‘We need a ceasefire’: Finland President calls for talks as Iran war rages on; sees role for India

Finland President Alexander Stubb has suggested that India could help broker a ceasefire between the United States-Israel and Iran, as the Middle East conflict entered its 19th day on Wednesday.He made the remark during an interview with Bloomberg Television.Stubb said, “We need a ceasefire...I’m just wondering whether the Europeans or actually India could get involved. We saw foreign minister Jaishankar calling for a ceasefire and negotiations just to calm down the temperature and freeze the situation,” during an interview with Bloomberg Television. He added, “In these kind of situations, with three players - Israel, the US, and Iran - all with more or less different interests, it's very difficult for them to organise themselves into a peace kind of a situation.”Earlier, the UAE's first ambassador to India, Hussain Hassan Mirza, also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could resolve the conflict with a single call.“One phone call from Mr Modi to the counterparts in Iran and Israel can solve this issue, can end this issue. One phone call,” Mirza told an Indian news channel.US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire. However, Tehran has asserted that there would be no ceasefire.The conflict in the Middle East began on February 28 with joint strikes by the United States and Israel across the Islamic Republic. Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes targeting US military bases in the Gulf and infrastructure in regional states hosting American forces, further escalating tensions across West Asia.