Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India welcomes the peace deal reached between the United States and Iran to end the conflict in West Asia.

Modi said that the war had “caused serious economic disruption across the world and led to loss of life in many countries”.

“India hopes that the implementation of this understanding will help restore peace and stability in the region and ensure the freedom of navigation and commerce,” he added on social media.

New Delhi was looking forward to the deliberations on the remaining problems between the US and Iran and “reaching a sustainable final agreement”, the prime minister said.

Modi’s comments came hours after the US and Iran said that they had reached a peace deal.

Trump said that he was authorising the “toll free opening” of the Strait of Hormuz and the immediate removal of the US’ naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the agreement will be signed in Switzerland on Friday. Pakistan is among the countries mediating an end to the war in West Asia.

A final deal will be negotiated by the two sides in the 60 days following agreement of the interim deal, Tehran said.

The Congress also welcomed the peace deal. However, it said that while the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz will “bring great relief” to India, “it does not mean the structural problems the economy faces will soon be surmounted”.

The economic concerns predate the war in West Asia, party leader Jairam Ramesh said on social media.

Opposition criticises Modi government after Indian sailors killed

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on Monday said that the US had “murdered” three Indian seafarers in attacks in the Gulf of Oman.

The Opposition party is committed to securing justice for the Indians who had been killed, Shrinate said at a press conference.

“We have no involvement in this war, but America had the audacity to kill our people,” she said.

The Congress criticised Modi, saying that when the seafarers were being killed, the prime minister was “embracing” foreign leaders in France and “reveling in dances, songs, and music”.

Modi is visiting France for bilateral meetings and the Group of Seven summit, in which India is an invitee.

“When the prime minister meets Donald Trump, Indians will be wondering, can the prime minister gather the courage to stand up for India once?” Shrinate said. “...What is it that Narendra Modi is so scared of? How is it that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot speak a word against America?”

The Congress demanded that Modi raise the matter when he meets Trump and take “diplomatic action” so that the US “pays a price” for the killings.

Shrinate also said that while Pakistan had played a role in mediating an end to the conflict, India had “not been invited”. “This is what Narendra Modi has reduced the country’s condition to,” she added.

On Wednesday, three Indian seafarers were killed when the US military struck a Palau-flagged commercial tanker off the coast of Oman. Twenty-one members of the crew had been rescued.

On Thursday, 20 Indian seafarers on board another ship were evacuated after it was struck off the Omani coast. On June 8, 24 Indian seafarers were rescued from a tanker Marivex after it was targeted by the US.

New Delhi twice summoned the US’ chargé d’affaires last week after strikes by the US military on commercial ships in West Asia for allegedly violating sanctions and the blockade.

The US military’s actions were “unacceptable” and undermine the safety of maritime commerce, the Ministry of External Affairs said. It added that the diplomat had been asked to convey New Delhi’s concerns to Washington and ensure that the US military units operating in the region take measures to prevent the loss of civilian life.

On Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and registered India’s protest against the US strikes on vessels.

During their conversation, Rubio “stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from US forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the strait”, the US Department of State’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement on Saturday.

Rubio “underscored that violations of the US blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated”, Pigott added.

The war

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, targeting major cities in Gulf countries and ships.

Since the conflict began, the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, has effectively been blocked for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.

Written by Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.