International News
EAM Jaishankar meets US NSA Jake Sullivan; discusses bilateral ties
New Delhi, Jan 6: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Monday met US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan in New Delhi to discuss a wide range of strategic, regional, and bilateral issues.
The meeting took place as Sullivan, the outgoing US NSA, embarked on a two-day visit to India, concluding one of the last high-profile engagements of the Biden administration before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.
Sullivan’s visit is aimed at reviewing the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), a significant partnership framework to expand strategic ties between the two nations.
His itinerary includes meetings with NSA Ajit Doval and a visit to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where he will interact with young Indian entrepreneurs and deliver a speech on the bilateral innovation alliance under iCET.
In his discussions with Doval, Sullivan is expected to delve into the implementation of iCET initiatives. These include cooperation in areas such as space, defence, strategic technology, and shared security priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Both NSAs have previously stressed the transformative potential of iCET in strengthening the India-US partnership. During a roundtable in June 2024, NSA Doval had underscored the importance of staying at the forefront of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and biotechnology, to protect shared value systems.
“iCET has achieved more than what we could imagine,” Doval remarked, highlighting progress in the defence innovation roadmap and the burgeoning semiconductor industry.
Sullivan had echoed similar sentiments, identifying innovation, production, and deployment as the three pillars of the technology partnership and emphasising the importance of government support for private sector initiatives.
The visit follows EAM Jaishankar’s recent six-day trip to the US, during which he met several senior officials of the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan. The meetings reviewed the progress of the India-US partnership over the past four years.
“Good to meet US NSA Jake Sullivan in Washington DC this morning. A wide-ranging discussion on the progress of the India-US strategic partnership. Also exchanged views on current regional and global developments,” Jaishankar posted on X after their meeting.
The iCET, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in May 2022, has been lauded as a defining element of the India-US strategic relationship, driving advancements in critical sectors such as defence, semiconductors, and Artificial Intelligence.
As Sullivan wraps up his visit, the discussions are expected to set the stage for continued collaboration under the Trump administration, with both nations poised to deepen their strategic and technological ties.
International News
Iran rejects US ceasefire offer, issues 10-point plan calling for permanent end to war

Tehran, April 7: Iran has rejected a US-proposed 15-point peace plan, calling instead for a permanent end to the conflict, the official news agency IRNA reported.
Tehran delivered its response in a 10-point document, citing past experiences as the reason it would not accept a ceasefire, Xinhua news agency reported.
The response outlines Iran’s demands, including ending regional conflicts, establishing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, reconstructing war-affected areas, and lifting international sanctions.
The IRNA claimed the text was presented following recent developments in Iran’s western and central regions and the unsuccessful outcome of a US heliborne operation, with US President Donald Trump extending a previously set deadline again and adjusting earlier threats.
In a press conference on Monday, Trump called Iran’s 10-point response a “significant step” but said it was “not good enough.”
Also on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said a ceasefire would only give opponents time to regroup and commit further crimes, and “no sane” person would accept it.
In late March, US media reported that Washington sent a 15-point plan to Iran through Pakistan to try to end the war. Iran later rejected the plan, calling it “excessive and disconnected from the realities on the battlefield.”
The Islamic Republic set several preconditions for peace. These include ending US and Israeli aggression, creating mechanisms to prevent future attacks, compensating for war damage, stopping fighting across all fronts in West Asia, and recognizing Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US assets in the Middle East.
International News
Iran’s supreme leader condemns assassination of IRGC intelligence chief

Tehran, April 7: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei extended condolences for a senior general of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), saying that “assassinations and crimes” against Iranian leadership will not halt the country’s course.
In a written statement, Khamenei praised Majid Khademi, head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Protection Organization, for decades of “silent efforts in the security, intelligence, and defence fields” of Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.
He also accused Israel and the United States of turning to “terrorism and assassination” after “successive defeats.” Khademi was killed in Tehran on Monday in an airstrike claimed by Israel.
Khamenei extended condolences to Khademi’s family and comrades, as well as the other commanders of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization.
Khademi was appointed as the head of the intelligence organization in June last year following the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, in which Mohammad Kazemi, the organization’s former chief, had been killed.
Before his appointment, Khademi served as the head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Protection Organization.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned a US and Israeli attack on the Sharif University of Technology in the capital Tehran, which severely damaged the building of its information technology center and a gas substation near the academic center’s mosque.
Iran’s army said Sunday it has targeted petrochemical industries and petroleum products storage facilities in southern Israel, as well as US equipment depots, satellite communication units and troops in a base in Kuwait.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East.
International News
Israel says Iran’s intelligence chief killed in Tehran air strike

Tel Aviv, April 6: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday claimed to have killed Majid Khatem-Hosseini Khadami, Chairman of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ (IRGC) intelligence organisation, in an air strike in Tehran on Sunday night.
“Eliminated: Majid Khademi, the Head of Intelligence of the IRGC. Khadami was one of the most important commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and had accumulated military and security experience over the years,” read a statement issued by the IDF.
It mentioned that the Israeli Air Force, under precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Directorate, attacked during the night in Tehran and killed Khadami.
According to the IDF, Khadmi was appointed to his position after the assassination of Muhammad Khatami in Operation ‘Am Kalavi’. As part of his role, he worked to gather intelligence to form an intelligence picture for the regime’s senior echelons during Operation ‘Roar of the Harrier’.
“Khademi worked to advance terrorist attacks worldwide, and was responsible for monitoring Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s suppression of internal protests. He was a key figure in the campaign, the intelligence he collected was used to promote and execute terrorist operations,” the IDF stated.
“Alongside this, Khadami worked to promote terrorist acts against the State of Israel and against Jews around the world and took part in attempts to harm American targets, and was even responsible for monitoring Iranian citizens as part of the suppression of internal protests in Iran,” it added.
The Israeli defence ministry mentioned that Khadami’s “elimination” constitutes another serious blow to the command and control systems of the Revolutionary Guards, and to its ability to “conduct terrorist activity” against the State of Israel and countries around the world.
On Sunday, the IDF announced that it had killed Mohammad Reza Ashrafi Kahi, the Head of Commerce at the IRGC’s Oil Headquarters in Tehran.
“Ashrafi managed the commercial operations of the Oil Headquarters, estimated at billions of dollars annually, and advanced the development of the IRGC’s military capabilities, as well as those of the Houthis, Hezbollah & Hamas,” the IDF posted on X.
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