India’s Foreign Ministry announced that the country has been invited by the UK and France to join international efforts aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route currently blocked amid escalating tensions. The move comes as global leaders intensify initiatives to restore safe navigation through the waterway, which remains central to the worsening energy crisis.
Meanwhile, a fragile calm has taken hold in Lebanon following a 10‑day ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump between Israel and Hezbollah. Washington has hailed the truce as a “historic” breakthrough, hoping it could serve as a model for broader de‑escalation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. US envoy Tom Barrack described the ceasefire as the “beginning of a road,” underscoring the delicate nature of ongoing negotiations.
For Tehran, ending the war in Lebanon was a non‑negotiable condition, while Western powers are now shifting focus to the global energy crisis triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. International leaders are gathering in Europe to find solutions, notably without direct US participation.
On the ground in Lebanon, the human toll is stark. Displaced citizens returning to southern villages and Beirut’s suburbs are finding entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Despite scenes of defiance with flags being waved, the devastation of the 45‑day war, which claimed thousands of lives, is etched into the flattened skyline of the Levant.