EAM Jaishankar dials Iran counterpart Araghchi as Israel-US-Iran conflict rages on, tensions persist in Gulf nations

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday said he held a telephonic conversation with Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi amid the ongoing conflict between Israel-US and Iran, which has also put Gulf nations on the edge.

Jaishankar posted about his call on X. “Had a telecon with Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi this afternoon,” the EAM's post read.

Earlier in the day, India offered condolences on the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri signing the condolence book at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi.

Israel-US-Iran conflict

The two foreign ministers' call comes amid the escalating tensions between Israel-US and Iran – with the conflict entering its sixth day on Thursday, 5 March.

Isreal-US jointly attacked India on Saturday, 28 February – in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed. Iran launched a wave of retaliatory strikes the same day - with explosions reported across Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, among other Gulf cities.

‘Bitterly regret…’

On Thursday, Iran launched a fresh wave of attacks at Israeli and American bases and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, while Israel said it had begun a “large-scale” attack on Tehran, according to a report by AP.

The warship, IRIS Dena, a 1,500-ton Moudge-class frigate, was on its way to Iran after taking part in a multilateral maritime exercise, Milan 2026, in Visakhapatnam. Iranian officials said the vessel had been visiting India before the attack and was carrying around 130 sailors when it was struck off the coast of Sri Lanka.

India's call for diplomacy

Earlier, India had expressed deep concern over the escalating conflict, urging all sides to exercise restraint and prioritise civilian safety.

“There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being are of utmost priority. We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them”, said the Ministry of External Affairs press release.

“India's trade and energy supply chains are at risk due to the conflict. Our trade and energy supply chains also traverse this geography. Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days”, said the release.

“India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy. We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict. Already, many lives have been regrettably lost and we express our grief in that regard,” read India's statement read.