Tehran, July 27: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on said Ukraine’s attack on an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea “cannot go unanswered.”

In a post on the social media platform X, Araghchi accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of ordering “a blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.”

He said he had “made clear that what the freeloader in Kyiv did CANNOT GO UNANSWERED” in phone calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday and Sunday respectively, Xinhua news agency reported.

He made the remarks on Saturday in a phone call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, in which the two sides discussed the latest regional developments, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Araghchi condemned the Ukrainian attack, urging the EU, UN Security Council, and international community to hold its “perpetrators” and supporters to account, according to the statement.

The two sides also addressed developments in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the need for diplomatic initiatives to manage regional tensions, it added.

In a separate statement, the ministry said it summoned Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Tehran on Saturday over the attack, formally delivering a note of protest condemning the “hostile and criminal” act.

According to the Iranian foreign ministry, the attack took place at 3:00 a.m. local time on Saturday (2330 GMT on Friday) and led to the vessel’s explosion as well as a sailor’s death.

The semi-official Mehr news agency on Sunday reported that three sailors were also injured in the attack.

Citing the Governor of Iran’s northern Gilan province Hadi Haghshenas, it said that the steel-laden vessel was en route from Russia’s Astrakhan Port to Iran’s Anzali Port in Gilan when it came under attack.

The ship’s bridge was destroyed, leaving it unable to continue its voyage, Haghshenas said, adding that the incident would be pursued through domestic and international legal channels.

Zelensky said on Saturday that his country’s forces had hit a Russian warship and vessels used for transporting Iran-linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea.

New Delhi, July 27: Delhi Police on Monday arrested an active snatcher within hours of a mobile phone snatching incident in the Madhu Vihar area. With the arrest of accused, police claimed to have cracked four criminal cases, recovering a snatched mobile phone, a scooty used in the commission of the offence, and two additional stolen mobile phones linked to separate theft cases.

The accused has been identified as Upender alias Piyush (22), a resident of West Vinod Nagar, Delhi. Police said swift action based on credible secret information led to his arrest, while efforts are continuing to trace and apprehend his absconding associate.

According to Delhi Police, the incident came to light on July 25 after a PCR call regarding the snatching of a mobile phone was received at Police Station Madhu Vihar. The inquiry was assigned to Sub-Inspector Mahipal Singh.

During the investigation, complainant Ayush Das informed the police that at around 12 noon, while travelling towards Ghazipur, he was passing the DCP Cut near Utsav Ground in IP Extension when two unidentified men riding a blue scooty approached him. The pillion rider allegedly snatched his blue mobile phone before the duo fled towards the East District DCP Office.

Based on the complainant’s statement, FIR No. 293/2026 was registered at Police Station Madhu Vihar under Sections 304(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was launched.

The police team began an intensive search operation, analysed available leads and developed credible intelligence regarding the accused’s movements. Acting on the secret information, the police laid a trap near Utsav Ground, IP Extension, at around 9.20 p.m. on the same day and successfully apprehended Upender.

During his arrest, police recovered the snatched mobile phone belonging to the complainant. The blue scooty allegedly used in the crime was also seized. Verification through the vehicle’s chassis number revealed that it had been reported stolen in e-FIR No. 17144/2026 registered at Police Station Pandav Nagar.

A further search of the scooter led to the recovery of two additional stolen mobile phones — a handset and another phone. Police said these devices were linked to separate e-FIRs, numbered 80115470/2025 and 80011811/2026, registered at Police Station PIA.

With these recoveries, Delhi Police said it had successfully solved four criminal cases, including the present mobile phone snatching case.

During sustained interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that he had committed the snatching along with an associate. Acting on his disclosure, police conducted a raid at the co-accused’s residence. However, he was found absconding. Police said continuous efforts are underway to trace and arrest him.

The accused has been formally arrested, and all recovered property has been seized in accordance with legal procedures. He is being produced before the competent court, while further investigation is underway.

During questioning, the accused also disclosed that he had become addicted to drugs and had started committing property-related offences to finance his addiction.

Mumbai, July 27: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Monday claimed that the Centre became a “laughing stock” during the 35-day agitation by youth and student leaders at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

In a sharply worded editorial in its mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, the Thackeray faction stated that the sustained protests against the NEET exam paper leaks gave the Central government a “full-time reality check”, severely fracturing the narrative of PM Modi’s ‘invincibility’.

According to the editorial, the widespread anger among Indian youth made Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan its “first political casualty”. The party argued that despite initial government resistance — noting reports that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had declared resignations were not part of the NDA’s working style — escalating public outrage ultimately forced the government to seek Pradhan’s exit.

The editorial firmly rejected Pradhan’s official reason for stepping down, where he cited a desire to preserve national unity and prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the protest. “Which anti-national forces did he see at Jantar Mantar or in protests across the country?” it asked.

“Labelling student leaders and climate activists as ‘anti-national’ is an insult to the genuine outrage felt across the nation. Pradhan’s resignation has no connection to national unity –the country was united by the sacrifice of 20 young lives lost due to the NEET paper leak,” noted the editorial.

The editorial highlighted key figures who lent momentum to the 35-day movement, including US-returnee Abhijeet Dipke, who founded the “Cockroach Janata Party” to mobilise against paper leaks, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who went on a hunger strike, and student leader Neha Bora. The party noted the contradiction in the government’s stance, pointing out that while the BJP tried to brand Wangchuk as a foreign agent, its own ministers were seen visiting him to plead for the end of his fast.

The editorial asserted that the political fallout cannot end with Dharmendra Pradhan alone. Holding Home Minister Amit Shah directly accountable for ordering harsh police lathi charges on student demonstrators, the mouthpiece demanded an official apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Thackeray camp dismissed the government’s newly introduced anti-paper leak bill — which mandates up to 10 years in prison and a Rs 10 crore fine — as a mere “gimmick”. It alleged that the bill is simply rehashed old legislation with altered penalty figures designed to mislead students and parents.

The editorial claimed that the digital creativity, technology, and spontaneous organising of the protesting youth effectively rendered the BJP’s digital outreach and IT Cell inactive during the month-long demonstration.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) warned that unless the administration addresses the root causes of student discontent and administrative failures, the “blaze of discontent” will continue to grow across the country.