Prime Minister Modi spoke to Saudi Crown Prince on phone, condemned attacks on energy sites

New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday discussed the ongoing war in West Asia with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and agreed on the need to ensure freedom of navigation. In a telephonic conversation with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s condemnation of the attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

“I spoke to His Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, and discussed the ongoing conflict in West Asia,” PM Modi said in a post on social media platform “Thanked him for his continued support for the welfare of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

This was the second telephone conversation between Saudi Arabia’s prime minister and crown prince since the conflict began in Middle East on February 28. America and Israel have attacked Iran, in response to which Iran has targeted its neighbors and Israel. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime transport route through which 20 percent of the world’s energy moves.

Iran has allowed very few ships to transit since the conflict. Modi has spoken to several world leaders following the conflict in West Asia, including the leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iran, France, Israel and Malaysia. US President Donald Trump has spoken to Modi after the military operation in West Asia. After speaking to Trump, the Prime Minister had said that they had a “useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia”.