Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that military conflicts cannot resolve global crises as tensions continued to escalate in West Asia following joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.

Modi made the remarks during a joint press meet in New Delhi with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb after a bilateral meeting.

“Military conflicts alone cannot solve every issue,” Modi said. “Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we want the end of the conflicts and establishment of peace at the earliest.”

He added that “rising global challenges demand urgent reforms in global institutions”.

The conflict in West Asia began on Saturday after Israel and the US launched a joint operation targeting the Iranian regime, alleging that its actions constituted an “existential threat to Israel”. Tel Aviv has been claiming that Iran is “closer than ever” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

The situation escalated further following the killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday. He had controlled all branches of government and the armed forces since 1989.

Tehran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, and by targeting major cities in other Gulf countries as well as some ships.

Modi, in social media posts earlier this week, had said that he had discussed the situation with regional leaders.

On Sunday, Modi on social media said that he condoled the deaths in the United Arab Emirates during a conversation with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “Thanked him for taking care of the Indian community living in the UAE,” Modi had said. “We support de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability.”

On Monday, Modi said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day earlier about the situation in West Asia and reiterated the need for an “early cessation of hostilities”.

On Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised India’s silence on the conflict and urged Modi to “speak up”.

“India must be morally clear,” Gandhi had said in a social media post. “We should have the courage to speak plainly in defence of international law and human lives. Our foreign policy is rooted in sovereignty and the peaceful resolution of disputes - and it must remain consistent.”

He had added: “Silence now diminishes India’s standing in the world.”

On Thursday, Gandhi again criticised Modi, saying that India’s “compromised PM” had “surrendered” its strategic autonomy.

“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean,” Gandhi said on social media. “Yet the prime minister has said nothing.”

On Tuesday, a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka. At least 87 persons have been killed in the incident and 61 others are missing, AFP quoted unidentified Sri Lankan defence and police officers as saying.

New Delhi has not yet commented on the incident.

Former Indian military officers, diplomats and analysts have described the US’ sinking of an Iranian warship off the Sri Lankan coast on Wednesday as a “strategic embarrassment” to the Indian government and a “blow to its regional credibility”.

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