New Delhi, March 10 -- Emphasising India's significant weight of influence in West Asia, UAE Ambassador to India Abdulnasser Jamal Alshaali on Tuesday said that India's call for de-escalation amid the conflict "matters", noting that Tehran cannot "afford to ignore" New Delhi.

Speaking to ANI in an interview, the Ambassador, while criticising Tehran's continued strikes despite diplomatic messaging, welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for immediate de-escalation.

Alshaali further said that the UAE evaluates actions rather than statements and called for an immediate and unconditional halt to the strikes when asked about Iran issuing apologies to Gulf neighbours, even as strikes continue.

"To be very clear, the UAE assesses action...