India on Wednesday welcomed a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran, hoping the halt in fighting "will lead to lasting peace" in the Middle East.
"We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace" in the region, said a statement by India's External Affairs Ministry.
"As we have continuously advocated earlier, deescalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict," it said.
Stressing that the conflict has already "caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks," the ministry said: "We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz."
The ceasefire was announced by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said the US and Iran, along with their allies, have agreed to halt fighting across all conflict zones, including Lebanon.
Islamabad has been mediating indirect talks between Washington and Tehran and is expected to host delegations from the two sides in Islamabad on Friday.
US President Donald Trump said that he agreed "to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks."
The announcement came less than two hours before a deadline Trump had set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face what he described as the destruction of "an entire civilization."
Regional escalations raged when Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian authorities have not updated the toll in recent days.
Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
At least 13 US servicemen were killed and dozens of others were wounded during the conflict.
Separately, New Delhi on Wednesday advised its nationals in Iran to "expeditiously exit Iran."
An advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Tehran said the Indian nationals "still in Iran are strongly advised to expeditiously exit Iran."
"It is again reiterated that there should be no attempt to approach any international land border without prior consultation and coordination with the Embassy," the advisory said.
