Iran’s Deputy foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi is in New Delhi for talks with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and foreign Secretary Vikarm Misri. The goal is to strengthen bilateral relations, focusing on increasing trade, especially through the Chabahar port, Which is key to Iran’s trade and transit plans. Tehran is also seeking to enhance cooperation in various sectors, including tourism, agriculture and petrochemicals.
As a part of these talks, Iran wants to discuss India’s stance on sanctions. India has stopped purchasing oil from Iran due to U.S. sanctions but continues to buy oil from Russia, despite sanctions on Russia. Iran wants to understand how India navigates these issues and is looking to shift focus toward future trade opportunities, rather than past disputes.
For Iran, growing trade with India is vital, especially since it has suffered economically due to U.S. sanctions imposed during Trump’s first term. The chabahar port, as part of these plans, will help Iran diversify into other areas such as agriculture and petrochemicals. Tehran is also keen on boosting tourism, both with Indian tourists visiting Iran and facilitating more Iranians traveling to India, which would foster economic and people-to-people exchanges.
Looking ahead to the Trump 2.0 administration, Tehran believes the U.S. ‘Maximum pressure” campaign has failed to achieve its goals, despite causing significant hardship to the Iranian people. Iran now emphasizes stronger relations with Russia, China, and even Saudi Arabia, marking a shift in its foreign policy.
Regional security issues will also be discussed with India, particularly concerns about the situation in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon. Iran has expressed anxiety over the security conditions in Syria, citing the influence of rebel groups with ties to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Tehran fears the resurgence of terrorism in the region and views this as a significant concern.
Finally, Iran is deepening its ties with Russia and is preparing to sign a major partnership agreement with Russia in January. China is also seen as an important economic partner for Iran due to its global economic reach.
Shashi Rai
