International Relations
Bilateral ties, multilateral forums, treaties and India's foreign policy
Three Indian tankers re-emerge, pointing to Hormuz traffic uptick
Three Indian-linked supertankers — Desh Vibhor, Desh Vaibhav, and Sanmar Herald — re-emerged in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea after having been last o...
India seeks to become a manufacturer in the defence sector, says PM Modi
At the commissioning ceremony of three indigenous warships in Kolkata, the constitutional head of government articulated a new national vision: India must tr...
Top leaders from U.S., Iran and Pakistan reach Switzerland for talks
Senior officials from the United States, Iran, and Pakistan arrived at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, for the formal launch of technical-level nuclear negotiation...
Mediator Qatar confirms launch of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland
Qatar confirmed that direct technical-level negotiations between the United States and Iran have formally launched at Bürgenstock, a Swiss mountain resort ne...
EU FTA puts India on a level playing field against competitors in labour-intensive sectors: chief negotiator
India's chief FTA negotiator Darpan Jain (Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industry) stated that the India-EU FTA levels the playing field fo...
India, US to hold ministerial-level talks on bilateral trade pact this week
India and the United States are engaged in ministerial-level talks to conclude the first phase of their Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with the US Trade Re...
India remains ADB's largest private sector market; lender eyes USD 1 bn direct support in 2026
India continues to be the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) largest private sector market, and the multilateral lender has set a target of deploying approximate...
India-EU trade pact to be signed by Dec; implemented from Feb-Mar next year: Goyal
India is set to sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union by December 2026, with implementation expected by February–March 2027. The deal, ...
What does the U.S.-Iran agreement say? | Explained
On 17 June 2026, the US and Iran signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) — referred to as the "Islamabad Memorandum" — ending their active milita...
India to hold vice-presidency of FATF for the first time
India will hold the Vice-Presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the first time in its history, a position that takes effect from July 2026 ...
Three India-flagged ships cross Strait of Hormuz, safe passage secured, says Sonowal
Three India-flagged ships successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz amid Iran's announcement of tighter controls and escalating closure fears The Ministry of...
Fertiliser cargoes in focus as Iran tightens Strait transit rules
Iran has tightened transit rules for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, significantly disrupting the movement of fertiliser cargoes from Gulf ...
World Refugee Day 2026 in numbers: UNHCR reports decline in global refugee numbers amid escalating crisis
UNHCR's Global Trends Report 2026, released on World Refugee Day (June 20), recorded a decline in global forced displacement for the first time in a decade G...
FATF elects Vivek Aggarwal as first Indian Vice President
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary, held in Paris from June 17–19, 2026, elected Vivek Aggarwal as FATF Vice-President for the term July 2026 to ...
Iran says it closed Strait of Hormuz as Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed on June 20, 2026, citing continued Israeli military strikes in Lebanon and what it described as a failure to uphold...
Three Indian-flagged oil tankers transit through Strait of Hormuz
Three Indian-flagged crude oil tankers — Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor, and Sanmar Herald — successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on June 20, 2026, despite...
India, US trade deal can't be implemented until we have 'competitive advantage': Piyush Goyal
Negotiations for a full India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) are ongoing, with India's Commerce Ministry signalling that implementation requires both sid...
Ajit Doval to host BRICS security conclave: Cross-border terrorism, Middle East conflict in focus; China FM among key attendees
India, as the 2026 BRICS Chair, hosted the National Security Advisers' (NSA) Meeting of BRICS member countries in New Delhi on June 22–23, 2026. NSA Ajit Dov...
US VP Vance lashes out at Israel over criticism of Iran deal—‘wake up & smell the reality’
US Vice President J.D. Vance publicly rebuked Israeli officials who criticised the US-Iran MoU, warning Israel not to alienate its "only remaining powerful a...
India’s Russian oil imports set to hit all-time high this month, ahead of Iran crude comeback
India's Russian crude oil imports are on track to reach 2.25 million barrels per day (mbpd) in June 2026 — an all-time high — according to Kpler analytics da...