Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia involving Iran, Israel and the United States and its impact on global fuel supplies, Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal on Monday (March 16, 2026) met Iran’s Consul General in Mumbai, Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh, and expressed hope for an “early end to the conflict and restoration of peace” in the region.

“While speaking of India as the country of Gandhi and Buddha, we discussed the situation in Iran, expressed our concerns about the conflict, and hoped that peace would be restored,” said Mr. Sapkal, adding that the meeting followed a long-pending invitation from the Iranian Consulate.

“Mr. Motlagh also expressed his wish that the war stop as soon as possible and presented a copy of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography,” he added.

Mr. Sapkal further said that he expressed condolences over the demise of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, as well as for the soldiers and people who lost their lives in the recent attacks.

“Expectations were also voiced that the disrupted fuel supply chain would soon return to normal levels,” he said on ‘X’.

Social worker Firoze Mithiborwala and the party’s regional general secretary Dhananjay Ramkrishna Shinde were also present at the meeting.