Jaishankar Talks To Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Amid War In Middle East

Dr S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, on Thursday held a telephonic conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Syed Abbas Araghchi, days after the country found itself dragged into a wider conflict following the joint US and Israeli strikes. The development comes five days after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes and after an Iranian frigate, IRIS DENA, returning after a joint exercise with the Indian Navy, was torpedoed by a US Submarine off the Sri Lankan coast in the Indian Ocean.

Since the strikes on Iran on Saturday, India's response to the renewed conflict was calculated and restrained. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talked to leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, among other Middle Eastern countries, extending solidarity in the wake of the Iranian attacks on their respective territories while condemning the strikes.

However, no official word was issued on Khamenei's death or the attack on Iran till Thursday, when Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reached the Iranian Embassy in Delhi and extended condolences on Khamenei's death. 

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On behalf of the Government of India, Misri signed the Condolence Book at the embassy. During his visit to the Iranian Embassy, Misri met the country's envoy to India, Mohammad Fathali. 

The MEA has released a photograph of the foreign secretary's conversation with Fathali. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called for a "swift end" to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, saying that no issue can be resolved through military confrontation.

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PM Modi's remarks came after his wide-ranging talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Israel's war with Iran entered the sixth day on Thursday with both sides launching fresh strikes, significantly heightening tensions across the region.