New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday backed the Centre’s handling of the ongoing West Asia conflict, saying the Narendra Modi government had taken a balanced and pragmatic approach.

On India’s stand, Tharoor told ANI, "So far, India has acted with restraint and moderation because India understands that it has too many interests at stake in the region to jeopardise them by taking a strong stand one way or another. I think as a responsible government, this is the right thing to do..."

He noted that the prolonged nature of the conflict between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other leaves India with limited options.

"I think what we need to do is we can diversify sources of supply as long as the war lasts, as long as there is a shortage in the world markets. We can also, in the broader sense, have more free trade agreements with other countries, so we can have our exports going to a wider variety of countries on better terms than has been the case so far. For this particular crisis, we are, as the expression goes, caught over a barrel, as are many other countries. We don't have a whole lot of options to cope with this if it drags on much longer," he said.

Tharoor, who is also Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, highlighted the impact of disruptions in oil and gas supplies from Gulf nations.

"There have been tremendous disruptions, particularly of the economy, because if you look at the fact that so many oil and gas supplies have been affected. Oil, petrol, and diesel are coming from the oil-producing countries of the Gulf. Gas, something like 80 per cent, I think about it around 60 to 80 per cent of our LNG, LPG is coming from Qatar and the other countries in that region, and we are not able to receive it anymore, except in very small instalments. A couple of ships come, that's one and a half days' supply. So we are not able, as a result, to be able to fuel our kitchens, our dhabas, our restaurants. You're seeing stories from all over the country now," Tharoor said.

"So there is a genuine problem...it's affecting all of us. Secondly, there is a knock-on effect for all economic activity. If factories start slowing down, that affects employment, that affects purchases," he added.

The current phase of the conflict began on February 28 and has since triggered volatility in global energy markets and supply chains, directly impacting countries like India that rely heavily on imports from the Gulf region.