PM Modi speaks with Iran President, flags attacks on energy infra, shipping lanes

After the conversation, Modi wrote on X: “Spoke with President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian and conveyed Eid and Nowruz greetings. We expressed hope that this festive season brings peace, stability and prosperity to West Asia. Condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, which threaten regional stability and disrupt global supply chains. Reiterated the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure.” He also acknowledged Tehran’s cooperation on “the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran.”

Of the estimated 9,000 Indians in Iran before the war began, the Indian Embassy has facilitated the evacuation of 913 nationals — 793 to Armenia and 120 to Azerbaijan. All 284 Indian pilgrims stranded in Iran have since returned home safely.

The Iranian readout of the call said that President Pezeshkian outlined what he described as the “dimensions of the aggression, unlawful attacks, and crimes committed by the US and the Zionist regime,” stressing that “Iran did not initiate the war.”

According to the readout, he said the aggressor had, “without any justification, logic or legal basis, launched military attacks against Iran during ongoing nuclear negotiations, resulting in the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, senior military commanders, and a number of defenceless civilians, including innocent schoolchildren.”

Iran specifically accused the US of targeting a school in Minab “from bases located in neighbouring countries hosting US military installations, leading to the tragic martyrdom of 168 innocent schoolchildren.”

On the nuclear question — cited by Washington as justification for its military action — Pezeshkian pushed back, according to the statement.

He stressed that in multiple meetings, the Supreme Leader had “firmly opposed nuclear weapons and had issued both administrative and religious directives prohibiting any move toward their development.” The reference was to a fatwa issued by former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against developing nuclear weapons.

Pezeshkian also reiterated Iran’s “consistent readiness to engage in both telephone and in-person dialogues with world leaders… for the purpose of verification and acceptance of oversight over its peaceful nuclear activities.”

Looking ahead, the Iranian president proposed “the establishment of a regional security framework composed of countries of West Asia, aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region through regional cooperation without foreign interference.” He added: “A prerequisite for ending the war and conflict in the region is the immediate cessation of aggressions by the US and Israel, along with guarantees against their recurrence in the future.”

Pezeshkian also called on India, as current chair of BRICS, to use the grouping’s platform to push back against the attacks on Iran. New Delhi, however, has been unable to secure a consensus BRICS statement given that Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are all members of the bloc.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, meanwhile, held his fifth conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi since the war began, keeping the diplomatic channel warm even as the conflict deepens.

So far, Prime Minister has personally spoken to: President of UAE Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan; Amir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani; Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman; Crown Prince of Kuwait Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah; King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa; Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said; King of Jordan Abdullah II and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. He condemned attacks by Iran on these countries.

In his first conversation on March 12 with Pezeshkian since the war began, Modi had discussed the “serious situation” in the region and expressed “deep concern” over the escalation of tension and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure. He had urged for dialogue and diplomacy and had raised concerns over security of Indian nationals and the movement of maritime traffic.

India has been engaged with Iran at the diplomatic level for the safe passage of Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which helped its two LPG tankers — Shivalik and Nanda Devi —to transit the strait. It currently has 22 merchant vessels stuck in the Persian Gulf, and a majority of those are oil and gas tankers.

These conversations frame the diplomatic tightrope that Delhi has been navigating since the war started. Dependent on Israel for defence and security partnership and with a 1-crore diaspora in the Gulf, it’s drawing on its strategic partnerships with many Gulf countries and historical ties with Iran to secure its interests in the region.