External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has held three separate conversations with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in the past few days, focused on the safety of shipping lanes and India's energy security, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday — as the government confirmed it is actively evacuating Indian nationals from Tehran and examining requests from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives for diesel supply.

With approximately 9,000 Indian nationals currently in Iran, the government has already shifted several citizens from Tehran to safer locations within the country. For those who wish to return home, India is facilitating exit via Azerbaijan and Armenia — assisting with visas and land border crossings so they can access commercial flights back to India. The Iranian airspace remains disrupted, making overland routes through neighbouring countries the primary evacuation corridor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to multiple leaders in the Gulf region since the conflict began, consistently pressing the case for dialogue, diplomacy, and the protection of civilians. Jaiswal reiterated India's call to avoid civilian casualties as a core humanitarian and diplomatic priority.

On the multilateral front, India has co-sponsored the GCC-led resolution at the UN Security Council — joining 135 countries in backing a text that Jaiswal said reflects several of India's own positions on the conflict. He underlined that India's large diaspora in the GCC countries and its deep energy dependence on the Gulf make the region's stability a matter of direct national interest.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also signed the condolence book at the Iranian Embassy on March 5 — the first day it was opened — on behalf of the Government of India.

On the question of petroleum exports to neighbours, Jaiswal confirmed that India has received a request from Bangladesh for diesel supply, which is currently being examined. He noted that India has been supplying diesel to Bangladesh from Numaligarh Refinery in Assam since 2007 through waterways, rail, and the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, and that a Sale-Purchase Agreement between Numaligarh Refinery and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation was formalised in October 2017. Similar requests have also been received from Sri Lanka and the Maldives. All requests are being evaluated in light of India's own refining capacity and domestic energy requirements.

In a sharp exchange, Jaiswal firmly rejected Pakistan's statement on the India-Canada nuclear deal, describing it as "ludicrous." He said India's non-proliferation credentials are impeccable and globally recognised, adding that "a country with a well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation can hardly preach the virtues of export controls and proliferation risks." The spokesperson said Pakistan's remarks were nothing more than an attempt to distract from its own record.