Hours after a shooting incident involving two Indian-flagged ships was reported in the Strait of Hormuz, Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative of Iran’s supreme leader in India, on Sunday underscored the strength of India-Iran relations.
According to news agency ANI, Ilahi, who called for peace in the region, said: “Our relations with India are very strong… India benefited from the good relations between Iran and India when their oil and tankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The Prime Minister of India had very successful talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Foreign Minister had several successful talks with Iran.”
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Noting that the relationship between the two countries is rooted in 5,000 years of history, Ilahi added, “Iranians are linked to India by culture, civilization, education, humanity and philosophy. Our relationship is very strong and will continue to grow stronger.”
Two Indian-flagged vessels attacked in Hormuz
Ilahi’s remarks came after two Indian-flagged vessels were shot down by Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Although no casualties were reported and the vessels were not damaged, both ships were forced to turn back after the incident, which occurred in the north-east of Oman.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that following the incident, Delhi summoned Iran’s ambassador and “expressed India’s deep concern over today’s firing incident involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz”.
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Commenting on the incident, Ilahi reiterated the relationship between the two countries, adding that he was unaware of the incident but hoped “it will be fine and resolved”.
Ilahi calls for a de-escalation of the war
Ilahi called for a de-escalation of the war, saying that the Islamic Republic does not want this war and only wants peace. He further expressed the hope that the other side would follow the peace. Ilahi’s words echoed President Masoud Pezeshkian’s remarks. Earlier today, Pezeshkian said Tehran was not seeking war and was only acting in self-defense against attack by the US and Israel, reiterating his country’s commitment to peace and regional stability, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran’s president has accused Washington and Tel Aviv of targeting civilian infrastructure, calling such actions a violation of international law and evidence of a human rights double standard.
ISNA news agency quoted Pezeshkian as saying: “We have not attacked any country and in the current situation we have no intention of attacking any side and we are simply defending ourselves legitimately.” He added: “It should not be suggested that Iran is seeking war. On the contrary, we are peaceful and what we are doing is legitimate self-defense. Just as any human being reacts to aggression, the nation also defends itself against attack.”
The US demanded something else in Pakistan: Ilahi
Commenting on the US-Iran talks that took place last week in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, Ilahi noted that the Islamic Republic had submitted a ten-point plan to Washington that was supposed to be the basis of the talks and was accepted by the US. He added that based on the plan already submitted, a delegation led by US Vice President JD Vance was to come and act; however, when they arrived in Pakistan and negotiations began, they began to demand something else. Ilahi said the US refused to negotiate based on the previously presented plan and as a result the talks failed. According to him, “Iran has received some other proposal from the US and maybe they will negotiate later. But so far there has been no achievement of this negotiation.”
US and Iranian delegations met in Pakistan last week and the talks lasted more than 21 hours; However, on 12 April it was reported that the talks had broken down, with both sides blaming each other for the failure to reach an agreement.
(With agency inputs)
