A day after a United States submarine sank an Iranian warship off the Sri Lankan coast, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared that the US would “bitterly regret” the action. The foreign minister said that the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, “a guest of India’s Navy”, had been struck without warning.

From February 16 to February 25, the warship had attended an International Fleet Review in Vishakhapatnam, along with ships from several other countries.

The attack on the warship has left at least 87 dead, while 61 are missing. It took place amid a joint operation by the United States and Israel against the Iranian government.

Tel Aviv and Washington have claimed that Tehran’s actions pose an “existential threat” to Israel. While Tel Aviv has claimed that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, Tehran has maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. Read more.

Sri Lanka said it was trying to “safeguard lives” on another Iranian ship located in international waters near the country’s maritime border. It was unclear if the ship had been hit or had made a distress call to Sri Lankan authorities.

Minister Nalinda Jayatissa told Parliament that the vessel is in the country’s “exclusive economic zone” and that the government and defence ministry were aware of its presence.

The statement comes two days after a United States submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 people, with 61 missing. Sri Lankan forces rescued 32 survivors.

This came amid tensions in West Asia escalating six days ago after joint United States-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent retaliation. Read on.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that military conflicts cannot resolve global crises, referring to the escalation of hostilities in West Asia. He made the comments in New Delhi at a joint press meet alongside Finland’s President Alexander Stubb.

“Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we want the end of the conflicts and establishment of peace at the earliest,” Modi said, adding that rising global challenges require “urgent reforms in global institutions”.

Earlier this week, Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, had urged Modi to “speak up” on the conflict, saying that silence would diminish India’s global standing.

“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean,” Gandhi said on social media on Thursday. “Yet the prime minister has said nothing.” Read on.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he will contest the upcoming March 16 Rajya Sabha polls and, if elected, is expected to step down from his position in the state. He assured residents of his continued commitment to Bihar’s development.

This has led to speculation that his son, Nishant Kumar, could be made the deputy chief minister and that a Bharatiya Janata Party leader could take over as the chief minister.

Opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav, Jairam Ramesh and Dipankar Bhattacharya, criticised the move as a betrayal of the people’s mandate.

Bihar has five vacant Rajya Sabha seats, with National Democratic Alliance candidates likely to secure four unopposed. Read on.

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