Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], June 22 : Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday expressed concern over the widening of the Iran-Israel conflict after the US bombed Tehran nuclear sites.
Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said the "very successful" strikes had hit the Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran.
Speaking with ANI, Harish Rawat said that the conflict will impact India's economy as well.
"What is happening is very unfortunate. It will have a deep negative impact on the world, will also impact our economy. Poverty will increase and unrest will increase," Harish Rawat said.
Speaking about the US joining Israel to bomb Iran's nuclear sites, Rawat said that hope for a ceasefire is now gone.
"We were expecting that on one hand, Trump is talking about stopping the war everywhere and getting the Nobel Prize, but now America itself has jumped into the fight between the two countries. Earlier, there was hope of a ceasefire; now that hope has also gone. We had hoped somewhere that America would get a ceasefire done in some form or the other. Many European countries were in touch with Iran, and some solution would emerge. But now that situation is not visible because America itself has jumped into this war. It is very unfortunate," Rawat said.
Rawat also listed how the conflict in Iran will affect India's economy, "We have had very old and cultural relations with Iran. The port that is being built in Iran is becoming a medium for us to export oil. So many things were connected to our economy. On the other hand, we are connected with Israel in many matters related to defence," he said.
Rawat urged PM Modi to hold talks with both nations to restore peace in the region.
"So this situation is also worrisome for us, and I think the Indian government should take steps to ensure peace there. It is in the interest of the whole world and ours... Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi, has also spoken about it.The It is a good thing; he should talk to both parties," he said.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi spoke with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing deep concern at the recent escalations and calling for "immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy" after the US bombed Iran's nuclear facilities.
In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Spoke with President of Iran @drpezeshkian. We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations," PM Modi stated.
He emphasised the need for a peaceful resolution and added, "Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability."
The US, on early Sunday, carried out "massive precision" strikes on Iran's three nuclear sites -Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow- and warned of further retaliation if peace is not achieved.