New Delhi, Sep 3: Following the appointment of Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (Retd.) as the CEO of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, BJP on Thursday welcomed the decision, while some opposition leaders raised concerns over transparency, accountability and alleged irregularities.

BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh congratulated Mishra on his appointment and said that he had played a significant role in Operation Sindoor and secured victory for India.

“Congratulations to Jeetendra Mishra. Jeetendra Mishra ji led Operation Sindoor and secured victory for India. We expect that he will handle this new responsibility in the same manner and also bring transparency here,” he told media.

BJP MLA Ram Kadam said the Ram Mandir is a place of faith and reverence for crores of Hindu devotees and followers of Lord Ram. He said the temple represents the successful culmination of a 500-year-long struggle and wait.

Kadam said, “The Ram Mandir is a place of faith and reverence for crores of Hindu devotees and followers of Lord Ram. It represents the successful culmination of a 500-year-long struggle and wait. Over 6,000 applications were received for the CEO position, and the selection process sought an individual who embodies a blend of faith in Hinduism and patriotism. Mishra, who has been appointed, played a significant role in Operation Sindoor.”

BJP MP Santosh Pandey said, “Certainly, we are proud that such a patriotic and honest person, who dedicated 43 years of his life to serving the motherland, has been appointed. With complete dedication, he boosted the morale of the Army and successfully carried out Operation Sindoor. It was a successful operation, and it was praised globally.”

BJP National Spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is an autonomous and independent institution and has its own rules regarding appointments.

“It is a trust, and the trust has its own rules. It is an autonomous and independent institution, and any person can be appointed to the trust. I remember that the late Kameshwar Chaupal from Bihar was also part of that trust,” Paswan said.

BJP West Bengal President Samik Bhattacharya said Mishra would oversee the grand construction of the Ram Temple and ensure that the work is carried out properly.

“Jeetendra Mishra is presenting the grand construction of the Ram Temple before the country and will oversee it properly,” Bhattacharya said.

Chhattisgarh Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal described Mishra’s appointment as a matter of great coincidence and good fortune, highlighting his association with Operation Sindoor and his stature as a capable officer.

“Look, it is a matter of great coincidence and good fortune for all of us that retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra, who was also a part of Operation Sindoor, and such a capable person is being appointed as the CEO of the Ram Temple Trust. He holds a prominent stature not only nationally but also in the global arena,” Jaiswal said.

He further said that Mishra’s appointment would help ensure that such incidents as those witnessed in the past would not occur again.

“I feel that, given the incidents that took place in the past, no one will even be able to think about such incidents occurring again,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Narendra Kashyap said, “I think the decision of the Trust to appoint Jeetendra Mishra as the CEO is better. Because a person who has played a major role in ‘Operation Sindoor’ is certainly a patriot, a nationalist, and someone who works for the country. So, in my view, handing over the command to such a person is a better decision.”

JD(U) National General Secretary Shyam Rajak also welcomed the appointment, saying that replacing officials when irregularities are reported can be a step towards improving the functioning of an institution.

“When there are irregularities, people are removed, and new individuals are brought in for the better. So, a new CEO has been appointed. He is an honest officer who played a role in Operation Sindoor. A military officer of this caliber has been made the CEO; it is a good move. This should be appreciated, and a close watch should be kept on everything,” Rajak said.

Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said Mishra had performed well during Operation Sindoor but cautioned that the responsibilities of the new position would be different.

“As has been said, he worked during Operation Sindoor and did a good job. But the situation here is different. There are hidden enemies here, so some caution will have to be exercised,” Singh said.

Samajwadi Party MP Ramashankar Rajbhar welcomed Mishra’s appointment, noting that the former Air Marshal is from Bhopatpura village in the Bhatpar Rani Assembly constituency, which falls within his parliamentary constituency.

“Jeetendra Mishra is from Bhopatpura village in the Bhatpar Rani Assembly constituency of my parliamentary constituency, and he has been given a major challenge. I welcome him,” Rajbhar said.

However, he alleged that officers in the state face pressure from the government and said that this would make the CEO’s new responsibility particularly challenging.

“In a state where IAS and IPS officers are unable to work freely, the government puts pressure on them, and officers are resigning due to that pressure; this is a major challenge for the CEO,” he said.

Rajbhar also raised concerns over alleged irregularities surrounding the Ram Temple, saying devotees and saints in Ayodhya had raised concerns, especially the alleged theft of offerings and incidents allegedly being suppressed for months.

“Crores of Hindus across the country and all the saints and seers of Ayodhya who revere Lord Ram have raised concerns… An SIT was formed by the UP government and another at the national level,” he said.

He expressed hope that Mishra would protect the temple’s funds and work independently.

“Now that he has become CEO, I wish him well. May he serve Lord Ram and protect Ram’s funds so that no one can loot them. He can meet this challenge only by refusing to bow to pressure from those in power. Only by removing the pressure that the authorities are under can anyone truly serve Lord Ram, the embodiment of righteousness,” Rajbhar said.

Congress MLA Nana Patole, meanwhile, criticised the appointment and alleged that saints had expressed reservations about the manner in which the Ram Temple’s affairs were being handled.

“Saints have insisted that this work belongs to the saints. Some saints are not even willing to accept it as the Ram Temple; saints have started saying that this has become a site of looting for the BJP and RSS,” Patole said.

He alleged that the government had a responsibility to respect saints and religion, while accusing the BJP and RSS of exploiting people’s faith in the Ram Temple.

“Therefore, respecting saints and religion is the government’s responsibility. However, the RSS and BJP just want to exploit people’s faith in the Ram Temple and loot their money, and the government is protecting them,” he added.

Washington, Sep 3: The US military is prepared to launch more strikes on Iran “any time we want,” President Donald Trump has said.

“It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday (local time).

The US military “took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz,” said Trump.

Iranian officials said Wednesday that the US strike on Tuesday night hit a wedding party in southern Iran, killing at least four people and wounding dozens of others.

The US Central Command said Wednesday it was looking into the reports and the US military “never targets civilians.”

When asked on Wednesday afternoon whether he really intended to rename the Strait of Hormuz after himself, Trump said: “No, no … it was just thrown out there.”

Trump floated the idea of renaming the strategic waterway earlier Wednesday, less than one week after he signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” amid escalating tensions with Canada over tariff disputes.

“Now that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump told a rally in Long Island last month that he would declare the strait a US territory, US media reported.

“After we finish defeating Iran — which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is gravely concerned by the renewed exchanges of fire overnight between the United States and Iran, his spokesperson said.

“The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties, including in a strike that reportedly hit a wedding ceremony in Iran,” said spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday (local time).

Guterres condemns all attacks against civilians. He recalls that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting the spokesman.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate cessation of military action, and urges all concerned to exercise restraint and refrain from actions and rhetoric that could further escalate already high tensions,” said Dujarric, noting that few countries in the region are immune from this escalation, with airspace and critical shipping routes continuing to be heavily impacted.

“Further escalation … would have devastating consequences for civilians and for the wider region and beyond.”

The escalation in the Middle East has had a devastating impact on civilians and added further pressure on humanitarian needs and operations across the region and beyond. In a region already facing many humanitarian crises, the escalation in the Gulf risks further deterioration at a time when humanitarian operations are already overstretched and underfunded, said Dujarric.

Guterres urges the United States and Iran to return urgently to diplomacy. A comprehensive and durable settlement can be achieved only through dialogue and negotiations, said the spokesperson.

Tehran, Sep 3: Iran’s Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi has said that 18 people were killed and 108 others wounded in overnight strikes by the United States against the country, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president’s office.

In a separate statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms the latest US “acts of aggression” against the country, highlighting Iran’s determination to “decisively” defend its independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It said the US government on Tuesday night once again violated Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and attacked several civilian places and service infrastructure, killing and wounding a number of Iranian citizens and damaging public and private properties, reports Xinhua news agency.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Central Command said on X its forces had “successfully completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets,” citing “recent attempted attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members.”

Iran responded by attacking US bases and assets in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and the United Arab Emirates.

In the statement, the IRGC said that it successfully hit the living quarters and command post of the US Ali Al-Salem base’s American commander in Kuwait. The IRGC said that the action was taken as part of its operation against Ali Al-Salem Base and demonstrates that it has complete intelligence information regarding the US movements across the region, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

The IRGC said that it carried out a ballistic missile attack on a US Marines base, Camp Tition, on the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan in retaliatory action against the US attack on a wedding ceremony in Sirik, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

According to the statement, the operation in Jordan destroyed several facilities and helicopters, and American forces suffered heavy casualties.

The IRGC said that it destroyed a US surveillance balloon control system at an American base in Iraq’s Erbil in retaliation for the deaths caused by the American strike on a wedding ceremony in Sirik. In the statement, the IRGC said that its Ground Forces hit US bases in Erbil and destroyed a maintenance centre and warehouses housing technical equipment, IRNA reported.

It further said that several US personnel were killed and fuel storage facilities were set ablaze.