India reiterates zero tolerance for terrorism, slams Pakistan at the UN over the Indus Water Treaty; New Delhi set to sign a trade deal with the US before the 90-day pause ends. Trump threatens Apple with 25% tariffs on iPhones produced in India. Iran describes the fifth round of nuclear talks as “one of the most professional” yet, while Gaza reels under Israeli offensive, Russia resists ceasefire, and South Africa’s President is ambushed at the White House. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation signs a global pandemic treaty — here’s weekly roundup of global news. India takes terror fight global India has zero tolerance for terrorism and will “never give in to nuclear blackmail”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday, May 23, in Berlin, referring to the cross-border links to the Pahalgam terror attack. Jaishankar’s remark at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul came as India’s multi-party delegations set out on a global tour to drum up support for the country’s war against Pakistan-backed terrorism. Delegations of MPs on Thursday arrived in Russia, Japan and the UAE. Two delegations of MPs met high-ranking officials in Japan and the UAE and conveyed India’s perspective on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the subcontinent and New Delhi’s new approach to dealing with the same in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. A statement issued by respective Indian embassies in Japan and the UAE said the representatives of the two countries expressed support for India’s fight against terrorism and appreciated its “restraint” in the face of terror attacks. A total of seven multi-party contingents will travel to 32 countries, including United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members, to dispel misinformation about Operation Sindoor, underlining India’s “new normal” in response to cross-border terrorism. The delegations are also ready to explain India’s stand on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India on Friday ripped through Pakistan’s “disinformation” at the UN on the IWT, asserting that Islamabad violated its spirit by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India that seek to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity. “We are constrained to respond to the disinformation being carried out by the delegation of Pakistan with regard to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said on Friday, May 23. A day before, India reiterated its stance on the IWT, saying it will remain in “abeyance” until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” abjures support to cross-border terrorism. “It [Indus Waters Treaty] will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. As our prime minister has said, ‘Water and blood cannot flow together’,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is part of tough measures India announced on April 23 against Pakistan, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. Shutting down airspaces to one another’s airlines and aircraft was yet another measure the two neighbouring countries announced after the attack. On May 23, Pakistan issued a fresh notice to airmen (NOTAM) extending the closure of its airspace by a month (till June 24). Soon after, India also issued a new NOTAM extending the ban on Pakistani aircraft and airlines in its airspace till June 24. Earlier, NOTAMs of the two countries were set to expire on Saturday, May 24. In the meantime, India strongly denied Pakistan’s claim of Indian involvement in the Khuzdar bombing in Balochistan, calling it a diversion tactic to mask its global reputation as a terror hub. Turning its focus to Turkiye, India said it expects Ankara to urge Pakistan to dismantle the terror networks it has supported for decades. This comes in the backdrop of Indian traders and consumers boycotting a wide range of Turkish products in retaliation over the country’s support to Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. Over the past few weeks, while all eyes were on India’s western borders, the government made some decisive moves in the East. Over the weekend, it decided to restrict Bangladeshi products exported to its northeast and overseas, impacting an estimated $770 million worth of goods (~42 per cent of all imports). India’s decision came amidst Bangladesh’s growing tilt towards China. Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had earlier invited Beijing to circumvent India's “landlocked” Northeast and use Bangladesh’s coastline instead. His remarks spotlighted a long-delayed transit project that links Mizoram to Kolkata through Myanmar, bypassing the Siliguri Corridor (Chicken’s Nest) and enabling access to the Northeast without relying on Bangladesh. India to sign trade deal with US; Trump threatens new tariffs on Apple, EU As the deadline for the 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s tariffs announced in April is fast approaching, India is set to sign an interim deal with Washington before July 8, when the pause on Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” ends. The trade deal would bring relief for Indian exporters, whose goods are subject to a 26 per cent retaliatory tariff in the US. The renewed sense of optimism comes following Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s visit last week to Washington, aimed at giving fresh impetus to the ongoing trade talks. Notably, the Indian delegation’s visit was days after the US and China agreed to dramatically de-escalate the trade war and sign an agreement to reduce tariffs on each other. “Talks are progressing positively. We are looking to conclude an interim deal before the first tranche (of tariffs) takes effect on July 8. It will cover goods, non-tariff barriers, and select areas of services, including digital trade. We are working to ensure that the 26 per cent additional duty and possibly the 10 per cent baseline tariff do not apply to India,” a government official said. However, 10 per cent tariffs are likely to remain in place. It may be underlined here that the US chose to keep the 10 per cent baseline tariffs under its trade agreement with the UK, despite Washington having a trade surplus in goods. According to a Bloomberg report, India is negotiating the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) in three tranches. The first would be the interim deal by July, which is expected to cover areas including market access for industrial goods, certain agricultural products, and the easing of non-tariff barriers such as quality control standards being imposed by India. The second stage “may be a broader and more detailed agreement” somewhere between September and November and “likely covering the 19 areas outlined in the terms of reference”, the two sides agreed in April. This leg could also coincide with Trump’s visit to India for the Quad leaders’ summit. The final leg, a “comprehensive agreement”, the report said, could be concluded “only next year”, following “approval from the US Congress”. The US is demanding lower tariffs in areas such as certain industrial products, automobiles (particularly electric vehicles), wines, petrochemicals, dairy, and agricultural goods like apples, tree nuts, and genetically modified (GM) crops. However, as the trade talks progress, Trump threatened Apple with 25 per cent tariffs on iPhone imports if they are produced in India or anywhere else. “I have long informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s [sic] that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” adding that if that does not happen, “a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. Trump’s tariff threat presents a challenge to Apple’s plans of selling only India-made iPhones in the US in the near term, owing to higher tariffs imposed on China, where the company has its most significant production base. Nonetheless, Apple’s contract manufacturer, Foxconn, informed the London Stock Exchange it was investing $1.49 billion in one of its India units, Yuzhan Technologies (India) Pvt Ltd. The plant is expected to come up in Tamil Nadu, where Foxconn also has a major iPhone production base. Meanwhile, Trump escalated his trade war, now threatening to impose 50 per cent tariffs on all imports from the European Union as the trade talks with the 27-member bloc are not progressing. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States.” Sanctions relief for Syria; Gaza reels under Israeli offensive President Trump’s aggressive trade stance came alongside a markedly different shift in foreign policy as his surprise decision to lift sanctions on Syria last week was followed by sweeping relief measures for individuals and entities announced on Friday. The US Department of the Treasury announced sweeping relief to an array of individuals and entities, which it said will “enable new investment and private sector activity consistent with [Trump’s] America First strategy”, Al Jazeera reported. The US State Department also issued a waiver to the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act – a 2019 law that imposes heavy sanctions on the Syrian government and entities that do business with it. The waiver allows the US’s foreign partners, allies and the region to engage in economic and humanitarian efforts in Syria. Trump announced his surprise plan for sanctions relief during his Gulf visit last week, where he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who had only recently been removed from the US’s ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ list. He said lifting US sanctions would give Syria “a chance at greatness”, since the restrictions left the war-torn country economically isolated. Interestingly, Trump’s Gulf visit was marked by claims of locking trillions of deals with the three Gulf nations – Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The figure oscillated between $2 trillion and $10 trillion. However, the White House provided the breakdown of the $2 trillion in a statement on May 16, The Associated Press reported. It included $600 billion in investment from Saudi Arabia, which the country announced in January as part of a four-year commitment. There would also be a $1.2 trillion economic exchange with Qatar, as well as $243.5 billion in commercial and defence deals with that country. The United Arab Emirates committed to $200 billion in deals with the US, putting the initial White House total at $2.24 trillion, provided all those commitments are fulfilled. Meanwhile, Iran and the US concluded the fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome on Friday, May 23, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi describing it as “one of the most professional rounds of negotiations” yet. “The fifth round of Iran-US talks have concluded today in Rome with some, but not conclusive, progress,” said Omani mediator Badr al-Busaidi after the high-level talks led by Araghchi and the US President’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, at the Omani embassy in Rome’s Camilluccia neighbourhood. “We firmly stated Iran’s position … The fact that we are now on a reasonable path, in my view, is itself a sign of progress,” Al Jazeera reported Araghchi as saying. The nuclear talks seek a new deal in which Iran would be prevented from producing nuclear weapons while having international sanctions eased. Tehran, which has raised its enrichment to about 60 per cent, well above civilian needs but below the 90 per cent needed for weaponisation, has rejected that “red line”. Notably, on the eve of the Friday talks, the US Department of State announced new sanctions on Iran’s construction sector, prompting Tehran to call the move “vicious, illegal, and inhumane”. All the while, Israel continued its offensive in Gaza Strip as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the conflict in the enclave has reached the “cruellest phase of this cruel conflict” as Palestinians starve while Israel allows only a “teaspoon of aid” to enter the famished enclave and “nothing has reached the besieged north”. Amid pressure, Israel on Friday said 100 more trucks of aid entered Gaza, carrying flour, food, medical equipment and drugs, The Associated Press reported. Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for nearly three months, exposing many of its 2 million residents to the high risk of famine. On Friday, Israeli attacks killed at least 76 people across Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as casualties continued to mount amid ongoing strikes. Israel insisted that it would continue to strike until Hamas released all of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages and disarmed. Fewer than half of the hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. Meanwhile, two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. The suspect, charged with murder, told the police he “did it for Palestine”, according to court documents, The Associated Press said. EU, UK hit Russia with sanctions as ceasefire remains elusive Russian drones and missiles attacked Ukraine’s capital early Saturday, hours after Moscow and Kyiv began a major prisoner exchange following their first direct talks in the three-year-old war. During the talks in Istanbul last week, where efforts to reach a ceasefire failed, Russia and Ukraine agreed to the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. The first phase of the deal on Friday saw each side releasing 390 prisoners, with further releases expected over the weekend. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the first phase brought home 390 Ukrainians, with further releases expected over the weekend that will make it the largest swap of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it received the same number from Ukraine. Ukraine on Friday reiterated that it is ready for a 30-day ceasefire immediately. Russia, which launched the war by invading its neighbour in 2022 and now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, says it will not pause its assaults until conditions are met first, Reuters reported. Trump earlier warned of sanctions on Russia if it blocked peace. But after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, he decided to take no action for now. A day later, the European Union and the United Kingdom announced coordinated packages of sanctions against Russia in a bid to step up pressure on Putin to end the war against Ukraine. The sanctions aim at Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers that illicitly transport oil to circumvent Western restrictions, with Brussels targeting 189 ships. The UK’s wide-ranging package will also target the supply chains of Russian weapons systems, Kremlin-funded information operations, and financial institutions that help Russia evade sanctions, Al Jazeera reported. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said an 18th package of sanctions was already being prepared by the EU, to follow the newly adopted 17th, with further meaningful measures. “It’s time to intensify the pressure on Russia to bring about the ceasefire,” she posted on X, after a phone call with Zelenskyy. Responding to the sanctions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that Russia would never bow to ultimatums from anyone, adding that it was clear Europe wanted to re-arm Ukraine to continue the war. Trump ambushes Ramaphosa; Sudan and South Sudan teeter on the edge In a bid to mend ties with the US, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met Trump on Wednesday in the White House, where he faced allegations of systematic killings of white South African farmers. To prove his point, Trump showed the South African leader online videos, speeches and news articles, and said, “Generally, they are white farmers and they are fleeing South Africa, and …. it’s a very sad thing to see. But I hope we can have an explanation of that because I know you don’t want that.” However, a fact check of the evidence found that Trump made several false statements and misrepresented some facts. For instance, Reuters verified a video clip that Trump played showing a long line of white crosses on the side of a highway, which he said were “burial sites” for white farmers. It found that the video was made in September 2020 during a protest against farm murders after two people were killed on their farm a week earlier. The crosses did not mark actual graves. An organiser told South Africa's public broadcaster, SABC, at the time that the wooden crosses represented farmers who had been killed over the years. Similarly, during the meeting, Trump held up an image and said: “Look, here's burial sites all over the place. These are all white farmers that are being buried.” But, according to the BBC, the image is not from South Africa – it is actually from a report about women being killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The AFP initially pointed out the image, and BBC Verify ran a search and confirmed it as being from a Reuters news agency clip filmed in the DR Congo city of Goma in February. Meanwhile, the UK finalised a deal to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, Britain’s last African colony, to Mauritius. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the deal is “absolutely vital for our defence and intelligence, and therefore, for the safety and security of the British people”. The multibillion-dollar agreement will allow the UK to retain control of the strategically important US-UK airbase on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease. “The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain,” Al Jazeera cited Starmer as saying. However, Human Rights Watch said on Friday that the deal could “entrench” the exile of Chagossians from the archipelago's biggest island. In the meantime, while Sudan remained embroiled in a devastating civil war and South Sudan teetered on the edge. “The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation, and undermining the country’s fragile peace process,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said. At the same time, Sudan’s civil war has raged on for more than two years, causing an estimated 62,000 deaths and the displacement of approximately 14 million people. The US on Thursday said that it would impose sanctions on Sudan after determining that its government used chemical weapons in 2024 during the army’s conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a charge the army denied. Measures against Sudan will include limits on US exports and US government lines of credit and will take effect around June 6, after Congress was notified on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement, according to Reuters. WHO adopts global pandemic treaty However, as geopolitical tensions persist, the global community has made rare progress on health cooperation. After three years of intensive negotiation, member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday, May 20, adopted a legally binding treaty aimed at tackling future pandemics better. The negotiation was initiated by governments due to gaps and inequities identified in national and global COVID-19 response and driven by the goal of making the world safer from – and more equitable in response to – future pandemics. The pandemic treaty, which has been adopted without the US, is the only the second legally binding accord in the WHO’s 75-year history, the first being the 2003 tobacco control treaty. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “a victory for public health, science and multilateral action”. Post Read Questions Does India's global outreach reflect a shift in its traditional approach to dealing with cross-border terrorism? Does Bangladesh’s tilt towards China signal a strategic loss for India in its eastern neighborhood? How does India’s renewed focus on Northeast infrastructure projects strengthen its Act East Policy? What could be the broader geopolitical consequences of targeting humanitarian aid and infrastructure in conflict zones like Gaza? Why is the new WHO pandemic treaty considered a landmark in global health governance? Send your feedback and ideas to ashiya.parveen@indianexpress.com.
