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US Prepares to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem

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US Prepares to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem

Road signs coming up near US consulate in south Jerusalem

Ignoring all protests opposing recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, US President Donald Trump’s administration has been moving towards relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to the city. Jerusalem witnessed fixing of road signs on Monday ahead of May 14, the day when US consulate building will be officially repurposed as embassy.

According to reports, the signs, in English, Hebrew and Arabic, were installed by workmen close to the US consulate situated in south Jerusalem.

In December, US President Donald Trump had announced his decision of recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and asked Department of State to initiate the process to relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Read More: Trump to order Embassy shift to Jerusalem despite world community warning

Trump’s move was met with widespread protests in most countries in the world, except Israel and regional US allies.  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the US move saying that Washington has lost its credibility as mediator in the Middle East crisis.

US Prepares to Relocate Its Embassy to Jerusalem

The move prompted international condemnation and triggered a wave of protests in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had hosted OIC emergency summit on December 13 at Ankara where most countries had strongly condemned Trump’s move.  The leaders of the OIC member states condemned Trump’s decision.

Read More: OIC rejects Donald Trump’s Jerusalem move at extraordinary Summit in Ankara

Arab foreign ministers of Arab League member states had also called for international recognition of Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This was aimed to nullify the controversial US decision.

Read More: Arab League call Trump’s Jerusalem move as dangerous

Britain had joined 13 other UNSC member states to vote in favour of a resolution calling for Donald Trump to rescind his declaration that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, showing the depth of global opposition to the move. US was the only country opposing the resolution.

Read More: Trump isolates US by recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Donald Trump had promised to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy to the city during his election campaign in 2016.  However, in June 2017, like his predecessors, he signed a six-month waiver to delay the relocation, which was expired on December 1.

The White House said at the time that the question is “not if that move happens, but only when”.

In February, President Trump, while speaking to Israeli media, reiterated that the issue of Jerusalem is off the negotiating table. “By taking Jerusalem off the table, I wanted to make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and as for specific boundaries, I would support what both sides agreed to,” Trump told an Israeli newspaper.

Nabil Shaath, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while talking to Palestine TV in February has said,  “If US President Donald Trump carries out his decision, he will inflame the entire region and threaten the US’ interests there.”

The current US move will overturn decades of international consensus on Jerusalem, a highly contested city. The city is claimed by Muslims, Christians and Jews to be historically important for them. Half of Jerusalem was occupied and annexed by Israel following the 1967 War.

Read More: Saudi Arabia and Egypt gave prior consent for Trump’s Jerusalem move

Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its “united” capital, and its annexation of East Jerusalem effectively put the entire city under de-facto Israeli control. The Palestinians, however, see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. They were promised East Jerusalem as their capital by international community during the US sponsored peace talks through last several decades.

Surprisingly the international community, including the US administration, does not recognise Israel’s jurisdiction and ownership of Jerusalem.

Palestinians say that moving the embassy would prejudge one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict – the status of Jerusalem – and undermine the US’ status as an honest mediator.

Read More: Trump’s Jerusalem move: Our position on Palestine is independent, says India

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has warned that the move would have a “disastrous impact on the peace process, on the two-state solution and on the stability and security of the entire region”.

On December 2, 2017, US President Donald Trump had formally announced the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly seven decades of American foreign policy and ordered for the relocation of the US embassy. Following the announcement Trump signed a further embassy waiver under the Jerusalem Embassy Act. On February 23, the State Department announced the new embassy will open in May.

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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