Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday told his US and Japanese counterparts, Mark Esper and Taro Kono, that India was firmly in favour of de-escalation in the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran in the Middle East. Rajnath Singh, in separate telephonic conversations with Esper and Kono, shared India’s “concerns, stakes and interest” in the West Asian region, while also affirming the Indian government’s resolve to further expand defence cooperation with the US and Japan.