Dubai, Mar 10: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war against Iran could be short-lived, but he left open the possibility of an escalation in fighting if global oil supplies are disrupted by the Islamic Republic, which chose a new hard-line supreme leader.
Oil prices briefly shot to their highest level since 2022 a day after Iran selected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his late father as Iran's supreme leader. Investors saw it as a signal that Iran was digging in 10 days into the war launched by the United States and Israel.
But prices later fell and US stocks rose on hopes that the war with Iran may not last much longer.
"We took a little excursion" to the Middle East "to get rid of some evil. And, I think you will see it is going to be a short-term excursion", Trump told Republican lawmakers at his golf club near Miami.
Hours later, Trump posted on social media: "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far."
The war has choked off major supplies of oil and gas to world markets and sent fuel prices rising across the US. The fighting has also led foreigners to flee from business hubs and prompted millions to seek shelter as bombs hit military bases, government buildings, oil and water installations, hotels and at least one school.
Trump also had a call on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war and other issues. Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Putin "voiced a few ideas regarding a quick political and diplomatic settlement" of the conflict following his conversations with Gulf leaders and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Khamenei, a secretive 56-year-old cleric, is only the third supreme leader in the history of the Islamic Republic. He has close ties to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has been firing missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab states since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989, was killed during the war's opening salvo.
Multiple strikes shake Tehran
Dozens of explosions were heard in Tehran in what was considered the heaviest air raid on the capital since the war started on February 28. Iranian media did not report on damages and casualties.
Israel said on Monday that it was carrying out "a wide-scale wave of strikes" on the Iranian city of Isfahan, as well as Tehran and in southern Iran. The Israeli military said it hit dozens of infrastructure sites, including the drone headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard.
Meanwhile, Israel's military alerted the population throughout the day about incoming missiles from Iran. From Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Monday.
Trump said the United States was nearing its goal to eliminate Iran's ballistic-missile stockpile and its ability to produce and launch them. The administration has offered shifting rationales and timelines since the start of the conflict.
He also talked about "building a new country", a comment that seemed to suggest the US might be engaged in the building of a new Iran.
Trump likes idea of another 'internal' candidate to lead Iran
Thousands poured into a central square in the capital, Tehran, and other locations in a show of allegiance to the new supreme leader, waving flags and shouting phrases like "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".
The younger Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the war started, was long considered a potential successor -- even before the killing of his 86-year-old father.
Trump told reporters that he was "disappointed" that Mojtaba Khamenei was picked and that he liked "the idea" of a leader drawn from an "internal" group of candidates, saying that worked well with Venezuela.
The younger Khamenei is seen as even less compromising than his late father. As supreme leader, he has the final say on all major policies, including Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.
Though Iran's key nuclear sites are in tatters after the US bombed them during the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June, it still has highly-enriched uranium that is a technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Khamenei could choose to do what his father never did -- build a nuclear bomb.
Trump told reporters the war with Iran started because that country was working on a new site for developing material for nuclear weapons to replace one bombed last year by the US.
Israel has already described Khamenei as a potential target. Trump said on Monday it "would be inappropriate" to say whether he would be targeted.
US market seesaws over uncertainty of war
The US stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the war with Iran may not last that long. Oil prices whipped from nearly USD 120 per barrel, the highest since 2022, back toward USD 90.
Iran's attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have all but stopped tankers from using the shipping lane through which a fifth of the world's oil is carried, and Iranian drones and missiles have targeted oil and gas infrastructure in major producers. Attacks on merchant ships near the strait have killed at least seven mariners, according to the International Maritime Organisation.
Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to the office of the supreme leader, told CNN on Monday that Iran is prepared for a long war. (PTI)
Suhail Khan Baramulla, Jan 6: A young aerospace engineer from Sopore in north Kashmirâs Baramulla district is proving that dedication and ambition can propel one to global heights. Munaf-ul-Raquib who holds a B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering, has gained international recognition for his research on black holes and cosmology. Munaf-ul-Raquib revealed that his paper on the thermodynamics of black holes was recently published in the International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). âAbout a year ago, I conducted research on the gravity of black holes and cosmology, which has now been published in IJSR,â he said. He said that since his research was published in the international journal, he has been receiving opportunities from various countries to participate in research dialogues. Raquib added that in the coming months he is scheduled to participate in international conferences in Paris on April 16 and later in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Sopore aerospace engineer noted that he is also participating in various conferences across different countries. Speaking about his research, Munaf-ul-Raquib addressed a fundamental paradox in astrophysics: how black holes can appear to violate thermodynamic laws, particularly concerning entropy.âIf we observe a black hole, it seems to contradict thermodynamic principles,â he said. Using the frameworks of Anti-de Sitter space (AdS) and Conformal Field Theory (CFT), Raqeebâs research proposes a theoretical model that reconciles black hole mechanics with thermodynamics. âIn this paper, I have explained how a black hole can function without violating thermodynamic laws,â he said. He described the achievement as both personal and symbolic. âIt is a proud moment for me to represent my state, especially Sopore, on an international platform,â he said. Raqeeb shared that Astrophysics was his childhood dream, and his grandfather encouraged me immensely. "After my grandfather passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic, my parents continued to champion my aspirations. My parents left no stone unturned in helping me pursue my dreams,â he said. He said that his academic path included taking the JEE and later the AME CET entrance exams, through which he secured a seat in aerospace engineering at the Nasik Research Centre. âMy parents not only supported me morally but also created an environment where I could pursue my dreams freely,â he said. He emphasized the role of family in nurturing talent. âJust as my parents supported me, it is the responsibility of all parents to help their children follow their dreams.â âYoung people should avoid wrong practices. They must dream of a beautiful tomorrow but work hard today to make their parents proud,â he further added.
Srinagar, Jan 12: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) will declare the result of class 10th and 12th examination on January 14 of, 2026 (Wednesday), minister for education Sakina Itoo said on Monday. Minister for education Sakina Itoo said the government has decided to declare the result of both the classes-10th and 12th on the same day. "We understand that students have been waiting for the results. So we decided that result of both the classes will be declared on Wednesday (January 16 of 2926)," Sakina Itoo said. She said the meeting of the Result Declaration Committee (RDC) will be convened by the Secretary JKBOE along with the members-Director School Education (DSE) Kashmir and Jammu division besides the joint secretaries as well. "We will give the administrative approval to the result instead of getting approved by the chairman," she said. The announcement comes amid the delay in appointment of chairman JKBOSE as the position is lying vacant for the last one year. "After declaration of the results, we will also appoint the permanent chairman for JKBOSE as well," education minister said. An official from JKBOSE said the class 1oth result will be declared on Wednesday morning followed by the declaration of result of class 12th students in late afternoon on the same day. As per the official figures, 94783 students- 68804 from Kashmir and 25,224 students from winter zone areas of Jammu division besides 660 students from Kargil and 95 from Leh district registered for the class 10th JKBOSE examination this year. Also, the examination for class 11th and 12th students was scheduled from November 19 and November 8 of 2025 respectively. Approximately, 81622 students â 64001 from Jammu and 17621 from winter zone areas of Jammu have registered for class 11th examination while 70117 studentsâ56423 from Kashmir and 13694 from winter zone areas of Jammu have registered for class 12th examination.
'Results likely to get delayed in absence of Chairman' Jammu, Jan 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) on Wednesday said the result of the class 10th examinations will be declared soon after the appointment of the Chairman of the Board. The statement comes amid the uncertainty about the declaration of the results by JKBOSE. In an official handout issued here, JKBOSE has advised students not to pay heed to fake links and websites announcing declaration of class 10 results. "Result of class 10th will be declared within few days soon after the appointment of new Chairman," the statement reads. The JKBOSE has stated that the results of annual examination of class 10 of Kashmir valley and winter zone areas of Jammu Division are almost ready. "But its approval by Result Declaration Committee headed by BOSE Chairman is a pre- requisite before its declaration. In absence of the Chairman the results are likely to get a little delayed," it reads. The JKBOSE officials have advised the students to wait for the formal declaration on the official website of the Board- www.jkbose.nic.in. "Students should not get misled by scamesters and fake narratives circulated by some mischievous elements, whose sole aim is to create confusion in the innocent student community," the statement reads.
Srinagar, Jan 8: Contractual faculty members working in government degree colleges of Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department (HED) have expressed strong resentment over what they term as a glaring disparity in salaries, demanding revision of their pay in line with University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and regularisation of their services. The faculty, many of whom hold PhDs and are qualified through NET, SET and JRF, said they have been denied UGC-recommended pay scales despite discharging academic responsibilities equivalent to their regular counterparts. âHundreds of highly qualified scholars have been pushed into silent suffering. For years, we have been assured that our pay revision is under consideration, but nothing has materialised so far,â said Dr Ishfaq Gowhar, a contractual faculty member. Earlier, Director Colleges J&K had acknowledged the legitimacy of the facultyâs demand, stating that while the issue was genuine, its implementation involved significant financial implications due to the large number of contractual appointments. âWe are aware that they deserve salary enhancement, but the number of contractual faculty is huge and it has financial implications,â he earlier said. Dr Gowhar pointed out that contractual lecturers, who form the backbone of the higher education system, continue to work on a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs 28,000, which has remained unchanged for nearly a decade. âThe irony is that a Class IV employee with a Class 10 qualification draws a salary exceeding Rs 50,000, while doctorate-holding teachers engaged in teaching, mentoring and academic research are paid a fraction of that,â he said. He added that institutions such as SKUAST-K, University of Kashmir and Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) have implemented revised UGC pay scales, but the Higher Education Department has failed to extend similar treatment to its contractual faculty. Dr Gowhar said the demand for âequal work, equal payâ gets prominently featured in election campaigns, raising hopes among contractual teachers. âPromises were made and slogans echoed during elections, but once the process ended, our voices were reduced to silence. Even meeting officials now feels impossible,â he said. He said contractual faculty were not seeking privileges but dignity, fairness and recognition for their service. The faculty appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Education Minister to intervene and take concrete steps towards addressing their long-pending demands. âThis issue is not merely about salaries. It is about survival, justice and dignity in the classrooms of Jammu and Kashmir,â he said.
Calls for strong academic ecosystem Srinagar, March 6: President of the Private Schools Association Jammu & Kashmir (PSAJK), Dr. Baba Nazrul Islam Friday extended his heartfelt congratulations to the 17 candidates from J&K and Ladakh who successfully cleared the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination. He termed the achievement as a moment of immense pride for the region and a powerful inspiration for the youth. He said that success of these candidates reflect the immense talent, determination, and intellectual potential present among the students of the region. Nazrul Islam Baba emphasised that educational institutions must work collectively to create a robust academic ecosystem that encourages students to aspire for and excel in national-level competitive examinations like the IAS. He stressed that schools should nurture curiosity, discipline, analytical thinking, and leadership qualities from the early stages of education. âSuch remarkable achievements demonstrate that our youth possess the capability to compete at the highest national platforms," he said. He said a supportive academic environment, mentorship, and access to quality resources need to be kept available so that more students from J&K and Ladakh can prepare for and succeed in prestigious examinations. PSAJK President further highlighted the need to develop benchmark institutions and academic support systems in the region that can guide and mentor students aspiring for civil services and other competitive examinations. "Creating a culture of excellence and competition within educational institutions will help channelize the talent of the youth towards nation-building roles," he said. He urged educators, parents, and policymakers to work in synergy to foster an environment where students feel motivated to pursue ambitious goals and contribute meaningfully to society. âEvery success story from our region becomes a beacon of hope for thousands of young minds. These achievers have shown that with perseverance, dedication, and proper guidance, no dream is beyond reach. Their journey should inspire our students to believe in their abilities and strive for excellence,â he added. PSAJK expressed hope that this achievement will ignite a new wave of aspiration among students across schools in J&K and Ladakh, motivating them to prepare for the countryâs most competitive examinations and play a vital role in shaping the future of the nation.
Jerusalem, Mar 10: New footage shows what an expert investigative group says is likely an American Tomahawk missile hitting a compound in southern Iran, metres from the school where a deadly unclaimed blast killed over 165 people at the start of the war raging in the Mideast. It comes as mounting evidence points to US culpability for the February 28 strike, which hit a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base in Minab, Iran, in the country's southern Hormozgan Province. Experts interviewed by The Associated Press, citing satellite image analysis, say the school was probably struck amid a quick succession of bombs dropped on the compound. A US official familiar with internal deliberations on the matter has told the AP that the strike was likely American. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter. The new footage, first analysed by the investigative group Bellingcat, was taken the day the school was struck but circulated on Sunday by Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency. It shows a missile hitting a building, sending a dark plume of smoke into the air. The AP was able to geolocate the video and determine it was taken from a site adjacent to the school, while smoke was already rising from the school vicinity. Satellite imagery of the compound is consistent with visual identifiers found in the video, including a flat-roofed building, power lines and vehicles. Trevor Ball, a Bellingcat researcher, identified the munition as a Tomahawk cruise missile -- which only the US is known to possess in this war. It is the first evidence of a munition used in the strike. US Central Command has acknowledged using Tomahawk missiles in this war and even released a photo of the USS Spruance, part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group located within range of the school, firing a Tomahawk missile on February 28. Bellingcat said the footage "appears to contradict" US President Donald Trump's claim over the weekend that Iran was responsible for the deadly school blast. When asked about the strike at a press conference on Monday, Trump claimed that Iran has access to the Tomahawk cruise missile, which is made by American defence contractor Raytheon. While the company sells the missile to allied countries like Japan and Australia, there is no evidence to suggest that Iran has acquired it. Trump argued that the cruise missile is "sold and used by other countries" and that Iran "also has some Tomahawks". "Whether it is Iran or somebody else ... a Tomahawk is very generic," he said. When asked why he was the only person in his administration making the claim, Trump said, "Because I just do not know enough about it." He added that "whatever the report shows, I am willing to live with that report". On Saturday, Trump also was asked by a reporter whether the US was responsible for the blast. Without providing evidence, he responded, "No, in my opinion, based on what I have seen, that was done by Iran." Trump added that Iran is "very inaccurate" with its munitions. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth quickly chimed in to say the US was investigating. Neither the US military's Central Command nor the Israeli military immediately replied to requests for comment on Monday. Several other factors point to a US strike. One is the launching of an assessment of the incident by the US military. According to the Pentagon's instructions on processes for mitigating civilian harm, an assessment is launched after a group of investigators makes an initial determination that the US military may bear culpability. Another is the location of the school -- next to the Revolutionary Guard base and close to barracks for a naval unit. The US military has focussed on naval targets and acknowledged strikes in the province, including one in the vicinity of the school. Israel, which has denied conducting the strike, has focussed on areas of Iran closer to Israel and has not reported any strikes south of Isfahan, 800 kilometres (500 miles) away. Complicating any assessment of the incident is the lack of images of bomb fragments from the blast. No independent agency has reached the site during the war to investigate. Janina Dill, an expert on international law at Oxford University, wrote on X that even if the strike was a misidentification -- and the attacker believed that the school had been a part of the neighbouring IRGC base -- it would still be "a very serious violation of international law". "Attackers are under an obligation to do everything feasible to verify the status of targeted object," she wrote. The Trump administration, however, strikes a different tone on international humanitarian law. Speaking about the US operation at a press conference on March 2, Hegseth said: "America, regardless of what so-called international institutions say, is unleashing the most lethal and precise air-power campaign in history." "No stupid rules of engagement," he said. "No politically correct wars. We fight to win, and we do not waste time or lives." (PTI)
New Delhi, Mar 7: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not be briefed on Israel's strikes against Iran during his recent visit to the country as the decision on the military action was made after he had concluded the trip. Modi undertook a two-day visit to Israel, which concluded on February 26. Two days later, Israel and the US launched a joint military offensive against Iran that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Sa'ar, participating virtually in the Raisina Dialogue, said Israel has "great relations" with Modi and India that have deepened over the years. "But we could not brief Prime Minister Modi on this because the decision was taken only on Saturday early morning," he said. The decision to launch the attack was taken as the negotiations between the US and Iran collapsed, he indicated. Israel's military action against Iran is aimed at removing "existential threats" emanating from Iran, he said. Sa'ar said Iran is continuing its nuclear programme, developing ballistic missiles and backing Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis. "Probably we will have to see a change in the regime in Iran," he said. (PTI)
New Delhi, Jan 27: Emissions from the global plastics system --greenhouse gases, air-polluting particles, and toxic chemicals released particularly from plastics production processes -- could double health risks by 2040, if no meaningful action is taken to change current practices, according to a study on Tuesday. The research, published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, identified health harms at every stage of the life-cycle of the plastics: from the extraction of fossil fuels, the feedstocks for more than 90 per cent of plastics, and material production to their eventual disposal or release to the environment. The modelling-based study compared the global human health impacts of several different future scenarios for plastics consumption and waste management between 2016 and 2040. Under a âbusiness as usualâ scenario, by 2040, the negative health impacts from plastics could double, with greenhouse gas emissions and associated rising global temperatures accounting for 40 per cent of the health harms. Air pollution -- predominantly from plastics production processes -- would account for 32 per cent, and the impact of toxic chemicals released to the environment across plastics' life cycles would account for 27 per cent. The remaining health harms (less than 1 per cent) relate to reduced availability of water, impacts on the ozone layer, and increased ionising radiation, the researchers said. "We found that emissions throughout plastics lifecycles contributed to human health burdens of global warming, air pollution, toxicity-related cancers, and non-communicable diseases, with the greatest harms from primary plastics production and open burning," Megan Deeney, from the London School. The model found that if the plastics system continues with no change to policy, economics, infrastructure, materials, or consumer behaviours, annual health impacts could more than double from 2.1 million healthy years of life lost in 2016 to 4.5 million healthy years of life lost in 2040. Overall, the study estimates that the global plastics system could be responsible for cutting 83 million years of healthy population life between 2016 and 2040. The study also predicted little impact from improving plastic waste collection and recycling alone. But, together with improvements to waste collection and recycling, substituting or reusing materials, health impacts linked to plastic emissions showed a reduction. "To effectively reduce plastic emissions and their impact on health, policymakers must better regulate and significantly reduce the production of new plastics for non-essential uses," the team said. (IANS)