4 min readUpdated: Apr 8, 2026 02:27 PM IST
Hours after the US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, India on Wednesday “welcomed” the move and expressed hope that it would lead to a “lasting peace in West Asia.”
“As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in its first official statement on Wednesday.
The MEA was referring to its statements since February 28.
It did not mention Pakistan in its statement, whose role has been acknowledged by both the US and Iran.
“The conflict has already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks. We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement added.
And, finally, it talked about the “freedom of navigation” and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said.
India has been in touch with all stakeholders in the region. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi six times and to multiple Gulf foreign ministers, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been in touch with the leaders of Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, among others — he has spoken at least twice with each one of them since the start of the war.
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Trump and Araghchi statements on ceasefire
Hours before completion of Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face widespread attacks on its civilian infrastructure, US President Donald Trump announced that he has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also agreed to the ceasefire.
The announcements came after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X, “requested” both countries to dial down the tensions.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that he has agreed to “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran” for a period of two weeks, as Iran has agreed to “complete, immediate and safe opening” of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” he added.
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also posted on X: “In response to the brotherly request of PM Sharif in his tweet, considering the request by the U.S. for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran’s 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council: If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”
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