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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received a call from his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi as the tensions between the US and Iran continue to escalate.
Both leaders discussed bilateral relations and the tensions in West Asia. In a post on X, S Jaishankar said, "Received a call from the Foreign Minister of Iran. Discussed the present situation." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2040840035491365062?s=20 The Iranian Embassy in India added, "Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, held a phone conversation with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs, discussing bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments." https://x.com/Iran_in_India/status/2040838309698732249?s=20 This comes after Jaishankar held separate high-level conversations with leaders from the UAE and Qatar to discuss the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia amid the regional conflict. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated that he spoke with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reviewing ongoing developments in the region. "Discussed the evolving situation in West Asia with DPM & FM Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of UAE," he wrote. In a separate post, the External Affairs Minister said he also held a telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, regarding the ongoing conflict. "Had a telecon on the ongoing conflict with PM & FM Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar this evening," Jaishankar stated. The back-to-back diplomatic engagements come amid heightened tensions in West Asia, with India closely monitoring the situation and maintaining regular contact with key regional stakeholders. India has consistently emphasised the need for dialogue, de-escalation, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region. Earlier on Saturday, Jaishankar noted that India has "solidly come through" the turbulent global environment amid the West Asian conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war, "managing domestic and external challenges successfully". Addressing the 15th Annual Convocation Ceremony of IIM Raipur, EAM Jaishankar called for "hedging, de-risking and diversifying" to secure India's interests as he noted that the resources can be used as leverage amid shifting power structures across the globe. "The turbulence in the world currently is also structural in many ways. The global order is changing before our very eyes with visible shifts in the relative power and influence of countries. The politics of some societies find it difficult to come to terms with these changes. New developments in technology, in energy, in military capabilities, in connectivity and in resources have encouraged risk-taking in an increasingly competitive environment. Everything today is being leveraged, if not actually weaponised. The world is then confronted with the prospect of securing itself in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable environment. This has necessitated hedging, de-risk and diversifying. Whether this is a business choice or a foreign policy," the EAM said. The conflict in West Asia began following US-Israeli joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, which killed Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran, in retaliation, targeted Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing disruption in the waterways and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability. (ANI)
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