Iranian foreign minister likely to visit New Delhi next week

Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit New Delhi next week for consultations with senior Indian leaders against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving situation in West Asia, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Preparations for the visit are still being finalised, though Araghchi is likely to be in New Delhi during January 15-16, people from both sides said on condition of anonymity. This will be Araghchi’s second visit to the country; he last travelled to New Delhi in May 2025, while India was engaged in a four-day conflict with Pakistan.

Advancing cooperation for the development of Chabahar port, regional connectivity, bolstering trade and regional developments such as the peace process in Gaza are among the issues that are expected to be on the agenda for the visit, the people said.

The Trump administration granted a six-month exemption for US sanctions applicable to Iran’s Chabahar port in October 2024, and the visit will be an opportunity for the two sides to explore ways to continue developing the strategic facility in the Gulf of Oman. Earlier, the Trump administration revoked a sanctions waiver granted in 2018 that allowed India to establish a presence at the strategic port.

In addition to bilateral trade, Chabahar has emerged as a key facility for shipment of goods from Afghanistan to India following the closure of transit routes by Pakistan, the people said.

The visit will also be an opportunity for the Iranian side to explain its response to protests in Tehran and several cities over economic issues. About 14 people, including security forces, are believed to have died since the protests began. The protests have acquired an added dimension with US President Donald Trump’s recent warning of intervention if Iranian authorities kill peaceful protesters. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump said in a social media post.

India is chairing Brics this year, and cooperation with partners such as Iran will be crucial for shaping the agenda of the grouping. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to travel to India to attend the Brics Summit later this year.

Iranian ambassador Mohammad Fathali told HT last week that India, both as an emerging global power and as a voice of the Global South, can play an “influential role” in the Gaza peace process in view of its record of supporting peace and stability in different parts of the world.