US condoles Vajpayee's death
Washington, Aug 17 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condoled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death and praised his vision for famously characterising US-India ties as a "natural partnership of shared endeavours".
In a statement issued by the State Department on Thursday, Pompeo extended his heartfelt condolences to the people of India on losing Vajpayee.
Recounting the former Prime Minister's many contributions, the US statement said: "He championed tirelessly for his country's development and demonstrated a devotion to improving the lives of every Indian" leading it to become "a global and economic power".
"Standing before the US Congress in 2000, he famously characterised US-India ties as a 'natural partnership of shared endeavours'.
"He recognized early on that the US and India, based on their shared democratic values, could develop a partnership that would contribute to the economic prosperity and security of the region and the world.
"Today, our two countries and our bilateral relationship continue to benefit from Prime Minister Vajpayee's vision, which helped promote expanded cooperation."
Vajpayee, 93, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday following a prolonged illness.
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US intelligence flags possible Chinese support to Iran
Washington: The United States has gathered intelligence suggesting that China may be considering providing financial assistance, spare parts and missile components to Iran, according to a report by CNN citing people familiar with the matter.
The Times of India reported that the development follows a separate claim that Russia has been supplying Iran with real-time intelligence on the locations of US military assets in the Middle East, including warships and aircraft, which could potentially allow Tehran to target American forces during the ongoing conflict.
A source quoted by TOI, in the report said China appeared cautious in its approach. “China is more cautious in its support. It wants the war to end because it endangers their energy supply,” the source said. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, said Russia and China were “not really a factor” in the war involving Iran.
Neither the Central Intelligence Agency nor the United States Department of Defense has commented on the reports about possible Russian and Chinese assistance to Iran.
Russia has publicly called for an end to the conflict. It described the conflict as an “unprovoked act of armed aggression," while the Russian embassy in Washington, DC did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.
The reported intelligence sharing also points to evolving alignments among US adversaries.
During the Russia-Ukraine War, Iran, China and North Korea have provided different forms of military or material support to Russia, while the United States has supplied Ukraine with weapons and intelligence to assist its forces.
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