Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif arrives in New Delhi on his one-day visit. His meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to happen today where several bilateral ties will be discussed.
The main agenda of the meeting is Iran’s JCPOA, where Iran seeks India’s support with other six world powers to support Tehran after US pulled its support from the deal. It is part of Tehran’s effort to reach to the other countries.
JCPOA( Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) was signed among Iran, US, Berlin, Germany, Russia, France ,and China where Iran agreed to lift some of the sanctions for Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program. In the wake of President Trump pulling out the support, Iran has been trying hard to maintain the balance in the equation.
FM Mr. Zarif has already visited European Union, Berlin, France and German counterparts to discuss JCPOA. EU has been trying to salvage the said deal.
“We will take necessary measures to safeguard our interest. It is too early to come to a conclusion on implications of US withdrawing from JCPOA,” MEA official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
Iran is also India’s third largest oil supplier. According to the officials, US reinstating financial sactions on Iran should not impact India’s oil imports.
Another agenda for the meeting between Zarif and Sushma Swaraj will be the development of Chabahar port. After PM Modi’s visit to Iran in May 2016, Chabahar port was one of the nine MoUs signed between India and Iran. India has also declared that Iran is free to choose partners for Chahabor port development, after Iran extended its hands towards China and Pakistan inviting them as partners in the said project. Chahabar port is will strategically cover India, Iran and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan allowing transport of goods among three countries.