India, May 16 -- As the United States questions the credibility of Pakistan acting as a "mediator" in the Iran war due to intelligence that Islamabad allowed the Iranian aircraft to be parked at Pakistani military bases, Russia has floated the idea that its staunch ally India must step up as the key negotiator in defusing the escalating Iran-US hostilities, given New Delhi's vast experience in global diplomacy.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the BRICS+ Summit here in New Delhi, proposed that India step in as a long-term mediator to resolve the military crisis involving Iran, the US, and its Arab neighbours.

Speaking at a high-profile media briefing following the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting in the national capital, Lavr...