India has warned that war in the Middle East threatens the safety of its 10 million citizens in the region and could seriously disrupt the country’s economy.

New Delhi’s foreign ministry said it was monitoring developments with “great anxiety”, saying the safety of its 10 million citizens in the region was an “utmost priority”.

“We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them,” ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

“Our trade and energy supply chains also traverse this geography. Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy.”