India can help in de-escalating tensions in Gulf: Zarif

JAVAD ZARIF MET NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR AJIT DOVAL AND GAVE HIM A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF THE SITUATION PREVAILING IN THE GULF REGION ON WEDNESDAY

NEWDELHI: India can play a role in de-escalating tensions in the Gulf region as New Delhi is an important player, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.

His remarks come amid tensions between the US and Iran over the killing of Iranian general Major General Qassem Soleimani.

India has been maintaining that it would like the situation to de-escalate as soon as possible and the country has been in touch with key players, including Iran, United Arab Emirates, Oman a nd Qatar, a s i t has i mportant i nterests i n t he region.

“India can play a role in de-escalating tensions in the Gulf region as New Delhi is an important player,” Zarif told PTI. Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite al-quds force, was killed when a US drone fired missiles on his convoy in Iraq on January 3.

Zarif on Wednesday also met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and gave him a firsthand account of the situation prevailing in the Gulf region, people familiar with the matter said.

The overall security scenario figured prominently in the talks, the people cited above said.

The deliberations between them come amid the global focus on Iran and the US over the confrontation between the two countries following the killing of Soleimani.

Maj Gen Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite al-quds force, was killed when a US drone fired missiles on his convoy in Iraq on January 3.

Last week, Iran launched over a dozen ballistic missiles targeting at least two bases where US military and coalition forces’ are stationed in Iraq.

Soleimani’s killing was the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Iran and the US.