Rajnath Singh chairs high-level defence review meeting amid West Asia conflict

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday chaired a highlevel meeting to review Indiarsquos security environment and defence preparedness in light of rapidly evolving global and regional developments particularly the ongoing conflict in West Asia reported news agency ANITop military leadership participates in highlevel reviewThe crucial meeting was attended by senior defence and military officials including Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan Chief of Air Staff Amar Preet Singh Chief of Army Staff Upendra Dwivedi and Chief of Naval Staff Dinesh K Tripathi reported ANIAlso present was Defence Research and Development Organisation Chairman Samir Kamat along with other senior officials from the defence establishment The discussions focused on assessing Indiarsquos readiness across all three armed forces and reviewing strategic contingencies in view of the current geopolitical tensionsWest Asia conflict enters fourth week raises global concernsThe review comes as the West Asia conflict enters its fourth week significantly impacting global trade routes particularly through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz The disruption has heightened concerns over energy supplies and international trade stability reported ANIThe crisis escalated after the killing of Iranrsquos Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint military strikes conducted by the United States and Israel on February 28 The incident triggered a sharp escalation in hostilities across the regionRetaliatory strikes disrupt energy markets and trade routesIn response Iran launched retaliatory attacks targeting Israeli and USlinked assets across several Gulf nations These developments have led to increased instability in key maritime corridors affecting global oil shipments and creating volatility in international energy marketsThe disruption in shipping lanes especially through the Strait of Hormuz has raised alarm for countries like India that rely heavily on energy imports from the regionPM Modi to address Rajya Sabha on energy securityMeanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the Rajya Sabha on the ongoing situation focusing on Indiarsquos energy security and preparedness to deal with potential disruptions reported ANIA day earlier the Prime Minister briefed the Lok Sabha describing the situation in West Asia as ldquoworrisomerdquo and highlighting its wideranging impact on the global economy and human lives reported ANIConflict poses economic security and humanitarian challengesIn his address PM Modi underlined that the ongoing conflict presents unprecedented challenges for India spanning economic concerns national security risks and humanitarian issues He emphasised that a significant portion of Indiarsquos crude oil and gas requirements is sourced from the conflictaffected region reported ANIThe Prime Minister also noted that West Asia serves as a critical trade route for Indiarsquos commerce with other parts of the world making stability in the region vital for the countryrsquos economic interestsOpposition criticises governmentrsquos responseOpposition parties however criticised the governmentrsquos handling of the situation calling the Prime Ministerrsquos address more rhetorical than substantive They questioned whether sufficient proactive measures have been taken to safeguard Indiarsquos interests amid the escalating crisisAs geopolitical tensions continue to intensify Indiarsquos defence and strategic leadership remain on high alert closely monitoring developments and preparing for any potential fallout that could impact national security and economic stabilityWith inputs from ANI