External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Armenia on Monday to discuss the situation arising from the Israel-Iran hostilities and the role of diplomacy in reducing tensions.
India, which enjoys close and friendly relations with both Iran and Israel, last week expressed deep concern at the hostilities between the two sides and called for a return to dialogue and diplomacy to work towards de-escalation. India also said it is ready to extend all possible support for such efforts.
After a phone call with UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Jaishankar said in a social media post that they had discussed “the current situation in West Asia and the role of diplomacy”.
In a separate social media post after speaking to Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Jaishankar said, “Discussed ongoing developments in the region and our close cooperation.”
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India has been closely following the developments since Israel triggered the latest round of hostilities by conducting waves of air strikes that killed top Iranian military commanders and several nuclear scientists. The strikes targeted Iran’s military and nuclear sites in about 10 cities. Iran retaliated by launching dozens of missiles at Israel.
{{/usCountry}}India has been closely following the developments since Israel triggered the latest round of hostilities by conducting waves of air strikes that killed top Iranian military commanders and several nuclear scientists. The strikes targeted Iran’s military and nuclear sites in about 10 cities. Iran retaliated by launching dozens of missiles at Israel.
{{/usCountry}}While Israel is home to more than 32,000 Indians, most of them care-givers and construction workers, there are more than 4,000 Indians in Iran. India has advised its citizens in both countries to be careful and to avoid all unnecessary travel.
The Indian embassies in both countries are in close touch with Indian nationals, though there are no plans as of now to evacuate Indians from Israel or Iran.