External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he had a telephone conversation with Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi amid the ongoing Israel-US-Iran conflict, which has also put Gulf countries on edge.
Jaishankar posted a report of his call on X. “Had a phone call with Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi this afternoon,” EAM’s post read.
Earlier in the day, India condoled the death of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Vikram Misri signed a condolence book at the Iranian Embassy in Delhi.
Conflict between Israel, USA and Iran
The call by the two foreign ministers comes amid escalating tensions between Israel, the US and Iran – the conflict enters its sixth day on Thursday, March 5.
Isreal and the US jointly attacked India on Saturday 28th February – in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed. Iran launched a wave of retaliatory strikes on the same day, with explosions reported in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other cities in the Persian Gulf.
“To regret bitterly…”
On Thursday, Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Israeli and US bases and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” the torpedoing of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, while Israel said it had launched a “large-scale” attack on Tehran, according to an AP report.
The warship IRIS Dena, a 1,500-tonne Moudge-class frigate, was on its way to Iran after participating in the Milan 2026 multilateral naval exercise in Visakhapatnam. Iranian officials said the vessel had visited India before the attack and was carrying around 130 sailors when it was hit off the coast of Sri Lanka.
India’s call for diplomacy
India has earlier expressed deep concern over the escalating conflict and called on all parties to exercise restraint and prioritize civilian security.
“Nearly one million Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being is a top priority. We cannot be immune to any development that adversely affects them,” a press statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said.
“India’s trade and energy supply chains are at risk due to the conflict. Our trade and energy supply chains also pass through this geography. Any major disruption has serious implications for the Indian economy. As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also strongly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Some Indian nationals have already lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the past few days,” a report said in recent days.
“India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy. We are clearly raising our voice in favor of an early end to the conflict. Unfortunately, many lives have already been lost and we express our grief in this regard,” India’s statement said.
