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'Return to dialogue and diplomacy': India's Modi tweets on Middle East conflict
Indian PM Narendra Modi met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and spoke at the Knesset few days before Israel and US launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28
- PUBLISHED: Thu 5 Mar 2026, 5:52 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid Israeli, US strikes on Iran for the latest regional developments.]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, discussing “shared concerns over the evolving situation in West Asia and the need for a return to dialogue and diplomacy.”
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In his post on X, Modi said: “We will continue to engage closely and coordinate efforts towards the early restoration of peace and stability in the region.”
The joint attack on Iran by the US and Israel came barely days after Modi’s visit to Israel and his address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on February 25.
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Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi have been critical of Modi’s “silence” over the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Barely 48 hours before the assassination, the Prime Minister returned from a visit to Israel, where he reiterated unequivocal support for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, even as the Gaza conflict continues to draw global outrage over the scale of civilian casualties, many of them women and children," Gandhi said.
"The consequences of this event extend beyond geopolitics. The ripples of this tragedy are visible across continents. And India's stance is signalling tacit endorsement of this tragedy,' she added
Reuven Azar, Israel’s ambassador to India, told The Indian Express that during Modi’s visit to Israel, it was not known that strikes on Iran would take place. “It was an operational opportunity that came up only after PM Modi left. Of course, during the conversations with PM Modi during the visit, we talked about regional development, but we couldn't have actually shared something that we didn't know," he said.
It took about two days after Modi left Israel that the airstrikes on Iran started.
On Thursday, March 5, India offered condolences on the death of Khamenei. India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri signed the condolence book at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi. India has also called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the Iran-US conflict early.
“India strongly reiterates its call for dialogue and diplomacy," the ministry said, adding: "We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict. Already, many lives have been regrettably lost, and we express our grief in that regard."
Noting that there are almost 10 million Indian citizens living and working in the Gulf region, the ministry reiterated: “Their safety and well-being is of utmost priority. We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them.”
