External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Syed Abbas Araqchi on Tuesday – their third phone call since the start of the Iran-US war last month – and discussed the latest developments in the conflict in West Asia.
Jaishankar also spoke to German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to discuss the situation in West Asia as part of India’s ongoing outreach to key partners in different parts of the world to coordinate positions on the widening conflict.
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“I had a detailed conversation this evening with Iranian Foreign Minister @araghchi on the latest developments related to the ongoing conflict. We agreed to stay in touch,” Jaishankar said on social media, without elaborating. There were no official readings in the phone call.
Jaishankar and Araghchi had spoken earlier on February 28, shortly after Israel and the United States launched military strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and on March 5, when Foreign Minister Vikram Masri visited the Iranian embassy to sign Khamenei’s letter of condolence.
Tuesday’s phone conversation was the first since a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian frigate near Sri Lanka on March 4, while the warship was in territorial waters after participating in a multi-nation exercise hosted by India and after Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed his father.
Jaishankar said on social media that he and Wadiphol exchanged views on the conflict in West Asia, but did not provide details. He also said in another post that he and Cho Hyun discussed “the situation in West Asia, including its energy implications,” and promoting the bilateral agenda.
Cho Hyun said on social media that they discussed the situation in West Asia, “which has a significant impact on global security and economy,” and agreed to maintain close communication on necessary measures to ensure the safety of Indian and South Korean citizens as the situation develops.
Cho Hyun expressed his hope that the high-level exchanges between the two sides this year will raise bilateral relations to a new level. He added that Jaishankar agreed on the need for the two sides to work together to expand strategic economic cooperation.
