account for almost all of Israel's weapons supply, while the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in March reported that Israel is the 15th biggest importer of arms globally.
Meanwhile, the UN conference slated to be held this week (June 17-21) on the two-state solution to the Israel and Palestine conflict has been postponed.
This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Canada to attend the G7 summit presented an opportune moment for India and Canada to reset their strained ties, as the two sides agreed to resume trade talks and restore their high commissioners to each other's capitals.
On the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in Kananaskis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Mark Carney. The two countries decided to enhance collaboration in areas such as clean energy, technology, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, food security, and critical minerals.
In addition, both countries are planning to work more closely to tackle transnational crime – an issue Carney raised during his meeting with Modi. However, it's easier said than done for the new leadership in Canada in view of the presence of Khalistani separatists in the country and their anti-India activities.
India's central security agencies had compiled intelligence on eight Canada-based gangsters and terrorists, which was to be shared with Canadian authorities. The two sides have also been working closely to 'ring-fence' their bilateral ties from the judicial investigation into the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. One proposed move was the establishment of a joint working group to address transnational crimes.
It may be recalled here that ties between India and Canada reached the lowest point under former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he alleged that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of a Canada-based Khalistan separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in 2023. India rejected the charges as 'absurd' and 'motivated' and withdrew its High Commissioner and expelled six Canadian diplomats from New Delhi.
However, Modi's visit to Alberta is seen as a move to help repair and strengthen relations with Canada. Importantly, the Prime Minister's visit also came against the backdrop of upheavals and internal differences with the West.
Trump's territorial ambitions to 'annex' Canada and his trade and tariffs policies strained US-Canada relations, prompting Ottawa to quietly drift towards Europe. Divergence of the US and Europe over the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's war in Gaza are other cases in point.
Furthermore, abandoning the tradition of a joint communiqué and opting instead for a summary note was yet another evidence of the absence of consensus among the G7 countries. According to C. Raja Mohan, the 2025 summit highlights the challenges for multilateralism amid renewed nationalism, and India, by deepening bilateral partnerships with G7 members, can position itself as a key stakeholder in shaping the global architecture that will emerge from this turbulence.
In addition to Canada, Prime Minister Modi also paid visits to Cyprus (June 15-16) and Croatia. Crucially, the visit to Cyprus came amid India's tensions with Cyprus's neighbour and rival, Turkey, which openly supported Pakistan during recent hostilities. While in Croatia (June 18), Prime Minister Modi said that India and Croatia will deepen cooperation in many areas, including defence, pharma, agriculture, IT, and clean technology.
In a bid to 'achieve peace through strength', the European Commission unveiled a plan at the end of the G7 Summit to ban new contracts to buy Russian gas as Moscow continued to launch drones and missiles in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin even said he did not 'rule out' his forces taking control of Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy as part of efforts to create a buffer zone along the border. Moscow currently controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
On Tuesday (June 17), Russia launched drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, described as the deadliest assault on the capital this year, killing 28 people across the city and wounding 142 others, AP cited Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko as saying.
'Russia continues its tactics of targeted terror against our people,' Zelenskyy said on Telegram, urging the US and the EU to crank up economic pressure on Russia.
The European Commission plan floated at the G7 Summit would immediately ban new contracts to buy Russian gas, while it would allow existing short-term contracts to run their course by next June, and cut short any long-term contracts at the end of 2027, Al Jazeera reported.
'To achieve peace through strength, we must put more pressure on Russia to secure a real ceasefire, to bring Russia to the negotiating table, and to end this war,' said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 'Sanctions are critical to that end.'
In the meantime, Russia and Ukraine exchanged more prisoners of war, the second swap in two days under an agreement struck in Turkiye earlier this month. All the captured soldiers were wounded, ill or under 25 years old. Neither side said how many soldiers had been freed, Al Jazeera reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday (June 20) that the date for the next round of peace talks is expected to be agreed upon next week.
Amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the UN warned that escalation in Darfur and Kordofan regions risks further aggravation in an already brutal and deadly conflict ravaging the African nation for more than two years.
The United Nations' rights chief Volker Turk on Friday warned of 'the disastrous consequences stemming from ongoing and escalating hostilities' in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, 'where civilian casualties, sexual violence, abductions and looting have been reported in multiple areas.'
'The recent fighting and grave risk of further aggravation in an already brutal and deadly conflict raise severe protection concerns, amid a pervasive culture of impunity for human rights violations,' Turk said.
The outbreak of the civil war in Sudan in April 2023 pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary RSF, under the command of General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo. The war thus far resulted in an estimated 62,000 deaths and the displacement of approximately 14 million individuals, with no clear end in sight.
The UN's International Organization for Migration on Wednesday said more than 16,000 people had been displaced from areas hit by violence, including South Kordofan and Darfur.
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