Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here, in their first meeting since the outbreak of the ongoing West Asia conflict, with India calling for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve regional disputes and stressing the need to keep navigation and commerce routes open.The meeting assumes significance for New Delhi as the prolonged conflict has taken a human toll on Indians. At least 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, have lost their lives in the conflict since January this year, while 75 others have been injured, the government had informed Parliament last month.Against this backdrop, Modi and Pezeshkian reviewed developments in West Asia and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.“India will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring lasting peace,” Modi said after the meeting, reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to strengthening its “long-standing friendship” with Iran across diverse sectors.The Prime Minister also said India wanted to expand and diversify its trade basket with Iran in the coming years.The Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and reviewed recent developments in West Asia.“Prime Minister reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” the MEA said.Modi also underlined the need for continued efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, besides safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce.For India, the issue carries implications well beyond regional diplomacy. The conflict has threatened shipping and commercial routes in a region crucial to India’s energy supplies and overseas trade, while the safety of Indian seafarers and other nationals remains a major concern.The meeting also comes at a time when New Delhi is looking to deepen its economic engagement with Tehran.India and Iran have traditionally maintained significant trade ties, with India ranking among Iran’s five largest trading partners in recent years. Indian exports to Iran include rice, tea, sugar and pharmaceuticals, while dry fruits and fresh fruits are among the major imports from Iran.Modi’s emphasis on expanding and diversifying the trade basket suggests an effort to give the relationship a broader economic base at a time when geopolitical disruptions continue to complicate regional commerce.Iran is also important to India’s wider connectivity interests, particularly its access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.The Modi-Pezeshkian meeting, therefore, brought together three immediate Indian concerns — regional peace, the safety of its citizens and seafarers, and the need to keep trade and connectivity channels open.While the two leaders did not announce any major new agreement after the meeting, their emphasis on diplomacy, regional stability and freedom of navigation underlined India’s cautious approach to a conflict that has direct consequences for its people and economic interests.