Sat Jun 14 06:00:57 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Israeli Ambassador Suggests India as Potential Mediator in Israel-Iran Crisis**
**New Delhi – June 14, 2025** – Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar expressed optimism regarding India’s potential role as a mediator. In an interview with PTI Videos on Saturday, Azar highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and India’s established dialogue channels with both nations.
“India has avenues for dialogue with both sides. It can indeed play a role,” Azar stated, emphasizing that Israel values the ongoing and “sincere dialogue” with India, a country he described as a “very good friend.”
Azar’s comments follow a series of strikes between Israel and Iran, which have significantly heightened tensions in the region. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly briefed Prime Minister Modi on Friday about Israel’s actions, which the Ambassador characterized as necessary defensive measures against an “existential threat” posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile program.
Azar claimed Israel had “no choice but to act decisively” against a clandestine Iranian group allegedly working to develop nuclear weapons with the intent to destroy Israel. He stated that Israel had acted on the 61st day after the end of US President Donald Trump’s 60-day negotiation window. “We had to remove an imminent threat and took decisive action against their nuclear installations and ballistic missiles,” he said. He referenced Iran’s plans to drastically increase its ballistic missile arsenal in the coming years, creating a “ring of fire against Israel,” claiming they intended to possess “10,000 ballistic missiles in the next three years, and 20,000 in the next six years.”
The Ambassador stressed that Israel’s current operations aim to prevent Iran from enriching uranium and that Israel will continue its operations until Iran’s nuclear threat is neutralised. He further justified the targeted killings of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists as actions intended to dismantle a “criminal plot to eradicate Israel.”
The situation in West Asia remains volatile, and the international community is closely watching for potential pathways to de-escalation. India’s potential role as a mediator, as suggested by Ambassador Azar, could prove crucial in navigating this sensitive and dangerous period.
**Summary of the Text:**
Following escalating tensions and direct strikes between Israel and Iran, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar suggested that India could serve as a mediator between the two nations due to its existing relationships with both countries. He justified Israel’s actions as defensive measures against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, claiming Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons development with the intention to destroy Israel. Azar cited Iran’s plan to drastically increase its ballistic missile arsenal as further justification. He expressed optimism that India could play a constructive role in de-escalating the crisis.
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