External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to visit Iran on January 14 and 15 as a part of the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two sides. Jaishankar's visit comes amid persisting tensions over attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The Houthis, an Iran-aligned group, had vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports to show support for Hamas in its war in Gaza. However, many of the targeted ships had no links to Israel.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday, Jaishankar will meet the Foreign Minister of Iran, H.E. Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and hold discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues. Political cooperation, connectivity initiatives, and strong people-to-people ties will constitute important aspects of the agenda.
Earlier, ABP Live learnt that the External Minister is also likely to discuss the evolving situation at the Red Sea after the US and the UK launched a joint assault on Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthi rebels have been attacking merchant ships in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, for which the Indian Navy had to also deploy warships across the Arabian Sea.
EAM Jaishankar is also expected to call on Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi during the trip, as the growing tensions have the potential to open yet another front for an open conflict, and this time on the high seas that has crucial global trade passing through them, top-level sources told ABP LIVE on the condition of anonymity.
Jaishankar's visit comes within days of him speaking to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is believed to have informed India about the Thursday attacks. The External Affairs Minister’s visit to Tehran was also discussed during the phone call with Blinken, the sources said.
The United States had announced that coalition attacks had been conducted in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen. In a statement issued by the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden said, "U.S. military forces – together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands –successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways".
Jaishankar had also held a phone conversation with his Australian counterpart, Penny Wong. The sources also stated that India, which shares friendly ties with both Tehran and Washington, is also not ruling out the opportunity to play the larger role of a mediator to calm the tensions rising in the ocean waters, as that will push New Delhi to deploy its assets, which are strategically located in the Indian Ocean region. Iraj Elahi, Ambassador of Iran to India, has already reached Tehran to pave the way for the visit.