US-Israel-Iran War: China opposes targeting new Supreme Leader; Putin congratulates Mojtaba

Amid rising tensions in the Indian Ocean following the recent sinking of an Iranian warship by the United States, Iran requested permission from India for three of its ships to dock at Indian ports. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed that approval was granted the following day. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, he noted that one of the Iranian vessels, IRIS LAVAN, arrived at Kochi on March 4. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that its air defence units intercepted and destroyed several incoming unmanned aerial vehicles, including one reportedly over the capital Tehran and additional drones near the towns of Jam and Khormoj in Bushehr province.

The Lebanese parliament has extended its term for two years on Monday due to the US-Israel war with Iran, and Israel steps up its attacks on Lebanon. The country's state news agency said 76 legislators voted in favour, 41 voted against, and four abstained. Hezbollah's 13-member bloc in parliament voted in favour of the extension.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Monday said that around 90,000 people have been able to travel from the Gulf region in the last week itself amid the escalating conflict, emphasising the key roles of various airlines.

An Indian national in Israel was injured after shrapnel from an Iranian missile struck him in the neck, officials said on Monday. The man, who was injured on Sunday, underwent surgery at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and is now in stable condition.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said discussions about mediating a ceasefire are currently “irrelevant” as military confrontations continue. Speaking at a press briefing, he stated that Iran did not initiate the conflict and described the situation as a “forced war.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei after his appointment as Iran’s new supreme leader, according to the Kremlin. Putin expressed confidence that Khamenei would continue the legacy of his father, Ali Khamenei, and lead the country with dignity. He also said he believes the new leader will guide the Iranian nation through challenging times while strengthening unity among its people.

China has voiced strong opposition to any attempts to target Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, following warnings from the Israeli military directed at the successor of his late father, Ali Khamenei. Beijing stated that Iran’s leadership transition is an internal matter and emphasised that the country’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity must be respected. 

Israel said on Monday that an Iranian missile attack killed a man, raising the country's death toll in the war to 11. This marked the first death from missiles in Israel in a week.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha on Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed serious concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in West Asia. He informed Parliament about large-scale evacuation efforts underway. Indian embassies in the region are operating round the clock, and nearly 67,000 Indian nationals had crossed international borders.

The investigative group Bellingcat says newly released video "appears to contradict" US President Donald Trump's claim that Iran was responsible for an explosion at an Iranian school that 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 Feb 28 strike, which hit a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base in Minab, Iran, in the country's southern Hormozgan Province.