India and France are “working closely together” to de-escalate tensions in West Asia, French President Emmanuel Macron said, after a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (March 19, 2026), one of many calls that Mr. Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar made to leaders worldwide.
As Israel and Iran both stepped up attacks on energy installations and gas fields across the Gulf region, the government said this targeting of civilian infrastructure was “deeply disturbing” and “unacceptable”, calling for them to stop.
In the past, New Delhi had condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf states, but not the strikes by the United States and Israel. Just last week, India had co-sponsored a UN Security Council resolution that only condemned strikes by Iran on its neighbours. In a marked shift, however, the government is now emphasising the need to avoid attacking civilian infrastructure “across the region”.
Major escalation
“Recent attacks against energy installations in different locations across this region are deeply disturbing and only serve to further destabilise an already uncertain energy scenario for the whole world,” the MEA’s official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday, broad-basing India’s concerns.
The attacks marked a major escalation in the ongoing war in West Asia, with Israeli missiles striking Iran’s largest gas field in South Pars, and Iran’s retaliatory strikes targeting Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas plant, and oil and gas facilities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Speaking to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, PM Modi said India stands in solidarity with Qatar, that suffered major losses from the Iranian strikes on the Ras Laffan gas facility, and “strongly condemns the attacks on the region’s energy infrastructure”.
Phone diplomacy
In a flurry of telephone calls to discuss the worsening situation, the Prime Minister also spoke to the leaders of Jordan, Malaysia and Oman. Since February 28, Mr. Modi has spoken to his counterparts across the Gulf states, Iran, and Israel, and a number of other leaders, other than U.S. President Donald Trump.
In addition, Mr. Jaishankar met with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy, and spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar over the telephone. India has also been engaging all leaders of the 10-member BRICS grouping that it is chairing this year, although it has not been able to craft a consensus statement due to differences between Iran and the UAE, which are both members.
The lack of a statement from BRICS is in contrast to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) grouping, which includes Iran but not the UAE. The SCO issued a statement on March 2 condemning the strikes on Iran as well as the ensuing conflict.
“BRICS membership and SCO membership are two different categories. If you look at the members, you will get an answer as to why we are having issues with forming a consensus,” Mr. Jaiswal said, in response to a question from The Hindu.
‘Dialogue and diplomacy’
In his phone calls on Thursday, Mr. Modi said he had called for a return to “dialogue and diplomacy”. Referring to the call with Mr. Macron, he said: “We look forward to continuing our close coordination to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
“India and France are working closely together to reduce tensions in the region and to keep diplomacy at the heart of our efforts for peace,” Mr. Macron said in a post thanking Mr. Modi for the call. Mr. Macron has expressed particular concern over Iran’s restrictions of ships in the Hormuz Strait and the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon.
Speaking to Jordanian King Abdullah, Mr. Modi said that “attacks targeting energy infrastructure in West Asia are condemnable acts, and they are liable to lead to escalation that can be avoided.” He added that India and Jordan both support the “free flow of goods and energy without any obstacles”.
In a conversation with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, the Prime Minister condemned the “violation of the Sultanate of Oman’s sovereignty and the unity of its territories”, without naming Iran as the source of strikes on Omani facilities. He added that he and Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim had a “shared commitment to de-escalation and the early restoration of peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy”.
In his conversations with Gulf leaders, Mr. Modi also thanked them for their help in securing the safety of Indians in the region, including those being facilitated to return to India.
Published – March 19, 2026 10:56 pm IST
