Mann ki Baat: PM Modi urges citizens to jointly face challenges emerging due to West Asia war

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (March 29, 2026) appealed to all citizens to come together to face the challenges emerging due to the ongoing “fierce war” in West Asia and said everyone should stay vigilant and not fall prey to rumours.

Addressing his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Mr. Modi also said he was deeply grateful to the Gulf countries for providing every possible assistance to more than 1 crore Indians living and working there.

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He said a “fierce war” has been raging in “our neighbourhood” for over a month.

“This is undoubtedly a challenging time. Through today’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’, I once again urge all 140 crore fellow citizens that we must come together as one to overcome this challenge. I appeal to all my fellow citizens to stay vigilant and not fall prey to rumours,” the Prime Minister said.

The West Asia conflict started on February 28. While the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, the Islamic Republic retaliated by targeting Washington’s allies in its neighbourhood and Tel Aviv.

Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which 20 per cent of the world’s energy is transported. Since the conflict began, Iran has allowed very few ships to cross it.

Mr. Modi has spoken to a number of world leaders, including those from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iran, France, Israel and Malaysia, since the conflict started.

He has also spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump. After a telephonic conversation between the two on March 24, Modi said he “had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia”.

On March 23, 2026, Mr. Modi spoke in the Parliament about the West Asia conflict.

In a statement in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Modi said the difficult global conditions caused by the West Asia conflict are likely to persist for a long time and called upon the nation to remain prepared and united, just as it had stood together during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Modi addressed concerns related to the impact on fuel, fertilisers, national security and other areas in India as well on its nationals residing in the West Asia region, detailing steps taken by the government to ensure that “ordinary families face as little trouble as possible”, and said a unanimous voice should go out to the world from India’s Parliament on this crisis.

Reaffirming India’s unwavering commitment to humanity and peace, the prime minister said the dialogue and diplomacy remain the only path to resolution and every Indian effort is directed at de-escalation and the cessation of hostilities.

Informing the House that he has engaged with all relevant West Asian leaders and urged them to reduce tensions and end the conflict, Modi emphasised that attacks on commercial ships and obstruction of international waterways like the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s energy is transported, are”wholly unacceptable”.