In the backdrop of the escalation in the crisis in West Asia, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Tehran on January 14-15, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday. The visit indicates continued engagement between New Delhi and Tehran even as the Iranian government faces verbal attacks from Israel, India’s other partner in the region.
The MEA’s announcement said Dr. Jaishankar will meet his counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to discuss “bilateral, regional and global issues”.
Attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthis may hit India’s oil trade | Data
This is the first Minister-level visit to Iran from India since the beginning of the Gaza crisis on October 7, and since Iran joined the BRICS grouping on January 1. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra visited Tehran on November 26 to participate in the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC).
Iran recently included India in the list of countries whose citizens will not require a visa to travel to Iran.
How has Red Sea trouble impacted India? | Explained
India’s engagement with Iran has remained on track despite continuous criticism of Tehran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who have accused Iran of activating proxies across West Asia that are posing a tough challenge to Israel and the U.S.
India condemned the terrorist attack in Iran’s Kerman that claimed more than a hundred lives.
Also Read | Tanker with Indian crew hit by drone in Red Sea
Significantly, when an “explosion-like” incident took place near the Embassy of Israel in Delhi on December 26, online supporters of Israel and several Israeli individuals quickly blamed Iran for it. India has not revealed any Iranian connection to that incident so far.
Dr. Jaishankar’s visit is also significant as it comes two days after the U.S. and U.K. began bombing raids against alleged “Houthi controlled areas of Yemen”. A joint statement by the mainly western alliance, which also includes South Korea and Bahrain, said the actions were in line with the “broad consensus” reached at the UN Security Council meeting on December 19, 2023, which was attended by 44 countries. The Indian side has not made any official comment in support of the operation although Mr. Blinken had called Dr. Jaishankar shortly before the attacks commenced.
Explained | Reinvigorating the Chabahar port
On its part, India has deployed 10 ships in the Arabian Sea area, indicating that it is willing to safeguard its commercial interest in the region, separately from any kind of alliance with any of its partner countries in or outside the region.
The escalation and spread of the Israel-Palestinian crisis into other areas of West Asia and the Gulf are of concern to India as the region is the source of bulk of India’s energy requirements, and more than six million Indians reside in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, contributing significant foreign remittances annually to the Indian economy. India is also developing the Chahbahar port in Iran as a long-term project, which too could be in jeopardy if the war spreads further.
“Political cooperation, connectivity initiatives and strong people-to-people ties will constitute important aspect of the agenda,” the official announcement on Dr. Jaishankar’s visit said.
