New Delhi: Twenty-two Indians including 14 seafarers have been killed in the ongoing West Asia conflict and India is “deeply concerned” over the overall situation in the region, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Wednesday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said three Indians were killed in Saudi Arabia.
“We are deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in West Asia. We have lost 22 Indian nationals in the conflict, including 14 seafarers,” he said at his regular media briefing.
“We remain in close touch with our community in the Gulf region for their safety and wellbeing. Three Indians have lost their lives in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The West Asia conflict began in February following attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. New Delhi has been consistently calling for finding a solution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
There has been a sudden escalation in tensions in West Asia, especially after the Houthis carried out several strikes on Saudi Arabia.
India has been voicing serious concern over the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s civilian infrastructure and economic assets, cautioning that such strikes undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
The Iran-backed Houthi militant group had attacked Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline which is considered very crucial for supply of crude oil.
Ever since the conflict involving Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the East-West pipeline has served as a critical bypass for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.
The Houthi attacks have also triggered concerns over the safety of the Bab-el-Mandeb shipping lane.
The Bab-el-Mandeb is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, located between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
PTI