New Delhi [India], April 13 (ANI): As talks between the US and Iran end in deadlock, former External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid stressed the urgent need for peace and sustained dialogue, saying that both global and regional stability must be pursued despite escalating challenges linked to the West Asia crisis.

Speaking to ANI at a Chehlum Shaheed-e-Ummat commemoration event for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khurshid said peace remains a shared aspiration.

He urged that talks should be allowed to continue in their respective forums without external interference.

'We all want peace. There's nobody who doesn't want peace. The few people who don't want peace, you know what people in the world think about them. Peace is not easy. Let us hope that people keep trying for peace. We were a little doubtful whether it could happen in Pakistan, but be that as it may. There is no time to complain about it. Let us just hope and pray that peace will come because it's necessary for the world, and it is necessary also for all of us in this region,' Khurshid said on Sunday.

'The point is, it's best if the peace talks happen where they happen rather than all of us getting involved elsewhere. Let them happen where they happen. Let's hope and pray that they will succeed,' he added.

This period of remembrance follows the assassination of 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint military strikes by the US and Israel on February 28, an event that triggered a sharp escalation of tensions in West Asia.

In the wake of the tragedy, Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

A day earlier, US Vice President JD Vance departed from Islamabad after hitting a stalemate in talks with Iran in the wake of the West Asia conflict.

Meanwhile, Iran's Head of Centre for Public Diplomacy and Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, on Sunday, said that Iran's negotiators are employing all their capabilities, adding that the success of the efforts depends on the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests.

Baqaei said that Iran's heavy losses have made its resolve stronger than ever and that it uses all its tools to secure its national interests.

As the situation develops, Tasnim News Agency said on Sunday, citing an informed source that Iran has offered reasonable proposals in the negotiations held in Islamabad, adding that the ball is now in the US' court. (ANI)