Iran president, Indian PM talk on phone, explore ways to enhance bilateral ties

In a phone conversation on Friday, Raisi said Iran and India should specifically expand cooperation in the fields of transit and energy security.

The Iranian president underscored more interaction on the North-South Corridor.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks to strengthen regional convergence and develop economic relations with all countries across the globe, particularly those in Asia, in this regard,” Raeisi added.

The president underlined Tehran and New Delhi both enjoy experiences in history that make for proper grounds for the expansion of ties at various levels.

The Indian prime minister, for his part, condemned the terrorist attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz and extended his sympathy with the Iranian government, nation and the bereaved.

Modi hailed long-term cooperation with Iran and said the implementation of the joint project of Chabahar Port and turning it into a connectivity hub would lead to the region’s development. He said India was ready to finalize the documents pertaining to the completion of the project.

Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, also posted a message on X social platform, formerly known as Twitter, with respect to the talks between Raeisi and Modi.

“They agreed to quicken developing the Chabahar Port as a symbol of bilateral cooperation,” the Iranian official tweeted.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release that Raeisi and Modi discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance.

According to the ministry, the Indian prime minister said the relationship between Tehran and New Delhi is “underpinned by close historic and civilizational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts.”

The two sides also exchanged views about cooperation at multilateral forums including expansion of the BRICS grouping of emerging economies ahead of its summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 22-24.

Iran is looking to join BRICS, the influential group of developing economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

According to South Africa, some 40 nations have shown interest in joining, either formally or informally, including Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Egypt.

The South African and Iranian foreign ministers recently signed a cooperation deal in Pretoria ahead of the BRICS summit.