New Delhi, April 8 -- The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday issued a statement on the recent ceasefire reached between US and Iran. The MEA said that it hoped the agreement would lead to lasting peace in West Asia.

The MEA said, "We welcome the ceasefire reached and hope that it will lead to a lasting peace in West Asia. As we have continuously advocated earlier, de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy are essential to bring an early end to the ongoing conflict. The conflict has 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."

Earlier, US President Donald Trump sus...