‘Satisfied’ with action against BJP spokespersons, says Iran

Iran is “satisfied” that the Indian government has dealt with those responsible for comments on Prophet Mohammad where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sacked two spokespersons over the weekend, said Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian during official meetings in Delhi on Wednesday, the first such visit by a country from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) since the controversy erupted. On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Indian Ambassador to condemn the remarks, one of more than a dozen countries to protest bilaterally.

Mr. Abdollahian, who is on his first visit to India since he was appointed last year, met with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, where the two sides signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who “recalled long-standing civilisational and cultural links between India and Iran”, an official statement said, adding that the Prime Minister looked forward to welcoming Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at an “early date”. The visiting Foreign Minister will be in Mumbai on Thursday and then will travel to Hyderabad.

“[We] reviewed our bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties,” said Mr. Jaishankar in a tweet after the talks, adding that they had exchanged views on global and regional issues, including the 6-nation 2015 nuclear agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Doval’s assurance

In a statement issued in Farsi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Mr. Doval had assured that those making the offending comments would be “dealt with at the level of government and related agencies in a way that is a lesson to others.”

The statement said the two sides had discussed proposals especially on the Chabahar port, the International North South Transport Corridor, as well as trade and investment, adding that Mr. Abdollahian had announced that Iran has “no restrictions” on expanding relations with India. However, the statement did not specify whether India and Iran would discuss restoring some of the trade and investment deals in energy, including oil supplies from Iran, and Indian investment in Iranian oil and gas reserves, both of which came to a standstill in 2019, after the U.S. Trump administration threatened sanctions.

Timing significant

The timing of the Foreign Minister’s visit is significant as Iran is in a clash with the International Atomic Energy Agency this week, as the IAEA Board of Governors are meeting in Vienna until June 10, where a report on Iran’s nuclear record is being discussed. After the U.S., France, Germany and the U.K. introduced a resolution condemning Iran’s nuclear technology progress and “insufficient cooperation” with the IAEA, Iran’s Atomic Energy board announced on Wednesday that it was shutting off the IAEA’s cameras at a nuclear site in protest.

The statements also did not expand on the nature of discussions on Afghanistan, but Mr. Abdollahian was received at the airport by Joint Secretary (Iran Pakistan Afghanistan) J.P. Singh, the official who travelled to Kabul last week to meet with Taliban officials, including the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Mottaqi.

The Iranian Foreign Minister’s visit also follows a week after the visit of Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, in an indication that India is attempting to walk the balance between the two West Asian rivals who are also sparring over Iran’s nuclear programme. Mr. Modi had met Mr. Gantz as well during his trip to India, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, who had to put off his visit to India in March this year as he contracted COVID, is expected to visit in the next few months as well.