Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 22 (ANI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday warned that a full-blown war in West Asia could seriously affect over 16 million Indians living in the region, as well as India's economic interests.

Calling the threat of Iran's nuclear weapons a 'boogie,' he compared the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities to the period of US-led invasion of Iraq over what he said were false claims about weapons of mass destruction.

'We must also remember that more than 16 million Indians live in the Gulf and Middle East, and if that area erupts in a war, which unfortunately is very likely, then it will have a grave impact on the Indians living there,' Owaisi told ANI.

He also highlighted the financial risks India may face if the conflict spreads further. 'The investments which Indian companies have made in all these Arab countries or Gulf countries, and a substantial amount of foreign investment comes from this area,' the Hyderabad MP said.

Questioning the justification behind the US airstrikes on Iran, Owaisi said, 'And lastly, this boogie has been created about Iran having nuclear weapons, or this and that, the same thing was used in Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction. Nothing, nothing came out.'

United States on Sunday morning carried out strikes targeting Iran's key nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. Fordow is considered Iran's main uranium enrichment facility, where uranium is enriched to 60 per cent.

Defence expert Sanjeev Srivastava called the strikes a 'major escalation' in the ongoing Israel-Iran tensions. 'The action taken by Israel and America is a major escalation. Iran had to face a devastating blow due to these actions, and the deep underground nuclear facilities of Iran were hard hit in this attack,' he told ANI.

He added that the global stance on Iran's nuclear ambitions has been consistent. 'Be it the Trump administration or any other administration, everyone has expressed their views that they won't let Iran acquire nuclear weapons.'

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took a sharp jab at US-Israel coordination in the military campaign. 'America voted for President Trump but got Netanyahu as their boss,' she said.

In another post on X, she wrote, 'Just unthinkable how a nation's sovereignty is violated at will by a handful of bullies claiming presence of nuclear weapons and now calling for peace after bombing away the nation. The world has seen that play out earlier too, citing WMDs in Iraq and finding none, but bombing away the country as well as destabilising it forever.'

She also questioned the role of the United Nations in preventing such conflicts. 'Someone remind us of the purpose of United Nations post World War 2? Is it still functional or has become a body controlled by big bullies with money and guns?' she asked.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Sunday launched a new wave of airstrikes targeting military sites in western Iran, shortly after Iranian missile attacks injured civilians in Israel.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, 'The IAF has begun a series of strikes toward military targets in western Iran. Additionally, this morning, the IAF struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralised the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory a short while ago.' (ANI)