Foreign Ed @the_hindu. Author: Original Sin; The Comrades & The Mullahs; The ISIS Caliphate. Visiting Professor at KREA University & ACJ; Tweets are personal.
Joined October 2009
- Tweets 24,732
- Following 489
- Followers 95,637
- Likes 16,128
1,536 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
10 Dec 2024
Happy to announce my new book, Original Sin: Israel, Palestine and the Revenge of Old West Asia.
Will release the book on December 15 at the Bangalore Lit Fest, with @HarperCollinsIN.
You can preorder it here: amazon.in/Original-Sin-Pales…
97
96
988
458,125
Reporting: trump says a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed Sunday, reopening Hormuz to all, and that the US would “go and get” Iran’s highly enriched uranium at a later stage even as Tehran remained non-committal about any timeline.
thehindu.com/news/internatio…
1
4
38
3,423
Reporting: A deal between the US and Iran could be finalised in 24 hours, Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday, while Iran’s Foreign Min said the signing of the deal “in the coming days could not be ruled out”, though it cautioned that no date has been set.
thehindu.com/news/internatio…
1
7
37
3,361
Good that the EAM took up the killing of Indians with the State Secretary level, after the meek initial response of the MEA which didn't even name the US. But the official State Department statement is utterly insensitive, though not shocking. It shows no regret, expresses no condolences for the loss of Indian lives and offers no course correction. Instead, it almost blames the victims for "violating" the illegal U.S. blockade in the Gulf of Oman. What kind of a comprehensive strategic partnership we are talking about when one side is shooting missiles at the sailors of the other in waters close to the latter's shores? Like any self-confident, rising country, India must also treat the killing of its nationals by foreign powers as the brightest of our red lines.
The Prime Minister's silence is not helping him politically or the country geopolitically.
25
263
1,015
30,961
Stanly Johny retweeted
Jun 13
Israel's delusional dream of becoming the sole hegemon and superpower in West Asia has taken a toll on the U.S. It has mired the U.S., led by Trump, in a war with Iran—a country that, despite being subjected to relentless economic sanctions and bombings by the U.S. and Israel, has not kowtowed to either of them. Rather, it has emerged as a deterrent to Israeli hegemony and has successfully resisted Trump's repeated calls to dismantle Iran completely. It would not be hyperbole to call Iran a "strategic superpower" in the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel.
" If Iran was willing to make concessions on its nuclear programme on February 27, it now insists that any discussion on the nuclear file can take place only after the U.S.-Israeli hostilities cease and the blockade is lifted. The war has fundamentally altered the strategic reality of the region. Yes, Iran has absorbed significant military and economic costs, but it has emerged strategically stronger by taking control of the Hormuz Strait and effectively trapping the U.S. in a costly stalemate" @johnstanly has highlighted the Iran's strategic position in his article in @the_hindu
thehindu.com/opinion/editori…
1
7
20
2,819
Jun 13
What an awful headline, @CNN! Indian lives are not collateral damage in anybody’s war. Here, they were killed by American missiles.
25
435
1,550
28,635
Jun 13
Editorial: The war has fundamentally altered the strategic reality of the region. Yes, #Iran has absorbed significant costs, but it has emerged strategically stronger by taking control of Hormuz and effectively trapping the U.S. in a costly stalemate. thehindu.com/opinion/editori…
2
12
68
4,213
Jun 12
Vance says #Iran is not going to get any money. This Reuters report says the UAE, which was hit the hardest during the 40 days of war, is unlocking $10 bn -- $3bn of which has already been delivered. reuters.com/world/middle-eas…
1
16
87
3,396
Stanly Johny retweeted
Jun 12
Where is Bangladesh headed under the BNP govt.? From economic challenges and India-Bangladesh ties to political stability and democratic transition, @PaliwalAvi breaks it down. Watch: youtu.be/Vbv-Kn2LPIk?si=1rS1…. Also read his fantastic piece @CarnegieEndow carnegieendowment.org/resear…
where @smritisudesh of @the_hindu and I discuss all things Bangladesh for the 'In Focus' podcast based on my recent @CarnegieSAsia piece
youtube.com/watch?v=Vbv-Kn2L…
1
4
2,112
Jun 12
Reporting: A day after US President Donald Trump backed away from a threatened attack on Iran, claiming progress in talks, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday Washington and Tehran have “never been closer” to reaching a preliminary agreement.
thehindu.com/news/internatio…
1
9
79
8,060
Jun 12
If you want to see how frantic Israel is over the possibility of a U.S.-Iran deal (which would only extend the ceasefire and reopen the strait but not address the nuclear programme now), read this post by the Israeli defence minister. -- also read the post by netanyahu, about dedicating his life, etc.
Israel pushed trump to withdraw from JCPOA because if did not want Iran to get sanctions relief. After Oct 7 and the collapse of the Syrian govt, Israel thought it had a historic opportunity to take the war to Iran and bring regime change (and reshape West Asia). That gamble is now falling apart.
trump's immediate priority is to get a deal to end the war and reopen the strait. The nuclear file would be discussed at a later stage. The highly enriched uranium remains in Iran. Iran retains the nuclear enrichment infrastructure and the technical knowhow. Worse, the US stands diminished in the Persian Gulf and Iran has gained strategic momentum by asserting control over Hormuz.
נשיא ארה"ב מוביל בימים אלה להסכם עם איראן מתוך ראיית האינטרסים האמריקאים, ובהם גם האינטרס המשותף עם ישראל - למנוע מאיראן נשק גרעיני - ואנו מצפים שיעמוד על העיקרון הזה ועקרונות נוספים בתחום הטילים ושלוחי הטרור.
ביחד הנחתנו על איראן מכות קשות שהסיגו את יכולותיה שנים רבות לאחור.
ישראל חייבת לוודא שגם בעתיד תהיה לנו את היכולת לפעול באופן עצמאי כדי למנוע מאיראן נשק גרעיני, ורה"מ בנימין נתניהו ואני הנחינו את צה"ל להיערך בהתאם.
ישראל לא תיסוג מאזורי הביטחון בלבנון, בסוריה ובעזה. צה"ל ימשיך להגן על גבולותינו ואזרחינו מתוך כתר החרמון, הרי הלבנון, חבלי ארצנו בשומרון ורוב שטחה של עזה - מול איומי כוחות וארגונים ג'יהאדיסטים, כלקח מרכזי מאירועי ה-7 באוקטובר.
צה"ל לא ייסוג ממחנות הטרור בצפון השומרון, המפונים מתושבים, ובמידת הצורך יורחב המהלך למחנות טרור נוספים.
תפיסת הביטחון שלנו חדה וברורה: פועלים מול איומים קרובים ורחוקים ושואפים להכרעות ולא לפשרות וויתורים.
הרבה מונח על כפות המאזניים בתקופה זו ואנחנו נחושים להמשיך ולהוביל מדיניות ביטחונית תקיפה שתמנע פגיעה בהישגינו הביטחוניים ולא תסכן את יכולתנו להיאבק מול ציר הרשע השיעי בהובלת איראן וציר הרשע הסוני בהובלת האחים המוסלמים.
ברצוני להביע הערכה רבה לפיקוד הצה"לי על ההישגים הגדולים ולחיילינו הגיבורים, בסדיר, בקבע ובמילואים, על מלחמת הגבורה למען ביטחון ישראל - ולתושבי הצפון על עמידת הגבורה שנותנת לצה"ל את הכוח להמשיך ולהגן על ביטחונם.
אני שולח חיבוק גדול למשפחות השכולות שאיבדו את היקר מכל ומאחל החלמה לכל הפצועים, בגוף ובנפש, שמסרו עצמם למען ההגנה על חיי היהודים וביטחון מדינת ישראל.
4
39
218
17,376
Jun 12
Speaking of the war on #Iran at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad. It’s an honour to be back on the campus.
1
7
326
6,119
Jun 11
After threatening to "hit Iran very hard" and even seize Kharg Island, trump has taken another U-turn (I have lost count how many times trump has taken U-turns since he launched this war). Try to understand the big picture here:
Iran threatens to attack Israel if it hit Beirut. Israel hits Beirut and Iran, for the first time, hits Israel without being hit by Israel. Israel strikes back, and Iran strikes Israel again. trump reins netanyahu in--action paused.
Iran downs a highly sophisticated American Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. strikes Iran. Iran hits American bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. The U.S. hits Iran again. (They play us for suckers, says trump). Iran hits back with greater force targeting U.S. bases in the same three countries and announces that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all traffic.
An angry trump, vows to "hit Iran very hard" again, and even threatens to take Kharg Island and the country's energy infrastructure. Within six hours, he takes a U-turn, saying he has paused the strikes and claims that Iran has approved talks--action paused again.
In the escalation dynamics, trump is taking one step forward and two steps backward.
8
57
417
14,547
Jun 11
My point is that I understand when #India doesn't name the perpetrator when it condemns the Israeli bombing of Qatar. I understand when India doesn't name when it condemns the Russian attacks in Ukraine. I also understand if India doesn't want to name when it condemns the Iranian attack on Persian Gulf monarchies. That's strategic balancing. But I don't understand why India doesn't name the country that fired missiles at vessels carrying Indian nationals, and killed three of them, in India's neighbourhood waters!
71
737
2,580
106,663
Jun 11
Who attacked the vessel? Pirates?
119
1,982
10,362
162,561
Jun 11
The war Israel and the US launched in India's neighbourhood poses the single largest threat to India's continued rise as a major economic power.
The war has posed new threats to India's energy security and complicated its choices in West Asia, particularly in the Persian Gulf, a region critical for India's growth in more than one way. You and I ate already hit by high energy prices, and it will go up further.
The war poses direct threats to the safety and well-being of the Indians living in the region, and the economic impact of the war on the Gulf will have a direct bearing on millions of Indian households.
The US torpedoed an Iranian vessel, which was in the region to participate in drills in India, in the Indian Ocean, bringing the war closer to India's shores.
Now the US has bombed a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, carrying 24 Indians, in which three Indian lives were lost.
--Have said this earlier. India MUST articulate a stronger position defending its critical interests, and against the perpetrators of this war which is endangering India's rise. We are not a passive fence-sitter here. We are getting hit, in one way or the other, every day.
22
217
712
42,604
Jun 11
India voiced its firm opposition to attacks on merchant shipping amid the ongoing Iran conflict, as it told the UN Security Council that several of its nationals have died or are missing due to attacks in the region. thehindu.com/news/national/f…
4
7
81
5,182
Jun 10
It remains a mystery how Iran's military, which is "a complete and total mess", continues to shoot down advanced American military helicopters!
Jun 10
Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP
5
22
259
8,392
Jun 9
Yeah, after bombing the country twice and assassinating its leader, trump gave them "every opportunity for peace". How dare the Iranians not take them!
Jun 9
President Trump has given Iran every opportunity for peace. But Iran continues choosing to threaten America and Israel.
Don’t mess with the USA 🇺🇸
1
24
204
7,579