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Iran War: India Dragged In? Anand Ranganathan Cuts Through The Noise I Sunday Scrutiny

| Mar 08, 2026, 08:40:42 PM | TOI.in
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India has been inadvertently dragged into the Middle East conflict not through any deliberate choice, but through geography, history and the uncontrollable spillover of a war between the United States, Israel and Iran. An Iranian naval frigate, the IRIS Dena, was torpedoed by a US submarine in India's maritime neighbourhood, just days after it had docked in Visakhapatnam for India's International Fleet Review. New Delhi's measured and subdued response to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei triggered a fierce political debate at home. And oil price anxiety swept across India as the West Asia conflict threatened to choke global energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz. On this week's Sunday Scrutiny, Anand Ranganathan cuts through the social media noise where half-truths, speculation and outright misinformation are spreading faster than facts, to examine what actually happened, what India's real vulnerabilities are, and whether the outrage directed at New Delhi this week was justified.

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‘Biased Characterization Of India’: MEA Slams USCIRF Report Seeking Sanctions On RSS, R&AW

The Ministry of External Affairs has rejected the 2026 report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which recommended sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing over alleged violations of religious freedom. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission had once again presented a “distorted and selective” portrayal of India based on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts. He added that such repeated claims weaken the credibility of the commission itself. Jaiswal also urged the body to reflect on incidents in the United States, including vandalism of Hindu temples and intimidation faced by members of the Indian diaspora. The report had designated India as a “country of particular concern” over religious freedom issues.

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