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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has urged Iran and Israel to ‘calm down’ amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Tehran launched more than 300 missiles at the other country over the weekend in response to a suspected Israeli strike that killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guards. Indian authorities continue to monitor the situation and remain in touch with citizens currently in the region.
“We have been telling them not to allow this (the situation) to escalate and that this is a very crucial region for the global economy…our effort has been to tell both of them to calm down. So yesterday, I made a phone call to both, not only Iran (Foreign Minister) Hossein Amir-Abdollahian but also I called up my Israeli counterpart (Israel Katz),” Jaishankar told reporters.
“A large part of India's shipping passes through this region and also, oil comes from there. This is an enormously sensitive region. So we are very concerned when there is this kind of escalation and hostilities,” he added.
Iran launched an unprecedented attack against Israel over the weekend following a suspected Israeli strike on April 1. The attack on an Iranian consular building in the Syrian capital of Damascus had killed several individuals including two Iranian generals. Around a dozen people were injured in the Iranian strikes, with the Israeli military adding that 99% of the drones and missiles were intercepted.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly hinted at retaliation in the ensuing hours and top officials (including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) remain huddled to discuss a possible response. Meanwhile the Joe Biden-led US government has distanced itself from the situation, with reports suggesting that an Israeli counterstrike had been called off following a call between the two leaders. According to reports, Biden had told his Israeli counterpart that the US would not support any Israeli counterattack against Iran.
(With inputs from agencies)
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