At least 26 people were killed in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. File image
| Photo Credit: PTI

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Wednesday reached out to India, calling for deescalating the tension that has erupted in the backdrop of the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar received a call from the Foreign Minister (FM) of Kuwait, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, and the two sides discussed the latest in Indo-Pakistan relations. Continuing with India’s outreach to members of the UN Security Council, Mr. Jaishankar also called his Danish counterpart, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, on Wednesday.

“Glad to talk to FM Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya of Kuwait. Thanked him for Kuwait’s solidarity and support in the aftermath of Pahalgam terrorist attack,” Mr. Jaishankar said after receiving the phone call from the Kuwaiti side. The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said, the two Ministers had discussed “the overall close bilateral relations between the two friendly countries” and “the latest developments on the regional and international arenas”.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a formal statement, expressed “concern over the escalating tensions”, and called on “both countries to de-escalate, avoid further escalation, and resolve disputes through diplomatic means, while upholding the principles of good neighbourliness and working towards stability and peace in a manner that serves the interests of both their peoples and the peoples of the region”.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the latest among the Gulf countries to discuss the India-Pakistan situation. On Tuesday, the Foreign Minister of the UAE, Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was one of the recipients of a number of telephone calls that Mr. Jaishankar made to discuss the evolving situation with the members of the UN Security Council as well as close partners of India.

“Deeply appreciate the conversation with DPM [Deputy Prime Minister] and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Discussed the need to counter terrorism effectively in all its forms and manifestations,” Mr. Jaishankar after the phone call on Tuesday.

As part of the discussions on Tuesday, the EAM also called the Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone Timothy Musa Kabba, and the Foreign Minister of Slovenia Tanja Fajon. In his discussion with Ms. Fajon, Mr. Jaishankar thanked Slovenia for its “condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack”.

Mr. Jaishankar also called several UN Security Council members to ostensibly thank the member countries for the statement issued by the UNSC after the terror attack.

The UN Security Council issued a statement on April 25 that condemned “in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April”. The UNSC also conveyed “deepest sympathy” and “condolences” to the families of the victims and to the governments of India and Nepal, noting the fact that one of the victims was a Nepali citizen.

The statement drew attention as Pakistan, the prime target of India’s accusations, is a currently serving a two-year term in the UNSC as one of the 10 non-permanent members (the others being Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia). The statement also drew criticism as it appeared to have been “watered down” since it did not mention The Resistance Front (TRF), the outfit that the authorities here have held responsible for the deadly terror strike that left 26 dead and many injured. After Wednesday’s conversation with Mr. Rasmussen, the Danish Foreign Minister, Mr. Jaishankar appreciated “the support and solidarity over the terrorist attack in Pahalgam”.

India is intensifying its discussions with its close partners, and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Russia where, apart from holding discussions on matters of mutual interest, he will participate in the May 9 Victory Day celebrations of that country.

Amidst the flurry of diplomatic consultations, India will host the President of Angola Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco from May 1-4, indicating that the prevailing tension with Pakistan will not be allowed to scuttle the planned diplomatic engagements in New Delhi.

In a startling revelation in the deportation case of Maryland’s Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, it has now been found that he was referred to as a gang member in a 2018 lawsuit, The lawsuit was, however, filed by the ex-husband of Abrego Garcia and the father of their two children. “She is dating a gang member,” Jennifer Vasquez Sura’s ex, Edwin Trejo Ramos alleged in the petition filed in Prince George’s County Circuit Court in Maryland.
In the lawsuit, Ramos said he feared for his children’s lives as Sura had tried to kill herself and had left the kids with an 11-year-old babysitter.
Garcia met Sura, a US citizen, in 2016 and moved together in 2018. One year later, they got married in 2019 while Garcia was held at an immigration center.
The Garcia issue has become a major controversy of the Donald Trump administration after he was deported to El Salvador and a court ruled that he had to be brought back as the Donald Trump administration could not provide enough evidence to prove that Garcia is an MS-13 gang member.
The US pushed the ball to Salvador’s court and said that if the Salvadoran government releases Garcia, then he would be brought back to the US. But Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele dismissed the idea of releasing a criminal as ‘preposterous’.
The
Trump administration asserted that he is an MS-13 member and has tattoos on his knuckles, confirming the same.

Is US having a second thought about Garcia?

In his interview with the ABC News on the occasion of completing 100 days of his administration, Trump said he could bring back Garcia, but he won’t, as he is a member of MS-13. But CNN reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele have been directly in touch about the detention of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
A US official told CNN the Trump administration has been working closely with El Salvador and asked for Abrego Garcia’s return but insisted that Bukele has made clear that he’s not returning him to the US, citing an Oval Office meeting between Bukele and President Donald Trump this month.

U.S. President Donald Trump. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The United States on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) imposed sanctions on entities it accused of being involved in the illicit trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals ahead of a new round of U.S.-Iran negotiations on Saturday (May 3, 2025), as Washington seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement it was imposing sanctions on seven entities based in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iran that it accused of trading Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. Two vessels were also targeted.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a separate statement that the action targeted four sellers and one buyer of Iranian petrochemicals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Wednesday’s action is the latest move targeting Tehran since Mr. Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which includes efforts to drive its oil exports to zero and help prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“The President is committed to driving Iran’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports – including exports to China – to zero under his maximum pressure campaign,” Rubio said.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The action comes as the United States has relaunched talks with Iran over its nuclear program. U.S. and Iranian negotiators will reconvene in Rome on Saturday.

In his first 2017-2021 term, Mr. Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran’s uranium enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Mr. Trump also reimposed sweeping U.S. sanctions.

Since then, Iran has far surpassed that deal’s limits on uranium enrichment.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says its nuclear program is wholly for civilian power purposes.