India is being seen as a key player in easing US-Iran tensions, as per Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali. Highlighting India’s unique position as a major actor in the Global South with a balanced foreign policy, Fathali said India can "play an effective and positive role in reducing tensions and facilitating dialogue". He added that India’s historical and strategic ties with all parties (US, Iran and Israel) enable it to act as a trusted mediator.
"India can certainly play an effective and positive role in reducing tensions. As a major actor in the Global South and given its balanced foreign policy, India holds a special position to help de-escalate tensions and facilitate dialogue," Iran's ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali said in Delhi.
"India maintains historical and strategic relations with all parties, which enables it to act as a trusted player in reducing misunderstandings and strengthening diplomatic pathways," Fathali added.
The envoy’s comment came after US President Donald Trump's administration offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. The ceasefire plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Pakistan, whose role seems critical in the peace negotiations between the US and Iran, has a history of facilitating deadly terror attacks across the world. Despite its past reputation, Trump has seemed keen on taking the Islamic regime on board for peace negotiations with Tehran.
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Israel Rejects Pakistan
Meanwhile, Israel has expressed that it does not place trust in countries with which it lacks diplomatic relations, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said, responding to a question on whether Tel Aviv trusts Pakistan in the context of the ongoing Iran conflict and related diplomatic efforts.
The statement came as Trump shared a screenshot of Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif's X post, where he stressed Islamabad could play a crucial role in navigating the closure of Israel-US-Iran war.
Azar emphasised that Israel's approach is guided by its own assessment and that of key allies. "We are not going to engage in trusting a country that doesn't have diplomatic relations with us. What we trust is our judgment and the judgment of the President of the United States," the Israeli envoy said.
Statements from the Iranian and Israeli ambassadors have underscored another diplomatic embarrassment for Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and if peace talks falter, it would be yet another setback for Islamabad’s mediation efforts.