PM Modi To Chair Cabinet Committee On Security Amid Middle East Tensions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to chair a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security meeting in Delhi on Sunday night, with government sources saying the main focus will be the fast-changing situation in the Middle East and its impact on Indian citizens and the Indian economy.

According to officials quoted by CNN-News18, PM Modi is scheduled to arrive in Delhi at around 9:30 pm, after completing a two-day visit covering Gujarat, Rajasthan, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, and will directly review security, diplomatic and economic risks linked to the conflict.

PM Modi CCS Middle East: Escalating conflict after strikes on Iran

The urgent CCS meeting comes as tensions spike across the Middle East, following coordinated United States and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with most of Tehran's senior leadership, triggering a sharp military response from Iran against regional US bases.

Iran has answered the strikes by launching missiles at American facilities across the region, while Israel has continued its own campaign on Iranian targets, including attacks on the Islamic Republic's army headquarters in Tehran and the destruction of two Iranian F-5 and F-4 fighter jets at Tabriz airport.

PM Modi CCS Middle East: Netanyahu stance and Tehran’s vow

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel’s military operation will continue for as long as required, stressing that the Iranian leadership has for 47 years called for "death to Israel and death to America", a line that underscores the long-running hostility between the two sides.

Khamenei's killing further intensifies Tehran's aggressive posture, with Iranian authorities publicly vowing revenge while the armed forces keep up missile launches and other actions, increasing fears that the hostility could spread beyond Iran and Israel to engulf more countries in West Asia.

PM Modi CCS Middle East: Risks to Indians and evacuation planning

For India, the most urgent concern is the safety of thousands of Indian nationals who are currently in Gulf countries, as well as in Iran and Israel, with officials warning that any wider confrontation between Iran and the US–Israel grouping could endanger these communities.

During the CCS meeting, PM Modi and senior ministers are expected to discuss a detailed evacuation blueprint with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, drawing on earlier large-scale operations such as Operation Ganga and Operation Ajay to prepare for a potential rescue mission.

PM Modi CCS Middle East: Oil supplies, Strait of Hormuz and Indian economy

Another major issue before the CCS will be Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the fighting begins, a move that disrupts crucial sea lanes for crude shipments to India, which relies on imports for more than 80% of its oil needs, mostly from Gulf suppliers.