Admiral Nanda vs Qasem Soleimani

As Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nanda planned and executed a naval blockade of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The Indian Navy effectively cut off Pakistani sea routes, isolating its forces and contributing to the swift surrender of Pakistani troops in the east.

Under Admiral Nanda's leadership, the Indian Navy launched Operation Trident, a missile boat attack on the Pakistani port of Karachi. The operation sank or damaged multiple Pakistani naval vessels and oil storage facilities, demonstrating naval power projection.

Qasem Soleimani was appointed commander of the Quds Force, the elite foreign operations branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in 1998. Under his leadership, the Quds Force expanded Iran's influence across the Middle East, supporting allied groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.

Soleimani was instrumental in organizing Iraqi Shia militias and coordinating with Iraqi security forces to counter the Islamic State (ISIS) after its 2014 offensive. He provided strategic advice and logistical support, helping to turn the tide against ISIS. His role made him a hero in Iran and among Shia communities, but a target for the US and its allies.

On January 3, 2020, Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, ordered by President Donald Trump. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leader of the Iraqi Kata'ib Hezbollah. The assassination escalated tensions between the US and Iran, leading to Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraq.