Atomic Agency Veteran Warns of Global Nuclear Risk After US Attack On Iran

In a significant escalation of geopolitical tensions, the US launched a targeted military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, raising global concerns about the potential fallout and future implications. The attack, which focused on three key sites at Natanz, Isfahan and most importantly the Fordow enrichment facility, has prompted widespread speculation about the extent of the damage and the possibility of radiation leaks affecting nearby populations and neighbouring countries.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Peter Rickwood, former press officer of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna and founder of Atomic Reporters, shared his insights on the situation.

Mr Rickwood emphasised that the full impact of the attack would take time to assess, particularly due to the underground nature of the facilities. He noted that without direct inspections of the vaults and centrifuge areas, it would be difficult to determine the actual damage.

Importantly, Mr Rickwood pointed out that Iran had recently declared the removal of nuclear material from Fordow and other enrichment sites, raising questions about their current location and status.

Mr Rickwood expressed concern over the IAEA's ability to perform its verification duties in a conflict zone. The absence of inspectors means there is no way to confirm whether the nuclear material is being further enriched, potentially to weapons-grade levels. This uncertainty adds to the complexity of the situation and underscores the need for transparency and international oversight.

Seven B-2 Spirit bombers were used to attack Fordow nuclear enrichment site in Iran

Satellite images of the attack have surfaced, but Mr Rickwood cautioned that these only reveal surface-level damage. He likened the scenario to a mine disaster, where the true extent of destruction lies beneath the surface. While acknowledging the military precision of the operation, he questioned whether the bombs penetrated deep enough to destroy the enrichment equipment and whether any of it had been removed prior to the strike.

The implications of the attack extend beyond immediate physical damage. Iran's status as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is now under scrutiny. Mr Rickwood warned that Iran might consider withdrawing from the NPT, following the precedent set by North Korea in 2003. Such a move would eliminate the legal framework for inspecting Iran's nuclear facilities, further reducing global visibility into its nuclear activities.

Mr Rickwood has a sombre reflection on the broader consequences of the attack. He expressed fear that the world is entering a highly risky and vulnerable phase, where diplomatic channels are strained and the potential for nuclear proliferation is heightened. The situation calls for careful monitoring, renewed diplomatic efforts, and a recommitment to international treaties that promote peace and security.

Mr Rickwood stressed on the urgent need for global cooperation and vigilance in the face of escalating nuclear tensions. As the international community grapples with the aftermath of the attack, the role of watchdog organisations like the IAEA becomes even more critical in ensuring accountability and preventing further destabilisation.

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Bumrah Surpasses Pakistan's Wasim Akram To Become Asian With Most...

Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers on the second day of the first Test against England. While the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja toiled hard with no success, Bumrah provded crucial breakthroughs after India were all out for 471. Bumrah scalped the wickets of England openrs Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. In doing so, Bumrah surpassed  Pakistan pace great Wasim Akram for most wickets in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) by an Asian.    

Bumrah, after his two wickets, went up to 147 from 60 innings in SENA countries. He surpassed Wasim Akram in the list of Asian bowlers with most wickets in SENA countries. Bumrah tops the list, followed by Akram (146), Anil Kumble (141), Ishant Sharma (130), and Mohammed Shami (123). 

Earlier, England tearaway Mark Wood praised Jasprit Bumrah, the current "best bowler in the world," as a speedster who has the potential to "change the game." Bumrah has transformed into the world's best following his mouth-watering spells across all formats of the game. The 31-year-old has been deemed the biggest threat to England in India's young squad. Wood underscored the havoc "dangerous" Bumrah can cause in any game phase.

"He is a phenomenal bowler across all formats who is really dangerous. I can honestly say he is really hard to pick up and face. He is quicker than you think. He is the best bowler in the world right now, and he is dangerous in any part of the match. Bumrah can change the game," Wood said on Sky Sports.

Moments after Wood's words echoed in the stadium, Bumrah had already proved to be a menace that England struggled to deal with. In the opening over of England's first innings, Zak Crawley was unavailable to avoid Bumrah's magic.

With an absolute peach of a delivery, Bumrah lured a thick outside edge of Crawley, who was looking to flick the ball away. The good length of delivery angled into the middle leg hit the deck and straightened considerably, and Crawley had no answer to it.

Karun Nair took a share catch at the slip, forcing Crawley to return cheaply on 4(6). In his first spell, Bumrah almost had a second wicket to his column on the final delivery of the seventh over. Ben Duckett slashed the ball hard towards Ravindra Jadeja, stationed at the backward point.

The ball travelled swiftly towards him, and Jadeja managed to get a hold of it, but the ball eventually popped out of his hands, giving Duckett an unprecedented lifeline on 15(20). He ended his first spell after bowling five overs, giving away 21 runs with a sole wicket, the best among India's fast bowling troika.

With IANS inputs 

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Air India Plane Crash: 9 Days On, Process To Identify Victims Continues

Nine days after the Ahmedabad plane crash, the process to identify several victims is still underway as the authorities have asked eight families to submit the DNA sample of another relative, as the previous ones failed to match.

Ahmedabad-based filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala, who was reported missing following the June 12 air crash, the matching of DNA samples confirmed that he died in the catastrophe, following which his body was handed over to his family.

In Maharashtra, relatives and friends gave an emotional farewell to Deepak Pathak and Irfan Shaikh - two crew members of the ill-fated flight - at Badlapur in Thane district and in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune city, respectively.

The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad moments after it took off from the city airport last Thursday, killing all but one on board, and 29 on the ground as the aircraft smashed into a medical complex in the Meghaninagar area.

Since many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition or damaged otherwise, authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims of the horrific tragedy.

Until Friday, DNA samples of 231 victims have been matched, and 210 bodies have been handed over to families.

However, families of eight victims have been asked to give a sample of another relative for DNA tests after the first one did not match, an official said.

"Unless there is a match, bodies cannot be handed over to the kin, " Ahmedabad Civil Hospital's medical superintendent Rakesh Joshi told PTI.

"When there is no match for a longer period of time, then you can ask another sample from another relative. If one sibling has given the sample, then a sample of another sibling is sought for matching the DNA with that of the victim," he said.

"We generally prefer a sample of father or son/daughter. If not, then we take a sample of another available member," Mr Joshi added.

He, however, clarified that samples of siblings have matched in the process.

There are at least eight such families whose first sample has not matched, so another sample was sought.

On Friday, Mr Joshi said that since the DNA matching process is highly sensitive and involves legal protocols, it is being conducted with utmost seriousness and speed.

To ensure that families receive the bodies of their loved ones quickly, Forensic Science University, along with associated institutions, local administrative authorities, the state government's health and other departments, and various agencies are working tirelessly.

Meanwhile, police said that through the matching of DNA samples, it has been confirmed that filmmaker Jirawala has died in the plane crash.

Jirawala, 34, was passing by from the area on his two-wheeler just when the London-bound plane plunged into a hostel complex, he said.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Sector 2, Jaipalsinh Rathore said the DNA test confirmed that Jirawala died as a result of the plane crash, but as his family members were still in disbelief, the police collected and presented other evidence, such as CCTV footage of the road and his burnt scooter, in order to clear their doubts from their mind and convince them.

"Jirawala's family took his body on Friday after the DNA test confirmed his identity. His scooter, which was destroyed in the fire, was also recovered from near the crash site. The chassis and engine number also matched with the registration documents of the scooter," he said.

"To clear his family's doubts, we collected CCTV footage of that area to establish that he was indeed using that route for some time. His last mobile location was last traced close to the accident site," the officer added.

Soon after the crash, the mobile phone of Jirawala, a resident of Naroda locality in Ahmedabad, got switched off, and he never returned home as he had promised his wife, Hetal.

Talking to reporters, she said her husband, who was also known as Mahesh Kalavadiya, was a filmmaker and used to direct music albums.

On the day of the plane crash, Jirawala went to meet someone at the Law Garden area. At 1:14 pm, he called his wife and told her that his meeting was over and that he was on his way home. However, when he did not return, she called on his number but found it switched off.

After the police were informed, their investigation found that as per the last location of his mobile phone, he was 700 metres away from the crash site.

In Badlapur, crew member Pathak was cremated in the presence of thousands of mourners.

The body of Pathak (34), who had been serving the national carrier for the past 11 years, was handed over to his family members after a nine-day-long identification process, confirmed through DNA testing.

Family, friends, neighbours, and people from all walks of life walked behind the flower-bedecked truck carrying Pathak's coffin to the crematorium.

Pimpri Chinchwad-based Shaikh family had received 22-year-old Irfan's remains after a DNA match on Friday, and they were brought to Pune in the early hours. His last rites were held at a graveyard in Nehru Nagar in the presence of family, neighbours, friends, and leaders from across political parties.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Video Of Indian Tourists Dancing In Thailand Goes Viral, Internet Reacts

A video of a group of Indian tourists dancing in Thailand is going viral on social media. The clip, shared on X, shows a group of Indian tourists dancing with great energy at Safari World, a zoo in Bangkok. The audience appears to be mostly Indian, though a few onlookers from other countries can be spotted in the background. They appear surprised and a bit upset. The video has an overlay text saying, "When you visit Thailand to see Thai people but...Indians everywhere." 

Sharing the video on X, user @baldwhiner wrote, "Dear desi tourists abroad WE BEG YOU ... if you weren't a singer, dancer, stand-up comic or wildlife whisperer back home ... this is not the time to start let's not make the whole planet suffer 2nd-hand embarrassment on our behalf."

Watch the video below: 

dear desi tourists abroad

WE BEG YOU 🙏🏼…
if you weren't a singer, dancer, stand-up comic or wildlife whisperer back home …
this is not the time to start
let's not make the whole planet suffer 2nd-hand embarrassment on our behalf pic.twitter.com/7bvFn8ulF7

— JΛYΣƧΉ  (@baldwhiner) June 20, 2025

The video has gone viral, accumulating more than 549,000 views. It has sparked mixed reactions online, with many criticising the tourists for their behaviour. 

"Our behavior will ensure that even the 2nd and fellow 3rd world countries will stop issuing visa on arrival," wrote one user. 

"Embarrassing, I wouldn't mind if they had rhythm and could show some good moves..but those pot belly dancing in the group must be banned," commented another. 

"This is because fellow Indians have been praising this mediocrity back home. It wouldn't  happen if we start calling a pot a pot," expressed a third user. 

Also Read | Blind Man Accuses IndiGo Staff At Mumbai Airport Of Humiliating Him And His Mother, Airline Reacts

However, some users defended the tourists. One user said, "How about you chill out. There is nothing embarrassing about it more than what you make yourself believe." 

"The song is playing in the background. You never know if they were encouraged to do this. During our Vietnam Cruise, we were encouraged to dance and sing, and so were Japanese and philipino people as well. It was well organised. Background context: it was a party," commented another. 

"They gave them the stage and space to enjoy, so they are enjoying. Tourists go out to enjoy, to let their hair loose, away from judging known circle. Just be yourself and let others be themselves. If they are breaking rules, let them face the music. They are not kids of ur school," said one user. 

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Flight Carrying Indian Students Lands In Delhi After Iran Opens Its Airspace

A flight carrying 290 Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, landed in Delhi late Friday night after Iran lifted its airspace restrictions today for India's 'Operation Sindhu'. The country opened its airspace, in a special gesture, for three flights to evacuate about 1,000 Indians. This was the first of the three flights.

The Indians were moved to Mashhad from Tehran following Israeli attacks. The evacuation flights were being operated by Iranian airline Mahan and were arranged by New Delhi.

"Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, and all concerned authorities for their timely intervention and support. A great relief for families who had been anxiously awaiting their return, said the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association.

Thousands of Indian students, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, are stranded in Iran. 

Another flight from Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat is scheduled to arrive in Delhi around 3 am followed by a third one later in the day.

'Operation Sindhu' was launched on Wednesday to bring back its nationals from Iran and Israel amid the rising hostilities between the longtime enemies. Yesterday, a group of 110 Indian students were transited via Armenia and Doha before they boarded a flight to Delhi. 

Mohammad Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, said more evacuation flights could be operated in the coming days to bring back Indians if required. "We consider Indians as our own people. Iran's airspace is closed, but because of this issue, we are making arrangements to open it for the safe passage of Indian nationals," he said at a media briefing.

Mr Hosseini said about 10,000 Indians are living in Iran and those wishing to return home are being evacuated.

Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion" with a surprise attack on the morning of June 13 that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites. Iran retaliated with air strikes, with both countries launching hundreds of missiles at each other in the last four days.

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'Flying On A Dreamliner? I'm On': Ex Aviation Minister After Air India Crash

There is no cause for worry after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad and if he was asked to fly on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner today, he would say yes immediately because the airline has a sound technical grounding and the country's aviation regulatory framework is strong, former civil aviation minister Praful Patel has said. 

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Friday, the NCP MP also said, however, that there is a need for better communication from airlines as well as the aviation watchdog and all vacancies should be filled up because, when it comes to flying, "it's either 100% safe or zero, there's nothing like 99.9%".

On the pace of the investigation after last week's Dreamliner crash in which at least 270 people were killed, including over 30 on the ground, Mr Patel said it has been satisfactory because a team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team in the US, teams from Boeing and GE, which manufactured the engines of the plane, and India's own Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited the site almost immediately and took charge. 

Based on his experience as the civil aviation minister between 2004 and 2011, the investigation, he said, should be completed within three months but could take longer because all possible scenarios should be ruled out.

Mr Patel said the AAIB is very competent and the damaged black box of the AI 171 could be decoded in India itself, but there is no harm if this happens in the US either. "It doesn't really matter whether it's being opened in the US or it's being decoded in India. At the end of the day, what we really want to know is what went wrong," he said. 

Air India Safety

Mr Patel pointed out that instances of flights being cancelled or having a technical issue happen every day, and are being amplified now because of the crash.

"Air India, irrespective of the ownership today or in the past, has always been completely safety driven, protocol driven. They follow every single process which has been prescribed either by the manufacturer or by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation," he said. 

"I would like to say that India does follow very good safety protocols. Air India has also had very tragic incidents, accidents in the past and they have been able to learn from them and overcome those kinds of issues. And I am sure even in the current context, Air India will be able to ride out of this crisis," the minister added.

Describing the current crisis as a "crisis of confidence", Mr Patel said he has been getting calls about whether it is safe to fly Air India and whether its safety protocols and maintenance are up to the mark. 

"I can tell you, and I have no hesitation in saying this, that if I were to fly a 787 Dreamliner today, I would be the first person to say, fine, I'm on. There's no real issue, I wouldn't worry even for a second... only time will tell whether it's some kind of a failure of a machine or man or whatever. But these are all hypothetical things, we should not really be talking too much about them until we actually have the full report," he stressed.

"Air India itself has got very, very, very good technical people over the years. The legacy has been very strong in Air India," he added. 

Passenger Confidence

Asked how the government could boost the confidence of flyers after the crash, Mr Patel said passenger confidence has been shaken badly, but it can also be easily restored. 

Suggesting measures to do this, he said, "I feel that there needs to be better communication, both by Air India and by all the airlines of the country put together, even by the DGCA. And I can also sense that this is a time when any vacancies in the DGCA or even in airlines in terms of their engineering or safety departments should be filled up immediately... You see, in aviation parlance, either it's 100% safe or zero, there's nothing like 99.9%."

Pointing out that several helicopter crashes have occurred in the Char Dham area in the past few weeks, he said checks and balances should be put in place and "shortcuts" should be avoided. 

"The operators take chances, the pilots also sometimes are confident or overconfident, they think that they can navigate through the mountains or the clouds and they know their way... And sometimes, I'm not blaming anybody, but there could be shortcuts which need to be avoided. That also shakes up confidence. After all, anything falling off the sky does rattle people.

Safety Focus

On whether India has too few players in terms of airlines, Mr Patel said the emphasis should be on quality, not quantity. India's track record, he said, has not been worse than advanced countries like the US or countries in Europe.

"And we also have very, very good overall safety standards and monitoring. But my last word to people would be, please do not be scared of flying. It's still the safest mode of public transportation, even in India or anywhere in the world. (Once) you sit on a plane, your chances of having something going wrong are really very rare. You are one of the real unlucky ones if you really encounter some major problem," he said.

"Otherwise, it is the safest and probably the best-managed public transportation (system) anywhere in the world," the former aviation minister emphasised.

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Watch: Ranthambore's Iconic Tigress' Final Walk Captured On Camera

Tigress Arrowhead (T-84), one of Ranthambore's most celebrated big cats, passed away at the age of 14, forest officials confirmed on Thursday. Her death came just hours after her daughter was relocated to another tiger reserve, marking an emotional end to a storied legacy in Indian wildlife history. The death of this beloved animal has devastated wildlife enthusiasts. Noted photographer Sachin Rai, who had closely followed her life since she was a cub, paid tribute with a poignant video capturing her final moments.

He shared a heart-wrenching account of Arrowhead's final moments. In an emotional Instagram post, he described watching her struggle to walk near Padam Talab on June 17, taking a few weak steps before collapsing under a tree, knowing instinctively that the end was near.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sachin Rai (@sachin_rai_photography)

"On the evening of June 17th, I witnessed what would likely be the last walk of the legendary tigress 'Arrowhead' at the banks of Padam Talab, a place she had ruled with grace and strength for many years. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle, attempting to rise and take a few feeble steps before collapsing again," he wrote.

"Each movement was a visible effort; even walking ten steps seemed an enormous task. Eventually, she reached a tree and lay beneath it. In that quiet moment, I knew in my heart that the end was near, just a matter of a day or two," he further mentioned.

"I have followed Arrowhead's journey since she was a tiny cub. From those early days to watching her grow into a powerful tigress who claimed her mother's territory, every chapter of her life was a testament to resilience."

Born to tigress Krishna (T-19) and the granddaughter of the legendary Machhli (T-16), Arrowhead was part of a famed tiger bloodline. She had been suffering from advanced bone cancer and had been under observation for weeks. Her passing symbolizes the end of an era for Ranthambore, where her lineage had long been a symbol of strength, beauty, and survival.

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