External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday – their third phone call since the start of the Iran-US war last month – and discussed the latest developments in the conflict in West Asia.
Jaishankar also spoke to German foreign minister Johann Wadephul and South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun to discuss the situation in West Asia as part of India’s continuing outreach to key partners in different parts of the world to coordinate positions on the widening conflict.
Follow LIVE updates on the US Iran war here
“A detailed conversation this evening with Foreign Minister @araghchi of Iran on the latest developments regarding the ongoing conflict. We agreed to remain in touch,” Jaishankar said on social media without giving details. There was no official readout on the phone call.
Jaishankar and Araghchi had spoken earlier on February 28, shortly after Israel and the US launched military strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and on March 5, when foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy to sign the condolence book for Khamenei.
Tuesday’s phone conversation was the first since a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian frigate near Sri Lanka on March 4, while the warship was in regional waters after participating in a multi-nation exercise hosted by India and after Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed his father.
Jaishankar said on social media that he and Wadephul had exchanged views on the conflict in West Asia but didn’t offer details. He also said in another post that he and Cho Hyun had discussed the “situation in West Asia, including its energy implications”, and advancing the bilateral agenda.
Cho Hyun said on social media that they discussed the situation in West Asia, “which is having a major impact on global security and the economy”, and agreed to maintain close communication on measures to ensure the safety of Indian and South Korean nationals as the situation develops.
Cho Hyun hoped high-level exchanges between the two sides this year will elevate bilateral relations to a new level. Jaishankar agreed that the two sides should work together to expand strategic economic cooperation, he said.
