External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday conveyed India's serious concern over the escalating conflict in West Asia during a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, stressing that commercial shipping and seafarers must never be targeted. Reaffirming New Delhi's longstanding position, Jaishankar said India condemns attacks on merchant vessels by any side and continues to advocate dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to resolving the crisis.
Sharing details of the conversation on X, Jaishankar said he had discussed the evolving regional situation with his Iranian counterpart and urged that maritime trade routes remain free from violence. "Had a tele-conversation with FM @araghchi of Iran this evening. Conveyed our deep concerns at the ongoing hostilities in the region," he wrote. He added that India strongly opposed attacks on commercial vessels and seafarers "under any circumstances" and reiterated that such actions were unacceptable irrespective of the party responsible. According to Jaishankar, Araghchi briefed him on Tehran's assessment of the latest developments and the diplomatic engagements currently underway. The External Affairs Minister said India remained firmly supportive of negotiations and peaceful engagement to ease tensions.
The outreach to Tehran comes just a day after Jaishankar conveyed similar concerns to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha regarding attacks on merchant shipping in the Black Sea. During that conversation, India described strikes on commercial vessels as "absolutely unacceptable" and condemned them unequivocally. The call followed New Delhi's protest after an Indian seafarer was killed aboard the merchant vessel MV Omorfi, reportedly struck in a Ukrainian drone attack. Official figures indicate that five Indian seafarers have been killed and two remain missing following recent attacks linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Jaishankar had also reiterated India's consistent position that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue rather than military action.
The latest diplomatic engagement also follows the government's statement in Parliament that 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, have died since the West Asia conflict began in February this year. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that the fatalities included one Indian in Saudi Arabia, two in Kuwait, eight in Oman, one in Iraq and four in the UAE. Another 75 Indians have been injured across the region, while 12 Indians were killed separately in an accident at Qatar's Ras Laffan gas facility, unrelated to the conflict. The government further informed Parliament that the Indian Embassy in Tehran has assisted 2,557 Indian nationals in crossing into Armenia and Azerbaijan for onward travel to India since hostilities began. Around 7,000 Indians, including students, workers, seafarers and fishermen, are estimated to remain in Iran. The Ministry of External Affairs said it is examining concerns raised by Indian medical students forced to return from Iran and has advised citizens to defer all non-essential travel to the country until the security situation stabilises.