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Did MEA say India backs Israel in Iran war, threaten Tehran? Viral video fact-checked
India has maintained since the start of the West Asia conflict that dialogue and diplomacy must be pursued to de-escalate tensions.
A clip has gone viral on social media in which Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), is heard saying during a press briefing that India stands with Israel in the war against Iran. Jaiswal is also heard saying that if reports about Iran attacking Indian commercial ships turn out to be true, New Delhi will give a harsher response to Tehran than it did to Pakistan.
The fact-check wing of the MEA clarified on Thursday that the clip is fake and AI-generated, urging people to remain alert to such deepfake videos.
The miscreants used footage from Randhir Jaiswal’s inter-ministerial briefing on developments in West Asia, held on March 11, to create a fake video. During the briefing, Jaiswal informed the media that the Indian Embassy in Tehran is fully operational and that the government is assisting Indians, including students and pilgrims, who wish to leave the country.
"Others continue to be there. Our embassy is in regular touch with them. We have also relocated some students and other visitors, pilgrims, to different cities to ensure their safety. We are also assisting--our embassy in Tehran is assisting--people who want to make a land border crossing and go into Armenia and Azerbaijan, and from there take the commercial flights to come back home. So that option is also available to those who want to take and take advantage of that. And we have been helping these people," he said.
Also Read: India assisting return of its citizens from Iran via Armenia, Azerbaijan, says MEA
India has maintained its firm stand on the conflict in West Asia (also known as Middle East region), saying that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate the tensions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that only military conflicts alone cannot solve any issue, whether in Ukraine or West Asia, when he made a statement at the joint presser with the President of Finland earlier this month.
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while addressing the Parliament a few days back, said India supports peace and is calling for a return to dialogue and diplomacy. “We advocate de-escalation, restraint and the protection of civilians,” he said.
He added that India will work with regional governments to ensure the safety and well-being of Indian nationals in the region, stressing that the country’s national interests — including energy security and trade flows — will “always remain paramount.”
