NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said Israel had helped India in military conflicts and been a reliable source of defence technology, even as he maintained that ties with Iran remained friendly, pointing to the latter’s decision to allow passage of four Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz.His assertion at the all-party meeting about close ties came in response to a question from NCP’s Supriya Sule about the benefits of relations with US and Israel, said sources.While the US is a big trading partner of India and a source of high-end technology, Israel is a leading technological ally and has helped India during military conflicts, sources quoted the minister as saying at the meeting.While the minister did not elaborate, his comment on Israeli assistance during military conflicts was seen as referring to the help that Israel had speedily provided during confrontations with Pakistan.While Israeli assistance is hardly a secret, this was the first time that the minister, going by sources, had confirmed the same, although in an in camera meeting.The minister’s statement and its trigger came against the backdrop of suggestions of a tilt towards US-Israel that seemed to underpin questions of representatives of opposition parties.Jaishankar dismissed the charge that India had maintained silence over the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and had delayed offering condolences. He said that foreign secretary Vikram Misri had signed the condolence book the day it was opened.While denying that the decision not to condemn the attack on Iran has damaged ties with the Shiite country, the minister said that govt had to take into account the “outrage” in the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the damage caused by Iranian drones and missiles. He said over 8 million Indians work in these two countries.Jaishankar also said that Iran had expressed considerable appreciation for India saving its naval ship, IRIS Lavan, by allowing it to anchor at Kochi port when a US nuclear submarine that had sunk a sister ship, IRIS Dena, was lurking in the Indian Ocean. The minister said that IRIS Dena would also have survived if it had availed of India’s offer of safe harbour and not drifted towards international waters, where it was hit by a torpedo fired by the US submarine.Govt functionaries noted in the meeting that Iran had allowed four Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which it has blocked since the war broke out, and five more were on the way.
