India Condemns Escalating Tensions in West Asia, Calls for Dialogue and Diplomacy
India has expressed deep concern over the recent attacks and escalating tensions in West Asia, following US President Donald Trump's announcement that a ceasefire deal with Iran was 'over'. Trump,…
India has expressed deep concern over the recent attacks and escalating tensions in West Asia, following US President Donald Trump's announcement that a ceasefire deal with Iran was 'over'.
Trump, who is in Türkiye for the annual NATO Summit, stated that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Iran and the US last month was no longer valid following the exchange of attacks in West Asia early on Wednesday.
India, which has been impacted significantly by the West Asia conflict and its disruption of oil, gas, and fertiliser supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, reiterated its call for a return to dialogue and diplomacy as tensions soared, threatening the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US.
In a statement, the external affairs ministry said: “India is deeply concerned over the recent attacks and escalation of tensions in West Asia, which have followed fresh targeting of commercial shipping transiting international waterways in the region.”
These developments, the ministry said, “risk undermining regional peace, security, and stability”. India called on all parties to “exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and ensure protection of civilians as well as the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies and commerce”.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was in Kuwait as part of a tour of West Asia, where he met with Kuwait’s foreign minister Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and discussed the impact of the conflict on the region and beyond.
The two leaders also assessed cooperation in energy, trade, investments, defence, technology, and food security. Jaishankar also met with Kuwait Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
Following attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command said it hit more than 80 targets in Iran with precision munitions. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded with strikes on 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The US Treasury Department revoked a temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil, which had allowed Tehran to sell and deliver crude oil until August 21. Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator, described the move as a major violation of the MoU with the US.
Trump also stated that he could reimpose a US blockade of Iranian ports and carry out more military strikes on Iran.
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