New Delhi/Vienna, June 24: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged “immediate de-escalation” following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, during a phone conversation with Iran’s newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian. Modi also thanked Tehran for facilitating the safe evacuation of Indian nationals amid rising regional tensions.
The conversation came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American forces had targeted three key nuclear sites in Iran — Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — claiming a “full payload” had been dropped on the uranium enrichment facility at Fordow.
The airstrikes mark a sharp escalation in the conflict that has gripped West Asia since June 13 and are expected to dominate an emergency session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors scheduled in Vienna on Monday. India, a member of the 35-nation board, will participate in the session, which was convened by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
“Spoke with President of Iran Dr. Pezeshkian. We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations,” Modi posted on social media. He reiterated India’s call for “dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi thanked Iran for assisting in the evacuation of Indian citizens. A special flight carrying 311 Indian nationals from Mashhad landed in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon, bringing the total number evacuated to 1,428. One more flight was scheduled to land late Sunday. Evacuation efforts are being conducted under “Operation Sindhu,” which also includes Indian coordination with Israel, Armenia, the UAE, and Egypt.
In a statement issued Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry called on the United Nations and its member states to condemn the U.S. strikes, describing them as a violation of the U.N. Charter and international law. Tehran warned that it reserves the right to respond “decisively” to what it termed an “unlawful and hostile action.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who visited New Delhi in May for the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission meeting, criticised Western powers for disrupting nuclear diplomacy. “Last week, we were in negotiations with the U.S., when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the U.S. decided to blow up that diplomacy,” Araghchi said in a social media post.
The IAEA is currently monitoring radiation and safety conditions at the three Iranian nuclear sites. While Iran remains a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), concerns have been raised over the potential fallout of military actions targeting nuclear infrastructure.
India, which maintains close bilateral ties with both Iran and the United States, has so far refrained from taking sides in the deepening crisis, but has emphasized the importance of diplomatic engagement and regional stability.
