New Delhi is not interested in being a ‘broker nation’, S. Jaishankar has reportedly told an all-party meet
India has outlined its position on the Middle East conflict, with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar briefing lawmakers on Wednesday, according to local media reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed to US President Donald Trump that the war should end soon, as it is hurting all stakeholders, Jaishankar said at the meeting, which was convened to apprise lawmakers about India’s diplomatic stance.
“We are not a dalaal [broker] nation,” Jaishankar told lawmakers at the Parliament complex on Wednesday, according to PTI news agency.
He dismissed comparisons to Pakistan’s role as mediator between the US and Iran, which was raised by the opposition, according to the report. Islamabad has acted as a mediator for the US to remain engaged with Tehran since 1981, Jaishankar said.
The remarks came amid reports that Pakistan has proposed hosting discussions involving senior aides from Washington and Tehran.
Trump said on Monday that the US will postpone attacks on Iranian energy facilities after “productive” talks, though Tehran has denied that it has engaged in any talks with Washington.
Pakistan’s chief of defense forces, Asim Munir, has spoken to Trump, and US proposals were conveyed to Iran through Pakistani intermediaries, according to reports.
The proposition that Pakistan has an edge over India as a reported mediator in the US-Iran war is “misreading the situation,” former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has said.
“Pakistan is fearful that the Saudi Crown Prince may invoke the defence agreement and embroil Pakistan in the conflict with Iran,” Sibal said in an X post, claiming that Islamabad’s mediation offer is in part an act of desperation.
