In call with Iran president, PM Modi slams infra attacks, says ship lanes must stay open

NEW DELHI: With the conflict in the West Asia region threatening to engulf energy infrastructure, and amid concerns about a possible LPG crisis at home, PM Modi spoke to the Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, for the second time since the start of military hostilities and reiterated the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure.

In a post on X, Modi said he also condemned attacks on critical infrastructure "in the region", which threaten regional stability and disrupt global supply chains. While Modi has explicitly condemned violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of GCC countries, which are important for India's energy and diaspora interests, he has not condemned the US-Israel attacks on Iran. However, in his last conversation with Pezeshkian, Modi told him that India was Iran's friend.

Pezeshkian also again urged India, as the current Brics chair, to leverage its "independent role" to halt the US-Israel hostilities against Iran. He further underscored that a prerequisite for ending the war is the immediate cessation of aggression by US and Israel, along with guarantees against their recurrence in the future, according to an Iranian readout of the talks.

Separately, foreign minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi and discussed the conflict in West Asia and its implications for the larger region.

The conflict saw a dramatic escalation this week with Israel attacking Iran's South Pars gas field and Tehran retaliating with strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, a global LNG hub. Modi had spoken to the Qatar Amir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and leaders of other GCC countries and condemned the attacks on energy infrastructure in the region. On the attacks on energy installations, the PM has restricted himself to denouncing attacks "in the region" and not named any country.

After the attack on its gas field, Iran had targeted energy hubs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE, apart from Qatar. On Saturday, the PM also extended Eid and Nowruz greetings to Pezeshkian. "We expressed hope that this festive season brings peace, stability and prosperity to West Asia," he said, while also thanking Iran for ensuring the safety and security of Indian nationals.
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