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This Muslim country becomes a shield for Israel, shoots down Iranian drones in its airspace, the king is a descendant of Prophet Muhammad, country is…

This Muslim country becomes a shield for Israel, shoots down Iranian drones in its airspace, the king is a descendant of Prophet Muhammad, country is…

India.com14-06-2025

This Muslim country becomes a shield for Israel, shoots down Iranian drones in its airspace, the king is a descendant of Prophet Muhammad, country is...
Iran tried to hit back at Israel by sending drones, but all of them were stopped in time. The Israeli and Jordanian armies worked together to shoot down the drones before they could cause any damage. Jordan has been a close partner of Israel in such situations and has helped many times before. Last year too, Jordan's army had stopped several missiles and drones heading toward Israel. Jordan, a Muslim-majority country, has a special bond with the region. Its King Abdullah is believed to be a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
Israel's national broadcaster said that some of Iran's drones were destroyed over Syria itself. Meanwhile, Jordan's official news agency reported that its military took down several drones and missiles that had entered its airspace early in the morning. These were launched by Iran to attack Israel, but Jordan destroyed them in the sky. Because of the situation, Jordan also temporarily closed its airspace. 'Our airspace won't be a warzone,' says Jordan
Jordan has firmly stated that it will not allow its airspace to become a battleground. The country warned that any violation of its skies will not be tolerated.
Jordan lies between key players in the conflict i.e. on one side is Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and on the other side is Iraq, Iran's neighbor. Because of its location, Jordan's airspace becomes a possible route for attacks, making its role very important.
Back in 1994, Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel, becoming the second Arab country to do so. Since then, the two nations have maintained close security and intelligence ties. Jordan is also a key ally of the United States. During Iranian attacks, Jordan acts as a shield for Israel, helping to block threats before they reach Israeli territory. King Abdullah: One of the few muslim leaders supporting Israel
Jordan's King Abdullah II is among the rare Muslim rulers who openly support Israel. During last year's missile attacks by Iran, Jordan was the only Muslim country that openly admitted helping Israel. In October, when Iran fired around 180 missiles at Israel, Jordan shot down more than a dozen of them while they were still in its airspace.
Despite facing criticism both from other countries and within Jordan, the government stood by its decision and continued its support for Israel.
King Abdullah II has ruled Jordan since 1999, after the death of his father, King Hussein. For over 25 years, he has been the country's head of state. He belongs to the Hashemite royal family and is believed by many Muslims to be a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, from the 43rd generation. This connection gives him a special status among many in the Muslim world. A modern ruler with a global outlook
King Abdullah II of Jordan is known for his modern lifestyle. He studied in the UK and the US, and in 1980, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. He has served in both the British and Jordanian armies. In 1993, he became the deputy commander of Jordan's special forces, and by 1994, he was leading them.
He is seen as someone who has helped move Jordan towards modern thinking and development. His wife and daughter are never seen wearing burqas, and he himself follows a modern way of living.
In 1993, he married Rania Al-Yaseen, a Palestinian woman who was living in Kuwait at the time. Queen Rania is active in health and education projects, both in Jordan and abroad. She has spoken at big events like the Jeddah Economic Forum, Harvard's Kennedy School, and the Skoll Foundation in the UK. She works to promote better understanding between different cultures around the world.

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Neighbourhood policy at work: India to fly home Nepal, Sri Lanka citizens from Iran
Neighbourhood policy at work: India to fly home Nepal, Sri Lanka citizens from Iran

Indian Express

time29 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Neighbourhood policy at work: India to fly home Nepal, Sri Lanka citizens from Iran

In a major diplomatic outreach to its neighbours, India said Saturday it will evacuate nationals of Nepal and Sri Lanka who are stranded in Iran and want to leave the country. Officials in Delhi framed it as an example of India's 'neighbourhood first policy' — of helping its neighbours in times of crisis, be it conflict, natural calamity or pandemic. This announcement came on the day two more flights, operated by the Iranian Mahan Air, landed in Delhi. The Indian embassy in Tehran, in a post on X, said, 'On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy's evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka.' 'The citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka may urgently reach out to the Embassy, either on the Telegram channel or over the emergency contact numbers: +989010144557;+989128109115; +989128109109,' it stated. Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba expressed Kathmandu's gratitude. In a post on X, she thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar 'for India's swift assistance in helping to evacuate Nepali nationals from Iran'. 'India's support in Nepal's evacuation efforts is a reflection of the strength of Nepal-India ties,' she said. Sources said about 16 Nepal nationals are in touch with the Nepalese embassy in Delhi. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post, said, 'Sri Lanka extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of India for the timely assistance to evacuate Sri Lankan nationals from Iran alongside Indian citizens. This act of solidarity exemplifies the strong and enduring partnership between Sri Lanka and India, and is deeply appreciated by the people of Sri Lanka.' So far, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated from Iran. 'Another evacuation flight from Mashhad landed in New Delhi at 1630 hrs on 21 June with 310 Indian nationals from Iran. With this, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated,' Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said. A group of about 290 Indian nationals, including students, reached Delhi late Friday night and early Saturday after being evacuated from Iran as its war with Israel intensified. On Wednesday, India announced the launch of Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran. 'Operation Sindhu flight brings citizens home. India evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV& OIA) Arun Chatterjee,' Jaiswal wrote on X. 'Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process,' he said. The first batch of 110 Indian nationals, evacuated under Operation Sindhu, arrived in India Thursday, with many evacuees sharing firsthand accounts of the frightening situation they witnessed before being moved to safer locations. This is not the first time that Delhi has stepped in to evacuate citizens of its neighbours. In the early days of the Ukraine war, India evacuated nationals of neighbouring countries along with its own. Delhi managed to persuade Tehran to open Iranian airspace for the evacuation of around 1,000 Indians via the north-eastern town of Mashhad. Sources said Delhi, after days of negotiations, moved its nationals to Mashhad and secured overflight permissions from Iran and Turkmenistan to fly Indians out of harm's way. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India found an air corridor for a safe flight out. Indians were moved from Tehran to Qom and then to Mashhad, with the help of the Indian embassy and Iranian authorities. India's ties with Iran and Israel puts it in a delicate spot, where it has to do some diplomatic balancing act. Delhi has strategic stakes with Iran – from Chabahar port to shared concerns on Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, it has been very careful in its statements. It has a very strategic security and defence partnership with Israel as well. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

Trump's ‘Two Weeks' Pause on Iran Strikes Comes With High Stakes
Trump's ‘Two Weeks' Pause on Iran Strikes Comes With High Stakes

Mint

time31 minutes ago

  • Mint

Trump's ‘Two Weeks' Pause on Iran Strikes Comes With High Stakes

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But experts say it will be hard for Israel to destroy Iran's most fortified uranium enrichment facility, the Fordow plant, without the bunker-busting bombs only the US has. The US military launched several long-range stealth B-2 bombers — the kind that could carry the 30,000-pound bombs — from Missouri over the Pacific, according to media reports, possibly positioning them in case of a strike. The Wall Street Journal cited officials saying that no order has been given to ready an operation. 'For the Israelis it does put them in a bind,' said Illan Goldenberg, a former White House and Pentagon official who worked on Iran issues. 'They'd prefer this not go on for weeks and months.' 'My guess is they have some kind of option for Fordow, but it's not as good as our option for Fordow,' said Goldenberg, a senior vice president at J Street, a liberal Israel lobbying group focused on creating a two-state solution. The Israelis 'put themselves in this limbo by launching a war and putting their faith in Donald Trump to come and finish the job.' Israeli officials told the White House in what was described as a tense phone call on Thursday that two weeks is too long to wait for Iran to reach a deal to dismantle its nuclear program, Reuters reported Saturday. Iran, meanwhile, could seek to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for roughly 20% of global crude flows. Even without a direct move by Tehran, nearly 1,000 vessels daily have reported GPS jamming near the narrow passage separating Iran from its Arab neighbors, according to the French naval liaison body MICA Center. The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia in Yemen, threatened on Saturday to target US vessels and battleships if the US joins Israeli attacks. The conflict started June 13 when Israel, saying it had evidence that Iran was close to achieving nuclear weapons capability, launched a series of missile attacks on Iran, which has returned missile attacks. Keeping the world guessing Trump for years has had a penchant for setting two-week deadlines, sometimes following through and at other times missing them or never acting at all, making 'within two weeks' a stock phrase for pending decisions in both his White House terms. On Friday, Trump kept the world guessing on his next steps. Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, he called himself a 'peacemaker' and dismissed the idea of sending in ground troops. He both suggested he wanted a diplomatic path and said he might support a ceasefire, but also kept a military threat alive, describing the two-week time frame as a maximum. 'I'm giving them a period of time,' he declared. Israel has pressed Trump to offer support, but in return Trump has only offered a run of tough commentary. European diplomats have stepped in to try to de-escalate tensions by talking to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi with little to show for it but a dismissive remark from Trump. Trump won the presidency twice promising not to get the US involved in the kinds of intractable Middle East wars he savaged his predecessors over. His most fervent MAGA supporters have been urging him publicly and privately to avoid military action in keeping with his 'America First' position. Since Israel's assault on Iran started, Israelis have faced hundreds of ballistic missiles and 1,000 drone attacks launched by Tehran. Iran has lost a slew of military officials, with more than 400 people dead and several nuclear facilities and related infrastructure destroyed or damaged. Israel, which has been waging a military campaign in Gaza since Hamas militants attacked the country on Oct. 7, 2023, may struggle to sustain a war against Tehran. The US is already working to replenish Israel's defenses as they deplete their stock of interceptors. And Israeli officials say Trump's pause means the war will last even longer. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the Jewish state will 'achieve all of our objectives,' including rendering Fordow inoperable. Trump cited hopes for negotiations as part of his aim for the 'two-week' pause. But Iranians refuse to negotiate with the US while an Israeli assault continues, and the talks with European leaders appeared to make little progress. Trump expressed skepticism about those efforts Friday, saying: 'Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help them.' Yet Iran refuses to talk to the US while the Israeli assault continues. Peter Krause, a Boston College professor who specializes in Middle Eastern politics, argued that if Trump is doing 'coercive diplomacy' with Iran, then his 'hand is strengthened' the more damage Israelis do to Iran. Krause said the next two weeks will likely see a 'ramping up with more of the same militarily, but simultaneously, attempted diplomacy led by the Europeans and maybe the United States and the Turks to see if we can get an off-ramp before things get worse.' Trump has also long hurled ultimatums at opponents that he often quickly reverses as he pushes them to make concessions — as the world saw with his tariffs regime in the spring — demanding exorbitant tariffs only to back off once the trading partner arrived at the negotiating table. But taking that approach here may not work. The latest signals from the White House suggest a demand for zero uranium enrichment in Iran, a condition Tehran sees as fundamentally unacceptable. Iranian officials maintain they have no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons, but argue that some level of enrichment, under clear restrictions and oversight, is a sovereign right. Stripping that away, they contend, would amount to capitulation rather than compromise. With assistance from Ethan Bronner. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize for global diplomacy, including India and Pakistan efforts
Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize for global diplomacy, including India and Pakistan efforts

India Gazette

timean hour ago

  • India Gazette

Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize for global diplomacy, including India and Pakistan efforts

Washington, DC [US], June 22 (ANI): US President Donald Trump has said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic efforts in resolving various global conflicts, including a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters after landing in New Jersey, Trump mentioned several instances where, in his view, his actions merited the prestigious award. 'They should give me the Nobel Prize for Rwanda, and if you look at Congo, or you could say Serbia, Kosovo, you could say a lot of them. I mean, the big one is India and Pakistan,' he said. 'I should have gotten it four or five times. I would think the Abraham Accords would be a good one too. But they won't give me a Nobel Peace Prize because they only give it to liberals,' he added. Trump also highlighted his efforts with India and Pakistan, stating, 'We did a very great job with India and Pakistan. And we had India in. It looks like we're going to be making a great deal with India and Pakistan.' When asked about the reports of planes landing in Iran from China, Trump responded, 'They say that they're there to take people out. But I can't tell you about that.' He also commented on his rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, 'I get along very well with China. I get along very well with President Xi. I like him. He likes me. We have a very good relationship. I can't imagine them getting involved.' Since the start of the Israel-Iran war on June 12, several Internet users have been claiming that China is secretly supporting Iran militarily, based on images from Flightradar24 (a website that tracks real-time aircraft movements), France 24 reported. On Monday, a pro-Iranian account on X called SilencedSirs claimed that 'two giant cargo planes flying from China to Iran turned off their tracking signals before entering Iranian airspace'. According to SilencedSirs, the proof is two-fold: a video shared in a post viewed over six million times made by a supposed media outlet called Prime Scope, and a screenshot of an aircraft's route tracked by Flightradar24, purporting to show one of the planes in Iranian airspace. According to France 254, since Friday, many Internet users have also been sharing other Flightradar24 images purporting to show several flights from China entering Iran. (ANI)

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