PM Modi speaks to Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian as US enters Middle East war

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and expressed India’s deep concern at the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.

Modi’s telephonic conversation with Pezeshkian came hours after the US carried out airstrikes on three key nuclear  facilities in Iran, marking a significant escalation amid the ongoing Israel-Iran war.

“Spoke with President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian. We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations,” the prime minister wrote on X.

Modi further said he reiterated India’s call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability.

Last week, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his counterparts in both Israel and Iran and urged both nations to avoid any escalatory steps.

The Ministry of External Affairs had said India was “closely monitoring” the evolving situation in the Middle East.

With tensions spiralling across West Asia, India has taken a cautious yet calibrated position at the moment. India’s relationship with Israel is strongly marked by strategic and defense cooperation. At the same time, New Delhi  shares a deeper and older relationship with Iran, which is rooted in culture, civilisational ties, energy trade, and regional connectivity.

Vaishali Basu Sharma, an analyst of strategic and geoeconomic affairs, in a recent article written for THE WEEK, claims that the precarious situation has placed New Delhi in a challenging diplomatic position, requiring astute manoeuvring to uphold its strategic ties with both nations while safeguarding its broader regional interests. 

“It has been felt that since India is perhaps the only country which enjoys the confidence and trust of both Iran and Israel, it is in a position to meaningfully mediate in the ongoing conflict. However, this may be easier to imagine than achievable,” she writes.

On Sunday morning, US President Donald Trump said six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other two nuclear sites. 

"A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," he posted on Truth Social.

This was, reportedly, the first time the US had used the bunker-buster bombs in combat.

India