"Great Anxiety": India As Iran-Israel War Escalates In Middle East

Four days after US and Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and triggered a regional war that has seen missile and drone strikes across the Gulf and beyond, India on Tuesday said the escalating war is a cause of "great anxiety".

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in an joint US-Israel air strike early on Saturday.

"We have not only witnessed an intensification of the conflict but also its spread to other nations. The destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt. As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, these developments evoke great anxiety," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

President Donald Trump said the US has "the capability to go far longer" than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.

Throughout the region, the death count has steadily increased, with six US military personnel killed so far in the war, according to US Central Command.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on Tuesday said there were 101 casualties inside Iran on the third day of the war, including "85 civilian deaths and 11 military personnel killed".

New Delhi has also expressed concern over the India citizens who are caught in the crosshairs of this escalating war.

"There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being is of utmost priority. We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," the Ministry said.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, which carries around a fifth of oil consumed globally as well as large quantities of gas, has ground to a near halt after vessels in the area were struck as Iran hit back after US and Israeli strikes.

India's share of Hormuz oil trade is between 2.5 and 2.7 million barrels per day. This is nearly half the six million bpd (based on end-2024 figures) the country consumes every day.

"Our trade and energy supply chains also traverse this geography. Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days," the Ministry said.

India reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy, adding that it is in in touch with the governments of this region as well as other key partners.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have held discussions with their counterparts.

"We raise our voice clearly in favour of an early end to the conflict. Already, many lives have been regrettably lost and we express our grief in that regard," the Ministry underlined.