Dhaka, March 15: India has repeatedly raised concerns over the safety of the minority communities with Bangladeshi authorities, and expects thorough investigations and accountability. However, the responsibility to ensure the protection of all citizens lies with the government of Bangladesh, a report highlighted.

Citing rights groups, it stated that preventing recurring violence requires more than reactive policing; it demands “sustained legal protection, swift prosecution of offenders, and community reconciliation efforts”.

“Without transparent, independently verifiable data, the full picture remains contested. Yet the allegations alone underscore a broader concern: when minorities in any country face persistent insecurity, it challenges the region’s commitment to pluralism, rule of law, and fundamental human dignity,” The Morning Voice newspaper detailed.

According to the report, a recent disclosure in India’s Parliament revealed that nearly 3,100 incidents of violence targeting Hindus and other minorities took place in Bangladesh between August 2024 and February 2026, raising serious concerns about minority safety in the neighbouring country.

“Attacks allegedly targeted homes, businesses, and places of worship, with reports of killings and arson. If accurate, such acts would represent not only communal violence but also a grave violation of internationally recognised human rights principles, including freedom of religion, equality before the law, and the right to life and security,” the report stressed.

“The issue carries particular sensitivity for India, which shares a long and porous border with Bangladesh and deep historical, cultural, and demographic ties. Instability affecting minorities across the border can have humanitarian, diplomatic, and security implications, including displacement pressures and cross-border tensions,” it added.

The report further said that if verified, the violence against minorities would be more than just a domestic problem, emerging as a human rights concern that calls for sustained global attention.

Bangladesh witnessed escalating attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, sparking grave human rights concerns, which intensified during the eighteen-month tenure of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

Tehran, March 14: Iran on Saturday accused the United States of double standards over Russian oil, saying that Washington was now “begging” countries to purchase the same crude it had earlier tried to block through pressure and sanctions.

In an X post, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi slammed the US, alleging that it had spent months pressuring India to halt imports of Russian oil but had now shifted its position as tensions with Iran disrupted global energy markets.

“The US spent months on bullying India into ending oil imports from Russia,” Araghchi wrote on X. “After two weeks of war with Iran, the White House is now begging the world — including India — to buy Russian crude.”

He also took aim at European governments, accusing them of supporting what he described as an “illegal war” against Iran in the expectation that such backing would help them secure stronger US support in their standoff with Russia.

“Europe thought backing illegal war on Iran would win US support against Russia. Pathetic,” Araghchi said in the same post.

The Iranian foreign minister shared his remarks alongside a headline from the Financial Times, which reported that the surge in global oil prices was providing Russia with a major boost in revenue.

Araghchi’s comments came after the Trump administration on Thursday announced a 30-day waiver allowing countries to purchase certain Russian oil cargoes currently stranded at sea.

The measure was introduced as part of efforts to ease volatility in global energy markets after crude prices surged beyond $100 per barrel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The waiver was announced after benchmark oil prices crossed the $100 per barrel mark following supply disruptions linked to the war and Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route through which a significant portion of the world’s oil shipments pass.

According to the US Treasury Department, the temporary licence permits the delivery and sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products that had already been loaded onto vessels as of March 12. The authorisation will remain valid until midnight Washington time on April 11.

The latest move comes after a similar 30-day waiver issued on March 5 that allowed India to purchase Russian oil cargoes that were stuck at sea, giving importers limited flexibility to secure supplies during the ongoing crisis.

Amid the disruption, Iran has now granted safe passage to Indian-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz despite the wider restrictions imposed on global shipping, and an LPG tanker sailing to India crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

The development follows a series of high-level diplomatic engagements between India and Iran, including phone conversations between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday to review the rapidly evolving situation in the West Asia region.

Tehran, March 13: Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref said the administration has declared the coming week as the “Week of National Unity and Solidarity for Iran,” according to the official news agency IRNA.

Aref said he had made the decision on behalf of the administration and was inspired by the first message of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The message was released earlier in the day and highlighted the need to maintain unity among the Iranian people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Aref said, as stressed by Iran’s supreme leader, the people’s “effective presence on the scene and maintaining national unity” are the most important props for the country’s power and security.

Meanwhile, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said Thursday that it is his country’s “inherent right” to preserve peace and security in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iravani told reporters that Iran “fully respects and remains committed to the principle of freedom of navigation under the law of the sea.”

“However, the current situation in the region, including in the Strait of Hormuz, is not the result of Iran’s lawful exercise of its right of self-defence. Rather, it is the direct consequence of the destabilizing actions of the United States in launching aggression against Iran and undermining regional security,” he said.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday called for the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying that “the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to be used.”

On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then 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.