Iran President apologises for strikes on neighbouring countries, says attacks caused by miscommunication

Iran’s ​President Masoud ‌Pezeshkian said on ​Saturday (March 7, 2026) ⁠that its temporary leadership ‌council had approved the ‌suspension ‌of ⁠attacks ⁠against neighbouring countries unless an ​attack ‌on Iran came from those countries. He also apologised for Iran’s attacks on regional countries, insisting that Tehran would halt them and suggesting they were caused by miscommunication in the ranks. The ‌announcement ​came as Iran ⁠continued to launch ‌attacks in the region in response to U.S.-Israeli ‌strikes on ​the Islamic Republic.

Donald Trump vows ‘Iran will be hit very hard’

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a post on social networking site Truth Social on Saturday (March 7, 2026), promised to attack Iran very hard today, saying, “Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behaviour, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.“ He called Iran the “loser of the Middle East,” and said it had surrendered to its neighbours. This follows a recorded statement by Iranian President ​Masoud Pezeshkian​, who earlier apologised to Iran’s Gulf neighbours.

‘Approached from a point of humanity,’ Jaishankar on why India let Iran warship dock in Kochi

India allowed an Iranian warship to dock as a ‘humanitarian gesture’, Minister of External Affairs ​S. Jaishankar said on Saturday (March 7, 2026), after the U.S. sank another ‌Iranian Navy vessel off neighbouring Sri Lanka. In his first remarks on the U.S. sinking another Iranian Navy vessel in the Indian Ocean, Mr. Jaishankar said that India allowed it to dock in Kochi as it approached it “from a point of humanity”. On Wednesday (March 4, 2026), a U.S. submarine torpedoed the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, which sank off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing 83 people. This brought the West Asian conflict closer to India. The Indian government faced scathing criticism for its “silence” over the attack.

LPG price hikes: Opposition targets government, questions government’s claim of adequate stock

Opposition parties on Saturday (March 7, 2026) slammed the Union government for hiking the price of LPG cylinders or cooking gas, with the Congress questioning the government’s claim of having adequate petroleum stocks amid the West Asia crisis. The prices of domestic LPG and commercial cylinders were hiked by a steep ₹60 and ₹114.5, following an increase follows a rise in global energy prices because of the West Asia conflict. The price increase is effective from March 7. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post on X , said the Narendra Modi government is helpless in providing relief to the common people.

India says to push ahead with Russian oil imports

India said on Saturday (March 7, 2026) it was pushing ahead with imports of Russian oil, after a temporary U.S. waiver to import crude from Moscow due war in West Asia, but adding it did not need Washington’s permission. The U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have upended the world’s energy and transport sectors, causing a surge in global oil prices. Washington temporarily eased economic sanctions against Russia on Thursday (March 5) to allow Russian oil stranded at sea to be sold to India.

Sri Lanka to treat Iranian sailors according to ‘international law’

Sri Lanka will treat Iranian sailors rescued from a torpedoed frigate according to international law, a Minister said on Saturday (March 7, 2026), following reports Washington was pressuring Colombo to not repatriate them. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told a conference in New Delhi that Sri Lanka was caring for 32 sailors from the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena under Colombo’s international treaty obligations. The frigate was sunk by a U.S. submarine on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) just off Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Sri Lanka sent its Navy to rescue survivors and recover 84 bodies.

Pakistan increases petrol, diesel prices by PKR 55 per litre, highest-ever hike

In the first post-Iran war economic shock, Pakistan government in an overnight decision has increased petrol and high-speed diesel prices by PKR 55 per litre each, the highest-ever hike. Addressing a press conference just before midnight, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced the hike with the consolation that the country has sufficient petroleum reserves. As a result of the hike, the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel was fixed at PKR 335.86 per litre for the coming week, up by about 20% from PKR 280.86 per litre.

President upset with Bengal Government for denying protocol, shifting venue of tribal conference

A major political controversy erupted in West Bengal on Saturday (March 7, 2026) after President Droupadi Murmu expressed disappointment with the State government for changing the venue of the International Santal Conference in Darjeeling district and not adhering to the desired protocol to receive her at the event. Saying that there was no breach of protocol, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that BJP was “disrespecting and misusing the highest chair in the country for its own party agenda”.

Trump says Feb. 28 strike on girls’ school ‘done by Iran’

As the Iran-Israel war escalated further late Saturday (March 7, 2026), U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the strike which hit a girls’ primary school in the southern city of Minab on February 28, killing around 150 people and injuring nearly 100. “We think it was done by Iran. Because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever,” he said following a New York Times investigation that found the U.S. military was most likely responsible.

Over 52,000 Indians returned between March 1-7 after partial opening of airspace

India on Saturday (March 7, 2026) said it is continuously monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia, especially in the context of the safety of its citizens stranded in the region. In a late night statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said more than 52,000 Indians have returned to the country following the partial opening of the airspace across the region.

Normalcy returns to Kashmir after six days; DGP says sustained pressure put on anti-national elements

Security curbs and mobile internet speed restrictions were lifted on Saturday (March 7, 2026) in Kashmir, allowing normal life to resume after six days of unrest in the wake of the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on February 28. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat called for a stepped-up crackdown on anti-nationals and operations against terrorists in south Kashmir.

Israeli PM Netanyahu vows to carry on war, ‘eradicate Iranian regime’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Saturday (March 7, 2026) to carry on the war with Iran, saying Israel had a ‘systematic plan to eradicate the Iranian regime’, as Tehran insisted it would not surrender. The Israeli premier’s pledge in a televised address to pursue the war “with all our force” came on a day when Iran launched wave after wave of missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours.

Canadian PM supports removing Andrew from royal line of succession

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday (March 7, 2026) that former prince Andrew should be removed from the line of royal succession over his “deplorable” behaviour. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated for alleged misconduct in public office following revelations about his dealings with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was arrested and released in February on suspicion of having passed confidential information to Epstein during his 2001-2011 role as a U.K. trade envoy.