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Monday, February 23, 2026
TopicMiddle East

Topic: Middle East

Regime change in Iran will be bad for India. The alternative will be worse

New Delhi has adopted a careful and calibrated posture toward complex conflicts in the Middle East. It offers little comfort.

Saudi-Pakistan defence pact finds another taker—Turkey

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, said Ankara is looking to join defence alliance under which ‘any aggression’ against one country is considered an attack on all.

India part of BRICS statement calling military strikes in Iran a ‘violation of international law’

BRICS, which includes Iran, expressed concern over the strikes since 13 June & the situation in Middle East. India had earlier distanced itself from SCO statement condemning Israel.

Iran allies China, Russia, Pakistan draft UN resolution seeking immediate ceasefire in Middle East

New Delhi: Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s global allies Russia, China, and Pakistan Sunday circulated a joint draft resolution calling for...

From Qatar to Bahrain, mapping US military presence in Middle East as US enters Israel-Iran conflict

US currently maintains 19 facilities across the region, with at least 8 reported to be permanent, across Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria & UAE.

21 Islamic nations call for nuclear-free Middle East amid Israel-Iran conflict, urge States to join NPT

Joint statement says diplomacy only viable path to resolving crises in region. Israel is only Middle East country that hasn't signed the treaty. Iran is a signatory but threatens to withdraw.

Middle East is replacing Europe as neutral ground. Prisoner exchange to ceasefire deals

The choice of Oman for US-Iran talks highlights the growing trust in Middle Eastern nations to provide a neutral ground for contentious international negotiations.

Global executions soar to highest in a decade, 91% reported from Iran, Iraq & Saudi Arabia

Death sentences were used in some Middle East countries to silence human rights defenders, dissidents, protesters, political opponents & ethnic minorities, Amnesty report adds.

With Assad’s ouster, China loses a friend in Middle East. But Beijing is playing the long game

The West wrongly thinks that China’s influence in the Middle East is limited, as seen in the ousting of Assad and China’s inability to resolve the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On Camera

Nick Jonas wearing a mangalsutra is validation for many Indians. He’s our favourite jiju

Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

Suspected brake failure leads to Tejas accident after landing, airframe likely to be written off

The IAF, so far, remains mum on this accident which has led to grounding of the fleet for safety checks.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.