3 min readNew DelhiMar 11, 2026 05:27 AM IST
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday and discussed the situation in West Asia. This was their third conversation since February 28, when US and Israel attacked Iran which launched retaliatory strikes on several countries across the region.
“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 posted on X.
The two ministers have spoken twice earlier — on February 28 and March 5.
Jaishankar had on Monday told Parliament that while attempts have been made, “contacts with Iran at the leadership level are obviously difficult at this time”.
Saying that there have been “numerous casualties, including at the leadership level in Iran” as the conflict in West Asia is unfolding, Jaishankar had also outlined the three broad messages of the government — Delhi favours peace and return to dialogue, security of Indian diaspora is priority and energy security will be paramount.
Jaishankar, who made a suo motu statement “on the situation in West Asia” in Rajya Sabha, said that almost 67,000 Indian nationals have returned from the conflict-ridden region since the war began.
He also said that the Iranian side requested permission on February 28 for “three ships” in the region to dock at Indian ports, which was granted on March 1.
Story continues below this ad
On March 7, The Indian Express had reported that IRIS Dena, the Iranian frigate torpedoed by the US, was offered shelter by India at one of its ports. The safe harbour offer was said to have been made in view of the rising tensions between the US and Iran, the report said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that the US deliberately obstructed rescue operations for the sailors of IRIS Dena.
“We honor the fallen sailors of the #Dena frigate, martyred on 4 March far from their homeland. The Dena had been officially invited by the Indian Navy to participate in a joint naval exercise and a port visit. In a brutal act amounting to a war crime, the US attacked the vessel near the coasts of India and Sri Lanka and sank it,” he said in a post on X. “Worse still, the US deliberately obstructed rescue operations… This act not only constitutes aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (Definition of Aggression), but also a grave violation of the laws of war, including Geneva Convention II (1949) and Additional Protocol I (1977). Iranian people will neither forget nor forgive this heinous crime,” he said.
