Putin meets Iran Supreme Leader's aide in Moscow, discusses nuclear programme
On June 23, President Putin, during his meeting with Araghchi, had assured Tehran of Moscow's support in de-escalating the Israel-Iran conflict hours after the US strikes at Iranian nuclear sites at dawn on June 22.Moscow and Tehran have signed a strategic partnership treaty, but it does not provide for military assistance in case any side is attacked.However, Tehran and Moscow under the treaty have an obligation not to take the side of the aggressor and enter into urgent political consultations to mitigate the situation.Russia supports Tehran's right to pursue its civil nuclear research under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight.Earlier reports said Larijani had played a key role as the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament in the negotiation and eventual approval of the now defunct Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.He was instrumental in navigating domestic political complexities and securing parliamentary support for the agreement, which involved significant concessions from Iran in exchange for sanctions relief.However, US President Donald Trump had walked out of the deal in his first term under pressure from Israel.In his second term, Trump ordered the bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites and demanded the complete end to Tehran's enrichment activities under the civilian nuclear programme, allowed under the NPT to which Iran is a signatory.- Ends
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The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Modi announces statues of Chola kings as BJP takes Shaivite route to cracking Tamil Nadu puzzle
Addressing the people gathered, Modi harked back to the installation of the Sengol in the new Parliament building. A gold-plated, silver sceptre, the Sengol was earlier housed at the Allahabad Museum. Emissaries from the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam Matha, a Shaivite monastery, are believed to have had brought the Sengol to North India. Since then, the Sengol had been lying in the Allahabad museum for decades before it hit the headlines in 2023, when Modi, along with Hindu priests heading the 20 Adheenams in Tamil Nadu, installed it near the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair. On Sunday, participating in the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival at Tamil Nadu's Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple, established by Rajendra Chola I in the then-capital of the Chola Empire, Prime Minister Modi said the statues would 'serve as modern pillars of India's historical consciousness'. Honouring Rajendra Chola I, he also released a commemorative coin at the temple, which is now celebrating its 1,000th anniversary. Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the government will install statues of Raja Raja Chola, who ruled the Chola empire at its peak in the 10th and early 11th centuries, and his son Rajendra Chola I in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming years. 'During the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the saints from the Shaivite Adheenams led the ceremony spiritually. The sacred Sengol, deeply rooted in Tamil culture, has been ceremoniously installed in the new Parliament,' Modi said, emphasising that the Shaivite tradition in the state had played a key role in shaping the country's cultural identity. 'Chola emperors were key architects of this legacy. Even today, Tamil Nadu remains one of the most significant centres—where this living tradition continues to thrive.' Political analysts in the state, however, say the PM's address is an extension of the BJP's efforts to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu. 'They (BJP leaders) have been trying to leverage the worship of Lord Vinayagar (Tamil Nadu's Ganesha) through the Vinayagar Chaturthi festival (also known as Ganesh Chaturthi) for a long time, and for the last couple of years, they have tried to leverage Murugan (Ganesha's brother and god of war and victory). Now, they have taken the Shaivite tradition and Lord Shiva to appease the people of Tamil Nadu and bring everyone under one umbrella as Hindus,' said A. Ramasamy, a political analyst and former head of Tamil department at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. However, BJP leaders in the state said that it was not about politics and that analysts are misreading intentions. Speaking to ThePrint, the BJP's former Tamil Nadu president, Tamilisai Soundararajan, said that the PM's visit demonstrated that history and legacy matter. 'Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple was a historically important temple, built 1,000 years ago, and the Prime Minister visiting it was a symbol of celebrating the past, and it has nothing to do with politics. By the visit of the Prime Minister to a small district, like Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the city has got the light of the country, and [I] hope it regains its past glory,' she told ThePrint. 'C hola Empire advanced democratic tradition s' Stating that the history and heritage of the Chola Empire proclaim the true potential of India, the PM said, 'The legacy of Raja Raja Chola and Rajendra Chola is synonymous with India's identity and pride.' He also said that it was the Chola Empire, which implemented democratic election practices first, centuries before Britain's Magna Carta came into being. 'While historians speak of Britain's Magna Carta in the context of democracy, the Chola empire had implemented democratic election practices centuries earlier, through the Kudavolai Amaippu system,' he said, adding that the Chola Empire also advanced India's democratic traditions but had often been overlooked in global narratives. Under the Kudavolai Amaippu system, the names of contestants for membership of the village 'Maha Sabhas' were written on palm leaves, with the winner selected by a lucky lot drawn in front of all villagers. The Prime Minister also highlighted a belief that Rajendra Chola I transported Ganga water from North India to South India. 'While many are remembered for acquiring gold, silver, or livestock from other regions, Rajendra Chola is recognised for bringing sacred Ganga water. Rajendra Chola transported Ganga water from North India and established it in the South,' Modi said. The Prime Minister also highlighted the Union government's Kashi Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam programmes.'The Chola rulers have woven a thread of cultural unity across India. Today, our government is carrying forward the ideals from the Chola era,' the PM said. he also emphasised that the Shaivite philosophy would pave the way for meaningful solutions for several crises. Referring to the teachings of Tirumular, who wrote 'Anbe Sivam', meaning 'Love is Shiva', he said that 'had the world embraced this thought, many crises could resolve on their own'. India, he proclaimed, is currently advancing this philosophy through the motto, 'One world, One Family, One Future'. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Tamil Nadu on mission to get Blue Flag tag for 4 of its beaches. But Marina presents a unique challenge
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
New self-confidence in India post Sindoor: PM Modi before Parliament debate
GANGAIKONDA CHOLAPURAM/NEW DELHI: A day ahead of the parliamentary debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor , PM Narendra Modi on Sunday reasserted that the precision strikes on terror dens in Pakistan was India's message that there are no safe havens for terrorists and their masters. India places the highest priority on its national security and the operation has created a new awakening and a new self-confidence across the country, Modi said at an event in Tamil Nadu's Gangaikonda Cholapuram to honour Chola emperor Rajendra Chola. The world witnessed India's firm and decisive response to the threat against its sovereignty during Operation Sindoor and it has sent a clear message, there is no safe haven for terrorists and enemies of the nation, he said, setting the tone for the govt's response for the debate in Parliament, starting in Lok Sabha on Monday. Oppn plans to point to big terror attacks under 'PM Modi's watch' The upcoming discussion in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the attack and the operation comes as a significant opportunity for the govt to reaffirm its strong stance on national security and counter-terrorism. The debate - after a first week of disruption of Parliament's Monsoon session - is likely to be a fiery one between the ruling alliance and the opposition as they prepare to lock horns over the issues steeped in national security and foreign policy imperatives. The two sides have consented to a marathon 16-hour debate in each House, which invariably stretches longer in practice. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh is likely to initiate the debate immediately after the question hour in Lok Sabha. Sources said home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, and external affairs minister S Jaishankar will be speaking on the issues amid indications that the PM may make an intervention to convey his govt's "robust" stand against terrorism . Leaders of opposition in LS and RS - Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge - may lead the charge against the govt along with Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, besides a host of others. Congress , however, plans to attack the govt and particularly PM Modi on what BJP has claimed to be their calling card over a decade, and have used incessantly to target Congress over national security. More than Operation Sindoor, the opposition would be looking to hammer home that the country has been extremely unsafe from cross border threats, pointing to repeated big terror attacks under Modi's watch, from Uri to Pahalgam. This will also put Shah in the oppositions crosshairs. It is here that the opposition plans to undercut Modi's claim on national security. As has been seen since the terror attack, Congress and opposition have been pointing to the fact that the terrorists singled out the tourists by religion to execute them - a point that the opposition would have been reluctant to touch in the past for fear of polarisation. Congress ahead of the debate raised the issue of US President Donald Trump's claims of halting Operation Sindoor. Party leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said since May 10, Trump has claimed "26 times" that he stopped the operation by "threatening to cut off trade with India, and claimed that five fighter jets may have been shot down". Ramesh on X said "even though Congress had been demanding a special two-day session of Parliament immediately after Operation Sindoor was abruptly halted that demand was ignored. "Nevertheless, better late than never," he said.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Iran executes 2 opposition members over alleged attacks on civilian sites
Iran said Sunday it has executed two members of the exiled opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq after convicting them of carrying out attacks on public and civilian infrastructure. Iranian courts charged the two men with several offenses, including waging war against the state.(Representational Photo) The judiciary's official news website, Mizan Online, reported that Behrouz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hasani were hanged on Sunday morning after being found guilty of using improvised mortar launchers to target residential areas, educational institutions and government buildings. In January, rights group Amnesty International had issued an appeal for Eslamlou and Hasani, saying the two had been interrogated without the presence of lawyers and had been subjected "to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings and prolonged solitary confinement, to extract self-incriminating statements.' The Mojahedin Organization of Iran, also known as the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, issued a statement decrying the executions and said both men had been 'subjected to savage torture.' Calling for international condemnation of the executions, the group said another 14 people have been sentenced to death in Iran for alleged membership in the organization 'and are at imminent risk of execution.' Iranian courts charged the two men with several offenses, including waging war against the state, conspiracy, sabotage and membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors accused them of plotting to destabilize national security and damage public property. The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, once a Marxist-Islamist group that opposed Iran's monarchy, backed the 1979 Islamic Revolution but later broke with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's government. It carried out a series of deadly bombings and assassinations in the 1980s and supported Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war — stances that still provoke widespread resentment within Iran. The group is now largely based in Albania but claims to operate a clandestine network inside Iran. The last known execution of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq members took place in 2009, following their conviction in connection with an attempted bombing in Tehran's central Enghelab Square.
