External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addresses a press conference on the Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia in New Delhi on March 23, 2026. Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
India is closely monitoring developments, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Monday (March 23, 2026), shortly after US President Donald Trump announced that he would delay attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure by five days.
Another senior official described the move as “positive”, stressing that the government was monitoring developments.
Also read: Update on the US-Israel war against Iran
Earlier, Mr Trump said he would delay any military strikes on Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure for the next five days after “very good and productive conversations regarding the full and complete resolution of (our) hostilities in West Asia”.
The announcement sent oil prices below $100 a barrel. At the time of writing, benchmark Brent (May) crude futures were trading 12.5% lower than their previous close at $98.18 a barrel. This came after it recovered from a drop to an intraday low of $97.11 a barrel.
India continues to reach out to GCC countries
On Monday (March 23) evening, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with the ambassadors of the GCC countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He said they exchanged views on the conflict in West Asia and “thanked them for their continued support to the Indian community in the region”. He also spoke on the phone with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath about developments in the war.
Published – 23 March 2026 22:34 IST
