NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi stressed in his phone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian late on Thursday India is Iran’s friend and that his government will do all it can to advance diplomacy as escalation is not in anyone’s interest. This is the closest India has come to expressing solidarity with Tehran, which said Friday it would allow Indian ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, after the war broke out with US-Israel attacks and Iranian reprisals.
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The Iranian president also appreciated India’s “balanced and constructive positions” on international issues and its efforts to reduce tensions. Amidst the looming energy crisis, India had intensified engagement with Iran in the past few days to stress the need for unimpeded transit of goods and energy. Iranian ambassador Mohammad Fathali answered in the affirmative when asked if Tehran would let India-flagged ships cross the Strait.
“Yes, because India is our friend. You will see it withing 2 or 3 hours. We believe India and Iran share common interests in the region,” said Fathali on Friday evening. Twenty-eight Indian ships had remained stranded in the Persian Gulf because of the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. There were reports late on Friday that Iran had already allowed 2 of these ships carrying gas to cross the Strait.
India working with BRICS for consensus on conflict
According to an Iranian readout, Pezeshkian said Iran remained committed to expanding cooperation with New Delhi within frameworks such as BRICS, which is currently chaired by India, and called upon the group of major emerging economies to play an active role in safeguarding peace and security in the region.
The Modi-Pezeshkian talks were followed by external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s 4th conversation in the past 2 weeks with his counterpart Seyed Araghchi, during which BRICS related issues were again discussed. India currently holds the BRICS presidency and Araghchi, as Iran said in a readout, sought condemnation of US-Israel “military aggression” by regional and global organisations. “Referring to the importance of BRICS as a platform for expanding multilateral cooperation, he (Araghchi) said the grouping should play a constructive role at the present juncture in supporting regional and global stability and security,” said an Iranian readout of the foreign ministers’ talks. However, with both Iran and the UAE members of the group, it has been difficult for India as the chair to forge a consensus that could lead to a joint statement on the ongoing conflict. “As Chair of BRICS, India has been facilitating discussions among members through the Sherpa channel. Last virtual BRICS Sherpa meeting was held on 12 March. In addition, Indian leadership has been engaging with leaders of BRICS members in the region. India will continue to engage,” said a government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.According to Iran, Jaishankar expressed India’s readiness to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation in regional and international forums. He also emphasised the importance of finding ways to strengthen sustainable stability and security in the region as a “collective necessity”. Jaishankar said in his own post on X that BRICS issues were discussed.Iran joined the BRICS in 2024 and is hoping for support from India in its efforts to ensure that the group condemns the US-Israel attacks. Unlike Russia and China, India has so far not condemned the attacks on Iran but Modi, in his talks with the Iranian president, did express deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure. Without naming Iran, the PM has strongly condemned Iran’s attacks in the Gulf where India has deep energy and diaspora interests. According to Iran, in his talks with Modi, Pezeshkian raised the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the attack on a girls’ school in which, the president said, 168 students died. “Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed deep concern over the tensions in the Middle East and emphasized that India is a friend of Iran. New Delhi, he said, will make its maximum effort to play a role in advancing diplomacy, noting that escalation of conflict is not in the interest of any party,” said the Iranian statement on the talks. Pezeshkian told Modi, according to Tehran, that despite the recent crimes targeting infrastructure, Iran remained committed to expanding cooperation with India and other friendly countries within frameworks such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and stressed the need for BRICS to play an active role in safeguarding peace, stability, and security in the region.
