Washington DC [US], October 2 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC.
Jaishankar said that they followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings.
In a post on X, he said, “Delighted to hold talks with Antony Blinken today in Washington DC. We followed up on the Delaware bilateral and Quad meetings. Our discussions also covered deepening bilateral cooperation, situation in West Asia, recent developments in the Indian subcontinent, the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine.”

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken and Jaishankar discussed the United States and India’s enduring commitment to deepening bilateral ties, coordinating closely on regional and global challenges, and advancing cooperation on critical and emerging technologies.
Blinken noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s August visit to Kyiv and reiterated the importance of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The Secretary and External Affairs Minister also discussed plans to expand collaboration on clean energy initiatives to address the global climate crisis, the statement added.
In the meeting, he condemned the Iranian attack on Israel, calling it “totally unacceptable.”
Blinken stated that Iran had launched a direct attack on Israel, including 200 ballistic missiles.
“Before I speak to this meeting, let me say this: a few hours ago, Iran, for the second time in five months, launched a direct attack on Israel, involving some 200 ballistic missiles. This is totally unacceptable, and the entire world should condemn it,” he said.
Blinken reaffirmed US support for Israel, stating that they would continue close communication with Israel moving forward.
“Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, successfully repelled the attack. We have once again demonstrated our commitment to Israel’s defence. We will remain in close contact with Israel and other regional partners in the coming hours and days,” he said. (ANI)

“Very much concerned at possibility of broadening of conflict in Middle East”: Jaishankar

Washington, DC [US], October 1 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that India is “very much” concerned at the possibility of broadening of the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking at the conversation at the Carnegie Endowment in the US, he called Hamas‘ attack on Israel a “terrorist attack,” and added that Israel had a need to respond and added that India believes that any response by any country has to take into account international humanitarian law.
Asked about the escalating violence in the Middle East and India‘s approach towards Israel‘s policy and wider conflict possibilities, Jaishankar said, ” If one looks at the current situation, I think it would be right to start off with October 7th. We regard October 7th as a terrorist attack. We understand that Israel had a need to respond, but we also believe that any response by any country has to take into account international humanitarian law, that it must be careful about any damage or any implications for civilian populations. And that given what has happened in Gaza, it is important to have some kind of international humanitarian effort out there.”
“And we are very much concerned at the possibility of a broadening of the conflict, not just what happened in Lebanon, but also, you know, I referred earlier to the Houthis and the Red Sea, and, you know, to some extent, everything that happens between Iran and Israel. So again, it’s one thing to be concerned. I’m sure you can say that for a lot of countries. If as part of that concern, we can end up doing something about it, you know, then don’t underestimate the importance of communication in difficult times. If there are things to be said and passed on and passed back, I think those are all contributions that we can make and we do,” he added.
Notably, India has backed a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. PM Narendra Modi was one of the first global leaders to condemn the terror attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7. However, India has repeatedly expressed concerns over the deteriorating situation in Gaza.
In October last year, Israel launched a counter-offensive against Hamas after hundreds of Hamas terrorists burst into Israeli borders, killing over 1200 people and taking over 250 hostages, out of which 100 continue to be in captivity.
The war has spiralled into the region lately, with Houthi rebels in Yemen also targeting Israel and other countries in the Red Sea. Israel has also continued striking Hezbollah in Lebanon. As the conflict heads towards escalation, all major countries have called for a ceasefire and hostage deal, while also stressing for a two-state solution as a means to achieve durable and sustainable peace in the region.
In a major escalation in the raging conflict in the Middle East, Iran on Tuesday launched a missile attack on Israel on Tuesday. In a statement, the IDF said all Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel.
Hezbollah is upset that the IDF exposed their plans to massacre Israelis, so they decided to target innocent civilians by firing a barrage of rockets, the IDF further said.
102 missiles have been launched towards Israel, according to the Jerusalem Post. Sirens continue to sound across Israel amid the attack, the Times of Israel reported. According to the IDF, around 10 million civilians are the targets of Iranian projectiles. Iran’s state media has also confirmed the Iranian attack towards Israel. (ANI)