S Jaishankar Meets Iran MEA: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who was on a visit to Iran, described the attacks on ships around India as a matter of grave concern for the international community. He said on Monday (January 15) that such threats have a direct impact on India’s energy and economic interests. The Foreign Minister also underlined that this terrible situation is not in the interest of any party.
Threats to the security of maritime commercial traffic in important parts of the Indian Ocean have also increased recently, he said in a joint statement after extensive talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. S Jaishankar also stressed that it is important that this issue be resolved expeditiously.
This was apparently a reference to the targeting of merchant ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi rebels amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. India is closely monitoring the emerging situation in the Red Sea.
‘Both India and Iran are worried’
The External Affairs Minister said that both India and Iran are concerned about the recent developments in West Asia and stress the importance of preventing further escalation of violence and hostilities in the region. He said that the extremely worrying situation in Gaza is naturally a topic of discussion. Loss of civilian life, especially that of women and children, was our priority.
He said that India itself has delivered relief material to Gaza and contributed to UNRWA. On the issue of Palestine, Jaishankar reiterated India’s long-standing support for a two-state solution. He said, I stressed the need for all parties to avoid provocative and tension-increasing actions and move towards dialogue and diplomacy.