India Consults Australia and Canada on West Asia Crisis and Energy Risks

Overview

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held phone calls on March 20 with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand to discuss the West Asia conflict.
• He said he shared assessments with Wong and noted that their conversation also covered Indo-Pacific issues.
• Following his call with Anand, he said the discussion focused on the conflict and bilateral ties and that he looked forward to continuing the dialogue.
• The outreach follows reported strikes on Iran's South Pars gas fields and subsequent Iranian retaliation targeting Gulf energy infrastructure, including Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG hub.
• Concerns center on potential LNG supply disruptions, with reports noting that Qatar provides nearly 40% of India's liquefied natural gas.