An atmosphere of tension has once again arisen in the Gulf countries. On Wednesday night, Iran targeted two oil tankers in Iraqi waters. One of these tankers was American-owned Safesea Vishnu and the other was Malta-flagged Zefyros ship. One Indian citizen lost his life in this major attack, while 15 other Indians were rescued safely in time by Iraqi port officials. Since this incident, direct tension between America and Iran has increased and has created a stir at the global level.
Iran’s conditions and America’s strong response
Iranian President Masoud Pejeshkian has set three main conditions to end the war. Iran says that its nuclear program should be given international recognition and the damage caused by American and Israeli attacks should be fully compensated. Along with this, Iran has also asked for a legal guarantee that no military action will be taken in future. At the same time, US President Donald Trump has completely rejected all these conditions of Iran. America has made it clear that this military operation will continue until the work is completed. The US Military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has issued a red alert for all commercial ships in the Northern Persian Gulf.
Huge impact on Indian immigrants and oil market
This attack is directly impacting the common migrants and businesses living in Gulf countries. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed the death of an Indian citizen and has held talks with Iran for safe passage of Indian ships. Immediately after the attack, Iraq completely stopped operations at all its oil ports. Iran has also warned that if the attacks continue, it will not allow even a liter of oil to go out of the Strait of Hormuz. In view of the worsening situation, America, in collaboration with the International Energy Agency, has decided to release 400 million barrels of oil from the emergency reserve into the market.
The scope of danger increased in other Gulf countries also
Iran-backed groups have now expanded the scope of the conflict to other parts of the Gulf as well. Within the last few hours, Dubai International Airport and major oil fields of Saudi Arabia have also been targeted. This has also created an atmosphere of concern among Indian expatriates working in UAE and Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Russia has demanded an immediate ceasefire citing the humanitarian crisis arising due to this conflict. So far, about 32 lakh people have been forced to leave their homes in this entire area.
