Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday highlighted the "perceptible increase in threats" to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in an important part of the Indian Ocean and said there have been some attacks in the "vicinity of India" amid maritime security challenges including in the Red Sea.
India's energy and economic interests are also affected by risks to maritime trade activity, according to Jaishankar.
Jaishankar made the comments addressing a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart H. Amir-Abdollahian on Monday in Tehran.
“We also exchanged perspectives and assessments on certain regional and global issues and developments. As you are all aware, there has also been recently a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean", he noted.
Additionally, the EAM stated that nobody would gain from this circumstance.
"This fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party and this must be clearly recognised", he added.
In the Indian Ocean region, cargo ships have been targeted by attacks. Among the ships attacked was the MV Chem Pluto, which was headed for India and had 21 Indian passengers on board. Afterwards, the Indian Coast Guard Ship Vikram escorted the vessel to the Mumbai coast.
Jaishankar also met Iran's minister of roads and urban development on Monday and discussed forming a "long-term cooperation framework" for Chabahar Port, a strategic maritime facility situated on the south-eastern coast of Iran.