Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday discussed the regional security framework that he has mooted for West Asian countries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their second phone conversation since the conflict began on February 28.
The leaders last spoke on March 12, following which two India-flagged LPG carriers — stuck west of the Strait of Hormuz — secured safe passage through this crucial shipping lane that Iran controls. It was not immediately known whether a similar passage had been secured for any of the 22 India-flagged vessels with 611 Indian seafarers awaiting clearance in the western Persian Gulf.
Pezeshkian proposed the regional security structure — an Islamic Assembly of the Middle East — on Friday as part of his Nowruz address to remove foreign presence from the region.
Iran has been bombing foreign military bases in neighbouring countries as part of its retaliatory strikes against the US and Israel on the premise that many of the air strikes on its territory were being launched from these sites.
According to the Iranian readout on the conversation, Pezeshkian discussed with Modi the establishment of a regional security framework comprising countries in West Asia, aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region through regional cooperation without foreign interference.
He also iterated Iran’s consistent readiness to engage in both telephone and in-person dialogues with world leaders, including on the sidelines of the UN, for verification and acceptance of oversight over its peaceful nuclear activities. “Rejecting the claims of the US President that the military aggression was intended to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, President Pezeshkian stressed that, in multiple meetings attended by the Supreme Leader, the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution had firmly opposed nuclear weapons and had issued both administrative and religious directives prohibiting any move toward their development,” the readout said.
In his conversation with Modi, Pezeshkian “dismissed US allegations portraying Iran as a source of instability and tension in the region, asserting instead that it is Israel that carries out attacks and assassinations in Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, and elsewhere, justifying such actions under the pretext of maintaining security and peace, while in reality fueling unrest and conflict across the region”.
Underscoring the fact that it was the US and the “Zionist regime (Israel)”, which launched the military attacks against Iran during ongoing nuclear negotiations, Pezeshkian repeated Iran’s stated position that 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.
Referring to India’s rotating presidency of BRICS, Pezeshkian called for the group to play an independent role in halting aggressions against Iran and in safeguarding regional and international peace and stability. After Pezeshkian raised the issue with the Prime Minister last week, the external affairs ministry has on record maintained that arriving at a consensus on the conflict has been difficult because of the involvement of three member countries — Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“Some members of the BRICS are directly involved in the current situation in the West Asia region, which has impacted forging a consensus on a common BRICS position on the ongoing conflict. As Chair of BRICS, India has been facilitating discussions among members through Sherpa channel. Last virtual BRICS Sherpa meeting was held on March 12. In addition, Indian leadership has been engaging with leaders of BRICS members in the region. India will continue to engage,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on March 14, and has maintained this position since.
About his conversation with Pezeshkian, Modi said in a post 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. Appreciated Iran’s continued support for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran.”
After Modi spoke with the Iranian President, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke with his Tehran counterpart Abbas Araghchi.