India and Iran have agreed to fasten operations concerning the strategic Chabahar port project on Sunday as External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif for a meeting of the 19th India-Iran joint commission. The meeting was circled around talks about regional and international issues concerning both the nations.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar tweeted from Tehran saying “[We] just concluded a very productive India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting with my co-chair FM Zarif.”
A Fruitful Meeting
Mr Jaishankar expressed that the meeting with Mr Zarif and the Iranian delegation had been “very productive”.
This was his first visit to Tehran after taking over as the Foreign Minister of the country.
Iranian official news agency IRNA stated in a report how “Iran sees India as a great business partner that can provide a breathing room for it under the US coercive economic measures.” It also stated how prior to implementing the sanctions, India had enjoyed an advantageous trading relationship with Iran under which New Delhi paid for oil in rupees which Tehran used to buy Indian goods.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif took to twitter, earlier on Sunday, to express his strong views on the entire picture of the sanctions.
He said, “US’ approach to sanctions betrays a pathological and reckless addiction—a condition that renders no bounds or boundary to what the US may or may not do”.
Zarif also added how “this addictive behavior affects friends and foes alike unless collectively pushed back”.
However, in Washington last week, a senior U.S. official had clarified that it would continue its “narrow exemption” to India to develop the Chabahar Port, while acknowledging its role as “a lifeline to Afghanistan in terms for India to be able to export humanitarian supplies and potentially helping Afghanistan diversify its export opportunities.”
As a matter thereof, diplomats from India, Iran and Afghanistan met in Delhi on Friday and talked at length about new initiatives and plans for the trilateral project at Chabahar.
The Chabahar port will prove to be instrumental in providing golden opportunities for trade with the central Asian countries by the three nations. A trilateral project jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan, the port lies on the Indian Ocean in the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.
