New Delhi: India has welcomed the Pakistan-mediated two-week ceasefire between Iran and United States which has brought the 39-day fighting in the Gulf to an end, but without any mention of its neighbour.India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement more than six hours after the ceasefire deal was announced.“We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia. As we have continuously advocated earlier, deescalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict,” said the statement.Notably, the statement did not refer to Pakistan’s role in brokering the truce, even as leaders in Washington and Tehran and other countries publicly acknowledged its involvement.The conflict began on February 28 following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by retaliation by Tehran. The situation spiralled with exchanges targeting military installations, energy infrastructure and shipping routes across the Gulf. Over the past 39 days, the fighting disrupted oil supplies, drove up freight and insurance costs, and heightened risks over the key Strait of Hormuz.India noted that the conflict had “already caused immense suffering to people and disrupted global energy supply and trade networks”. “We expect that unimpeded freedom of navigation and global flow of commerce would prevail through the Strait of Hormuz,” the MEA said.At the government’s daily briefing later, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi hoped the peace push in West Asia would also carry over to Ukraine, where the war has now stretched into its fourth year.“India has always been in favour of peace. We welcome all steps that lead to peace and stability. We hope that this development in West Asia will also encourage peace efforts in Ukraine.”About an hour before the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for the start of a large-scale military action, leaders in the US, Iran and Pakistan announced a two-week ceasefire. In his first post announcing the truce, Trump said it followed conversations with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir, a formulation echoed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a separate statement.Sharif said invitations had been sent to the US and Iran for talks in Islamabad on April 10. There are also reports that US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are to attend the proposed talks.In the initial phase of the war, New Delhi appeared aligned with Israel and the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel just two days before the escalation began on February 28, and India refrained from criticising US or Israeli actions even as the conflict intensified. Its early statements instead focused on attacks affecting Gulf states and regional stability.New Delhi also took time to formally respond to the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with condolences conveyed only days later by the foreign secretary. At the same time, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar remained in close touch with his Iranian counterpart, holding at least five conversations during the course of the crisis.