Russia calls US tightening of Iran oil sanctions 'aggressive and reckless'
Moscow: Russia on Tuesday called the US tightening of oil sanctions on Iran an "aggressive and reckless" policy after Washington announced it was seeking to stop all exports of Iranian crude.
"Such a course of action adds nothing to the Americans' international standing," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. "The rest of the world perfectly understands that Washington's policy is becoming more and more aggressive and reckless," it said.
The ministry said that "Washington is not even hiding its desire to make the world bend to its will," branding the heightened Iran sanctions "disturbing".
The United States on Monday announced that, in a bid to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero, it would from May 2 end US waivers that countries such as India, China, South Korea and Turkey currently have on buying Iranian crude.
The move targets the Islamic Republic's main economic earner and adds to sanctions pressure that has built up under US President Donald Trump, who has pulled his country out of a 2015 international deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme.
Russia, which is allied with Iran in Syria, praised Tehran's "restraint" over "the arrogant American provocations".
It called for all parties "with common sense" to do what they can to ensure the accord over Iran's nuclear activities survives. Trump's decision to do away with the waivers has seen global oil prices rise, along with commercial tensions with China and India.
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At 2.9 degrees Celsius, Delhi records its coldest morning this season
New Delhi (PTI): Bone-chilling temperatures greeted people on Thursday as the national capital recorded its coldest morning of the season. Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, recorded its lowest January minimum since 2023 at 2.9 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature had dropped to 1.4 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2023.
Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 2.3 degrees Celsius, while the mercury at Lodhi Road settled at 3.4 degrees Celsius. The Ridge station reported a low of 4.5 degrees Celsius, and Ayanagar logged 2.7 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature recorded at Palam was its lowest since 2010. The second lowest was recorded on January 7, 2013, when the mercury had dropped to 2.6 degrees Celsius.
All weather stations in Delhi recorded temperatures way below the normal, pointing to the persistence of cold wave conditions across the city. The national capital has been reeling under cold wave conditions for the past four days, and it is expected to persist even tomorrow.
The maximum temperature on Thursday is expected to hover around 21 degrees Celsius.
Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 349, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
