India inks deep sea exploration contract with International Seabed Authority
New Delhi (PTI): India has signed a 15-year contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for exclusive rights to explore polymetallic sulphides in the Indian Ocean, Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.
Singh said, according to the contract, the ISA has granted exclusive rights to India to explore polymetallic sulphides (PMS) in the allotted 10,000 sq km area of the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian Ocean.
PMS contain valuable metals such as iron, copper, zinc, silver, gold, and platinum, and are precipitates formed by hot hydrothermal fluids from oceanic crust.
Their strategic and commercial potential has attracted global attention, placing India at the forefront of deep-sea resource exploration, Singh said.
The minister said India has become the first country in the world to hold two contracts with ISA for PMS exploration, assuming a pioneering role in deep-sea resource exploration that affirms its strategic presence in the Indian Ocean.
The new contract is a significant step towards realising the vision of the Deep Ocean Mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which focuses on seabed mineral exploration, mining technology development, and strengthening India's Blue Economy Initiatives, Singh said.
"By formalising exclusive rights for PMS exploration in the Carlsberg Ridge, India has further consolidated its leadership in deep-sea research and exploration. This will enhance our maritime presence and build national capacity for future resource utilisation," he said.
With two PMS contracts now in place, the other in the Central Indian Ridge & Southwest Indian Ridge, India now holds the largest exploration area allocated for PMS in the international seabed, Singh said.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
