As West Asia teeters on the brink, PM Narendra Modi engaged French leader Emmanuel Macron in a pivotal phone discussion, prioritizing de-escalation via negotiation. The Thursday call marked a strategic alignment on crisis management.
Modi updated followers on X: ‘Spoke today with Emmanuel Macron, my friend. Covered the unfolding events in West Asia. Consensus: Only through dialogue and diplomacy can we tackle this crisis. Jointly committed to restoring regional peace and stability for a return to normal times.’
Contextualizing the urgency, it’s the sixth day of US-Israel-Iran clashes. India mourned Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s embassy visit, where he signed the condolence register.
Diplomatic wheels turned swiftly as Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar conferred with peers from Iran and Oman, broadening India’s influence.
Iran, meanwhile, blamed Azerbaijan for drone assaults on an airport and school, injuring two. Azerbaijan protested vehemently to the Iranian diplomat, navigating its neutral-yet-shifting geopolitics sans US bases.
Death toll from strikes in Iran climbs to 1,230, Tasnim reports citing veterans’ affairs. The Modi-Macron dialogue exemplifies proactive leadership, fostering multilateralism to safeguard stability and prevent wider fallout.