Samrat Chowdhery

@guardian Not a good decision. It is at times like these that counterbalancing narratives are needed on this platform. Why cede public spaces?

@ShashiTharoor @IndianExpress You are misreading this situation. Because India chose sides – PM's Israel visit just before war, condemning attacks on UAE but not condoling Khamenei death etc – is why our FM is now calling Araghchi everyday to plead releasing our tankers. Should have stayed neutral, like NATO.

My latest #TharoorThink column in the @IndianExpress explains why I have not joined the widespread liberal critique of the Indian government’s “moral failure” to condemn the US-Israeli attack on Iran. India has too much at stake to indulge in the morally gratifying grandstanding that could have placed vital national interests at risk. As the late Kofi Annan advised me, citing a Ghanaian proverb: “never hit a man on the head when you have your fingers between his teeth!”

@antonioguterres To the country that started the war, your message resonates. But it is difficult to see how the country attacked has any other option than use all the leverage it has in an assymetric war. The international community should do more to stop this oil-grab invasion.

I have two clear messages: First, to the United States & Israel: It’s high time to end this war that is risking to get out of control, causing immense suffering on civilians, with dramatic effects on the global economy & potentially tragic consequences, especially for the least developed countries. Second, my message to Iran: Stop attacking your neighbors, they were never parties to the conflict. The Security Council has condemned these attacks, has ordered them to stop, as it has order to open the Strait of Hormuz. The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes enormous pain for so many people around the world who have nothing to do with this conflict. It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of the force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war. My remarks from the European Council in Brussels: un.org/sg/en/content/…

One view: Iran attacking Gulf energy sites is a blunder. Will rally Arab nations against it. Other view: Israel attacking Iran's energy site was a blunder. Allows it to impose higher cost with whatever remaining missiles it has left.

LMAO this is first major break between bad buddies 😭🤣😂

Iran having nukes will ensure peace in ME. Israel does. A secure Iran won't need proxies to balance power. It's a fallacy to think if Iran has nukes it will use them and destroy itself too. Pak, N Korea, Belarus, Russia haven't. All it prevents is Israeli expansionism. #iranwar

This is probably the most important article of the month: an op-ed by Oman's Foreign Minister, who mediated the talks between the U.S. and Iran, in which he writes that the U.S. "has lost control of its foreign policy" to Israel. He repeats that a deal was possible as an outcome of the talks (something confirmed by the UK's National Security Advisor, who also attended: x.com/i/status/20341…) and that the military strike by the U.S. and Israel was "a shock." Interestingly, given he is one of Iran's neighbors and given that Oman has been struck multiple times by Iran since the war began (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran…), he writes that "Iran’s retaliation against what it claims are American targets on the territory of its neighbours was an inevitable result" of the U.S.-Israeli attack. He describes it as "probably the only rational option available to the Iranian leadership." He says the war "endangers" the region's entire "economic model in which global sport, tourism, aviation and technology were to play an important role." He adds that "if this had not been anticipated by the architects of this war, that was surely a grave miscalculation." But, he adds, the "greatest miscalculation" of all for the U.S. "was allowing itself to be drawn into this war in the first place." In his view this was the doing of "Israel’s leadership" who "persuaded America that Iran had been so weakened by sanctions, internal divisions and the American-Israeli bombings of its nuclear sites last June, that an unconditional surrender would swiftly follow the initial assault and the assassination of the supreme leader." Obviously, this proved completely wrong, and the U.S. is now in a quagmire. He says that, given this, "America’s friends have a responsibility to tell the truth," which is that "there are two parties to this war who have nothing to gain from it," namely "Iran and America." He says that all of the U.S. interests in the region (end to nuclear proliferation, secure energy supply chains, investment opportunities) are "best achieved with Iran at peace." As he writes, "this is an uncomfortable truth to tell, because it involves indicating the extent to which America has lost control of its own foreign policy. But it must be told." He then proposes a couple of paths to get back to the negotiating table, although he recognizes how difficult it would be for Iran "to return to dialogue with an administration that twice switched abruptly from talks to bombing and assassination." That's perhaps the most profound damage Trump did during this entire episode: the complete discrediting of diplomacy. If Iran was taught anything, it is: don't negotiate with the U.S., it's a trap that will literally kill you. The great irony of the man who sold himself as a dealmaker is that he taught the world one thing: don't make deals with my country. Link to the article: economist.com/by-invitation/…

@suhasinih Sounds like a jilted lover morphing into an acid attacker. #DJT

Heres what the "leader of the most powerful country and military in the world" just said

Well-argued pragmatism: International law is losing credibility by refusing to adapt to strategic realities. Rules that act as a suicide pact for nations will always be ignored. Realism is the only way to survive. #Geopolitics asiatimes.com/2026/03/intern…

Pleasure to coauthor this article with former WHO executive director Derek Yach on the gutka explosion in India and ways to address it. dailypioneer.com/news/dealing-w…

Decapitation is a lazy military strategy that has consistently proven ineffective. Yet Americans and Israelis continue to use it as a first-choice offensive. Picking off Iran's leadership could make things worse. #IranWar‌ nytimes.com/2026/03/17/wor…

After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today. I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. It has been an honor serving under @POTUS and @DNIGabbard and leading the professionals at NCTC. May God bless America.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had named three preferred successors, and his son was not one of them. But the war forced prioritising revenge over reform. #iranwar nytimes.com/2026/03/16/wor…

@raghav_chadha Very interesting and good idea. You are coming up with really progressive suggestions in Parliament. Great work 👏

In Parliament today I proposed optional Joint filing of Income Tax Returns for married couples. Family A Both spouses earn ₹10 lakh each. Total household income is ₹20 lakh. Tax: zero Family B One spouse earns ₹20 lakh. The other stays home to raise their child. Total household income is ₹20 lakh. Tax: ₹1.92 lakh The only difference is how the salary is split between the two spouses. One roof. One kitchen. One household budget. But when tax time comes, the family disappears. The tax system sees two individuals. A husband and wife become strangers. No clubbing of income or rebates. In Parliament today I proposed optional joint filing of Income Tax Returns for married couples, so families with uneven incomes are not unfairly penalised. If implemented, then Family A and Family B both will pay Zero Tax.

@Sam_Waldenberg @jeffzeleny he didn't say 'living president'

US-Israel are not aligned on Iran. Both Trump & Netanyahu face crucial elections in few months. Trump wants to limit costs, but for Bibi a prolonged war is crucial in absence of regime change. Question is how long can he keep the US trapped. #iranwar

I had broken this story that the Modi govt had seized three Iranian tankers after being asked by the Trump administration. The Indian media hadn’t even dared report it

US wasn't supposed to unilaterally invade Iran.

Who would have thought that this would happen?

@RnaudBertrand Sour grapes after a failed heist.

Unreal... The man literally breaks the global energy supply, directly affecting the lives of billions of people and then is like "wait, should we even be there? It's not our problem after all." The level of thoughtlessness and hubris is genuinely off the charts.

@ajay43 I think he's trying to insulate himself from the coming disaster by creating a record that he tried. But you are right, it's pointless.

Is there really any point to these tweets? It’s like saying I woke up in the morning and went to office today… so?