After the matter was brought up by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who talked to the foreign ministers of both Iran and Israel on Sunday night, Iran announced that it will permit Indian authorities to meet with the 17 Indian crew members who were imprisoned after Iranian forces captured the Israel-linked ship MSC Aries “soon.”
Iran Discusses Recent Events with Indian Foreign Minister
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that they had discussed Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel in what it called a response to Israel’s attack on the Iranian embassy on April 1 in which seven Iranian diplomats and commanders died, as well as the situation in Gaza and the Red Sea, in a readout of the conversation between Mr. Jaishankar and Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian that was made public on Monday.
In a post about their previous chat, Mr. Jaishankar stated that they had talked about the strikes and the release of the Indian crew members. “Talked about the state of affairs in the area right now. emphasized the significance of remaining calm, avoiding escalation, and turning back to diplomacy. Concurred to stay in contact,” he posted on social media.
A translated statement from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “Dr. Amir Abdollahian mentioned that they are following up on the details related to the detained ship and the possibility of representatives of the Indian government meeting with the crew of the mentioned ship will be provided soon.”
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BIG BREAKING NEWS: Iran has agreed to grant India access to the 17 Indian nationals from the seized ship following a conversation between EAM S Jaishankar and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. This diplomatic breakthrough underscores India's effective engagement… pic.twitter.com/tfu5sJga3C
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) April 15, 2024
India Conveys Concerns to Israel Amidst Regional Tensions
According to Mr. Jaishankar, he also spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on India’s “concern at the developments,” which refers to Iran’s drone and missile attacks. Expressed concern over the events of yesterday. talked about the broader geographical context. Mr. Jaishankar wrote on social networking platform X, “Agreed to be in touch.
Spoke to Iranian FM @Amirabdolahian this evening.
Took up the release of 17 Indian crew members of MSC Aries.
Discussed the current situation in the region. Stressed the importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint and returning to diplomacy.
Agreed to remain…
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) April 14, 2024
The Ministry of External Affairs released a statement earlier in the day expressing India’s “serious concern at the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran which threatens the peace and security in the region,” but it did not specifically mention Iran’s missile strikes. Instead, the statement called for de-escalation and diplomacy. With India’s significant strategic links to both countries, the MEA statement suggesting a neutral attitude by New Delhi was met with some dismay from a veteran Israeli ambassador.
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“As a supporter of Indian foreign policy, I am disappointed by the MEA statement’s lackluster but fair tone. I anticipated India, like so many other friends and partners of Israel worldwide, would publicly denounce the attack. At the very least, I hope that the FMs’ call contained a denunciation of Iran’s aggression,” stated Daniel Carmon, the former Israeli ambassador to India.
Global Responses to Regional Escalation
Mr. Carmon was alluding to the responses that, in contrast to the New Delhi declaration, came from the United States, its allies, and Western nations vehemently denouncing the strikes and reaffirming support for Israel. The British, German, and French envoys were called by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday in retaliation for their remarks against Iran’s activities. Mr. Abdollahaian added that Iran had forewarned the US against doing any “misadventure” in backing Israel during a briefing for diplomatic envoys.
In addition, Mr. Abdollahian demanded that India play a “continued role through international institutions, including the U.N., to stop the war in Gaza, which is the root of current crises in the region,” and to cease Israeli “aggression,” according to a statement released by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the call with Mr. Jaishankar.
It stated that Mr. Jaishankar had urged responsible behavior from all sides and a decrease in hostilities. “At present, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of continuing defensive operations, but if necessary, it will not hesitate to protect its legitimate interests against any new aggression,” the foreign ministry of Iran stated in a statement.
