India urges diplomacy amid threat of Gulf conflict reignition

Amid the threat of a reignition of the conflict in the Gulf, India reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy to end the confrontation that has “deeply impacted India”, while criticising the world organisation’s outdated structure that has made it unable to deal with crises.

“India would like to stress that the people across the Middle East deserve sustained peace and normalcy,” India’s Permanent Representative P. Harish said on Wednesday.

“India stands fully ready to contribute towards realising this goal in order to secure peace, prosperity and wellbeing of the people of the region and beyond,” he said at the Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East.

About the situation in the Gulf, Harish said India reiterates “its call for dialogue and diplomacy, avoiding impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, avoiding military targeting of commercial shipping, avoiding targeting of civilian population and infrastructure, and seeking an early end to the conflict”.

He added that India expressed its support for all efforts aimed at resolving issues peacefully.

Harish spoke at the Council as the Iran-US ceasefire was threatened by renewed attacks by Tehran on US-linked facilities in neighbouring countries and the alleged downing of a US helicopter, followed by Washington’s retaliatory bombing.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier warned that a “full war” could engulf the region. “The ceasefire is more like a ‘lesser-fire’ – as we have seen with the escalating attacks and rhetoric over the last 48 hours,” he said. “We should not minimise the risks of ‘lesser fire’ becoming ‘full fire’, or in other words, ‘full war’.”

Harish said the conflict’s “mounting destruction and deaths and cessation of normal life and economic activities have deeply impacted India, a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region”.

He added that the conflict in the Gulf and elsewhere is questioning the credibility and legitimacy of the UN because the Council, burdened by an outdated structure, is unable to deal with conflicts around the world.

“Raging conflicts in different parts of the world and the immeasurable human suffering are driving factors behind the crisis of the UN’s legitimacy and the perceptions of it around the world,” he said.

“A primary reason has been an eight-decade-old, outdated architecture of the Security Council, the principal UN organ that is tasked with maintenance of international peace and security,” Harish said.

“Implementing real reforms, through expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories in accordance with today’s geo-political realities, is vital to the UN’s continued relevance and future,” he added.

Harish spoke of the dangers faced by the nearly ten million Indian citizens in the Gulf region and said, “Their safety and well-being are of utmost priority to us.”

The restrictions on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have had a significant effect on India’s economy and energy security. “Our trade and energy supply chains are dependent on stability in the region, and any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy,” he said.

He also brought up attacks on civilian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. “India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping as many of our nationals are prominent in its global workforce,” he said.

“Many Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of attacks against countries of the region and against merchant vessels and sea lanes of communication,” Harish added.

In the most recent incident on Tuesday, US aircraft fired on the oil tanker Setebello in the Gulf of Oman, resulting in the deaths of three Indian crew members.