India's Ajit Doval, Iran's Mohsen Rezaei hold talks amid escalating West Asia tensions, discuss 'issues of mutual interest'

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Iranian counterpart, Mohsen Rezaei, held a phone conversation on Monday (October 12) to discuss regional and international developments and bilateral relations amid escalating hostilities in West Asia. India has been carefully balancing its relations with Iran and key West Asian countries, calling for a return to dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict. New Delhi has also opposed attacks on merchant shipping and civilian infrastructure. Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, spoke with Doval and exchanged views on the ‘latest regional and international developments and issues of mutual interest to the two countries’, according to a statement posted by the Iranian embassy on social media. The embassy did not disclose further details of the conversation. India did not issue an official readout of the phone call.

The conversation took place two days after an Indian national was killed and 10 others were injured in an attack on the international airport in Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital. The attack was attributed to Iran-backed Houthi rebels. It also came a day after two merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. Two Indian seafarers were reported missing following a drone attack on the MT Petrol Dolphin. Earlier, during a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the West Asia conflict. Modi also called for continued efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers.

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According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders discussed the latest developments in the region. Modi reiterated India's consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. India faces the challenge of maintaining its longstanding ties with Iran while expressing solidarity with Gulf Arab nations, several of which have been targeted by Iranian military attacks because they host US military bases.

Iranian attacks on merchant vessels near the Strait of Hormuz have also raised concerns in New Delhi, particularly after Indian seafarers were killed or injured in the incidents. Eleven seafarers are among the 18 Indian nationals killed so far in the West Asia conflict. The conflict began in February following attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran.