Shashi Tharoor urges government to ‘actively take the lead’ in ending conflicts in West Asia

New Delhi: congressional leaders Shashi Tharoor Wednesday urged the central government to “actively take the lead” in calling for an immediate end to the escalating conflict in West Asia.The Lok Sabha MP said neither side has benefited from the continued hostilities, while other countries have suffered costs due to disruptions in global oil, gas and supply chains. The congressional leader said that the goals of the United States and Iran have been largely achieved and that the continuation of the conflict is not conducive to global interests.Tharoor told news agency ANI: “I have been publicly calling on the government to take the lead in calling for an end to this conflict. Frankly, I think both sides have reached a point where they are not doing anyone any good. The Americans say they have achieved everything they wanted to achieve. Meanwhile, the Iranians have successfully maintained their regime and moved on. I think between the two, that should be enough.”Tharoor further warned that instability in the region was affecting the wider world, particularly through disruptions in key supply routes.“The world is suffering. We have real problems getting supplies, oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz. The entire region should not be held hostage to this particular conflict. I think the conflict should be ended,” he said.This round of conflicts in West Asia began with the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, which triggered a war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.The conflict escalated after the 86-year-old leader was killed in a joint US-Israeli military strike. Iran responded by targeting Israeli and U.S. assets in multiple Gulf countries and Israel, disrupting the Strait of Hormuz and affecting global energy markets and economic stability.Because of the conflict, Iran has effectively restricted movement through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.However, Iran’s supreme leader’s representative in India, Abdul Majeed Hakim Elahi, earlier said that Indian ships would be allowed to pass through the strategically important waterway. He added that Iranian leaders are aware of the sympathy expressed by the Indian people and remain concerned about India’s energy needs.Meanwhile, the Indian LPG carrier “Nanda Devi” arrived at Vadinar Port in Jamnagar, Gujarat on Tuesday after successfully crossing the Strait of Hormuz, carrying 46,500 tons of LPG for ship-to-ship transfer.On Monday evening, the Indian LPG Shivalik carrier arrived at Mundra Port carrying 46,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas. Of this, 20,000 metric tonnes will be offloaded at Mundra while the remaining 26,000 metric tonnes is planned to be offloaded at Mangalore.