India recently held a bilateral meeting with Iran, ignoring the US’ displeasure in the atmosphere of war in Gaza. Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a long meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on January 15, 2024. According to sources close to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the two ministers discussed a number of important bilateral and global issues, including the implementation of the Chabahar Port Agreement, the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project, the current situation in Palestine and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The INSTC is a 7,200km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

After his meeting with Amir-Abdollahian, the visiting Indian minister told the local media that they reviewed all aspects of the bilateral engagement comprehensively, apart from exchanging thoughts on some pressing global and regional issues. Speaking at a joint press conference, Dr Jaishankar stressed: “I reiterated India’s interest in benefiting from Iran’s unique geographical position to access markets in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Eurasia. We discuss the prospects of the INSTC. In particular, we discussed India’s involvement in the development and operations of the Chabahar port – a joint project with a joint vision of connectivity.“

In the presence of Amir-Abdollahian, the Indian minister also said: “India and Iran are two old friends who have always viewed each other’s growth and prosperity. I am confident that today’s exchanges will give momentum to our bilateral cooperation and also further enhance our understanding of each other’s positions on important regional and global issues.“

The Chabahar Port Agreement is of great significance for India, both commercially and strategically. Talks between New Delhi and Tehran on constructing the port’s infrastructure began in January 2003 during the then Iranian President Muhammad Khatami‘s visit to India. Iran needed Indian investment to build a large port infrastructure in the Islamic Republic, while India wanted to create a free trade route to Afghanistan via Iran (bypassing Pakistan).

The two nations signed the Chabahar Port Deal after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and liberal Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New Delhi in 2018. However, there was some uncertainty about the Chabahar Port project in 2021 after hardliner Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi became the President of Iran. Incidentally, President Raisi decided to strengthen ties with China in 2021.

On January 15, Dr Jaishankar held a separate meeting with President Raisi. Later, he wrote on his X handle: “Held wide ranging discussions today in Tehran with Iranian FM @Amirabdolahian. Our bilateral discussion focused on the long-term framework for India’s involvement with Chabahar port and the INSTC connectivity project. Also spoke about threats to maritime shipping in the region. Important that this be speedily addressed. Other issues on the agenda were the Gaza situation, Afghanistan, Ukraine and BRICS cooperation.“

Iran-backed Houthi militants have been launching a series of missile attacks against commercial ships plying the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen since November 2023. The Houthis have also attacked some Indian ships. The US and the UK have already started military operations against the Houthis. The Indian Navy has also been deployed near the Red Sea. In Tehran, Dr Jaishankar stated: “We have even seen some attacks in the vicinity of India. This is a matter of grave concern to the international community. Obviously, it also has a direct bearing on India’s energy and economic interest.“

Before visiting Iran, Dr Jaishankar discussed the Red Sea crisis with US Foreign Secretary Antony John Blinken. From Tehran, the Indian External Affairs Minister made an attempt to send a message to the Houthis through his Iranian counterpart Amir-Abdollahian. Meanwhile, the Indian Minister of External Affairs also met Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadianand during his visit to Tehran.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das