PM Modi chairs CCS meeting; West Asia situation, stranded Indians discussed

It was learned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting of the Cabinet Security Committee, the country’s highest decision-making body on security and strategic issues, on Sunday night, March 1, 2026, and the situation developing due to the new conflict in West Asia was discussed.

The meeting was held to evaluate the situation that emerged after the US and Israel’s attack on Iran and the murder of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran-Israel conflict updates on March 1, 2026

“The Prime Minister chaired the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting,” a source said, without revealing details of the meeting.

The CCS meeting took place shortly after Mr Modi arrived in the national capital around 9.30 pm after his two-day tour of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Sources said that the meeting, attended by committee members including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, was briefed by senior officials about the current situation in West Asia and its impact on India.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, principal secretaries to the Prime Minister PK Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan and External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri also attended the meeting.

The meeting is believed to have discussed the safety of Indian citizens living in West Asia and those stranded and how to deal with the situation if it worsens, sources said.

Currently, West Asia’s airspace is almost closed.

Hundreds of Indians were stranded in Dubai, Doha and other major airports in the region as flight services were disrupted due to military tensions in West Asia, and many took to social media to appeal for help to the Indian government.

Sources also learned that the meeting evaluated the situation resulting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an important shipping route for Indian oil carriers, by Iranian authorities.

There are approximately 10,000 Indian citizens living, studying and working in Iran; More than 40,000 of them live in Israel. The number of Indians living in the Gulf and West Asia is around nine million.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Indian missions in the region are in constant touch with their citizens and helplines have also been activated.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed early Saturday in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States. Iranian state television and state-run IRNA The news agency reported that the 86-year-old died in the early hours of Sunday.

US President Donald Trump said this gave the Iranians the “best chance” of “taking back their country”.

Mr. Trump said the heavy, precise bombing would continue throughout the week or as long as necessary.

Iran responded to the attack by firing drones and missiles at Israeli and US military facilities in the Gulf region, as well as global business hub Dubai.

On Sunday, mourners from the Shiite community took to the streets in various parts of India to express their anger and sorrow over the killing of Khamenei.