External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated on Sunday that he had conversations with his Iranian and Israeli counterparts regarding the situation in West Asia. These discussions occurred nearly 24 hours after Iran's attack on Israel.
During his discussion with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Mr. Jaishankar addressed the issue of releasing 17 Indian crew members from the MSC Aries cargo ship, which had been seized by the Iranian military on Saturday. "Spoke to Iranian FM regarding the release of 17 Indian crew members of MSC Aries. Discussed the current regional situation. Emphasized the importance of de-escalation, exercising restraint, and returning to diplomacy. We agreed to stay in touch," Mr. Jaishankar remarked on X. In a separate communication, he added, "Just finished a conversation with Israeli FM Israel Katz. We expressed our concern about yesterday's events. Discussed the broader regional context. Agreed to maintain communication."
Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in a significant escalation of the longstanding covert conflict between the two regional adversaries late Saturday. The Israeli military reported intercepting 99 percent of the launches, including 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles. However, some of the 110 ballistic missiles managed to penetrate Israeli defenses, resulting in 12 injuries.
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