S Jaishankar in Iran for bilateral talks amid Houthi crisis, Gaza war
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New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Iran for two days starting Sunday amid the global tension over the attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
His visit to Tehran assumes significance as it comes days after the US and the UK attacked Houthi rebels in Yemen in retaliation for the attacks. Houthi rebels are backed by Iran.
“External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will travel to Tehran during January 14-15 as part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two sides,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated on Saturday.
Jaishankar will meet the Foreign Minister of Iran, Dr Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and hold discussions on “bilateral, regional and global issues”, the MEA said.
"Political cooperation, connectivity initiatives and strong people-to-people ties will constitute important aspects of the agenda," the statement by the Ministry added.
India has been developing the Chabahar port of Iran, which could be adversely impacted in case the war escalates further.
This is the first ministerial visit from India to Iran ever since the beginning of the Gaza conflict on October 7 last year. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had visited Tehran on November 26 to participate in the Foreign Office Consultation (FOC).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also in November last year dialled Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi to discuss the “difficult situation” in West Asia. A day earlier, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had dialled Jaishankar to discuss the Iran-backed Houthi attacks.
The US-led coalition forces launched strikes against sites linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen, the first in the country since the group began targeting international shipping in the Red Sea late last year.
The Houthis are attacking cargo in the Red Sea to purportedly declare their support for Hamas in the Israel conflict. A prolonged Houthi rebel crisis in the Red Sea also has the potential to hurt India’s foreign trade.
