Iran To Seek Enhanced Defence Partnership With India During Defence Minister's Visit
Tehran will seek an enhanced defence partnership with India focusing on the maritime domain during the visit of the Iranian Defence Minister Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani to India.
New Delhi: Iranian Defence Minister Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, who is visiting India later this week for the Defence Ministers’ Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), will be meeting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh separately seeking to enhance security and defence partnership with India, especially between the navies of both sides ABP Live has learnt.
The SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting will be taking place on April 27-28. Iran is attending the SCO meetings as a full member of the grouping under India’s presidency.
According to official sources, India and Iran had been discussing ways in which both countries can have a greater partnership between the two naval forces even as the region sees increasing instability and terrorist activities.
Both sides are also planning to expand their partnership by way of greater military industry collaboration even as India has become concerned over the recent China-brokered peace deal between Tehran and Riyadh, sources told ABP Live.
However, sources said, owing to the growing tensions between Tehran and Washington the expansion of defence partnership between Iran and India will “always have limited opportunities”.
Iraj Elahi, Ambassador of Iran to India, Monday said, “I also hope that with the visit of the Honorable Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran to India to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Defense Ministers' Meeting, the defense relations between the two countries will be further developed and strengthened in a dynamic bilateral and multilateral format.”
Speaking on the occasion of the Army Day of Iran, the envoy also said that his country’s armed forces believe in “peace, friendship and cooperation based on mutual respect”.
“The sensitive and geopolitical position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the turbulent region of West Asia has increased the importance of the armed forces in maintaining the stability and security of this region,” he stressed.
The Ambassador also underlined, “In recent years, the emergence of terrorism in the region has increased the intensity of instability and insecurity in the region. The assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the countries involved in the war with ISIS and terrorism in recent years also proved the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the stability of the region.”
Increasing Joint Military Exercises, Arms Export
India and Iran have also been holding increased joint military exercises, especially between the two naval forces. During the visit of their Defence Minister, Tehran plans to also make a pitch for the export of Iranian arms to India for its armed forces, sources said.
Export of Iranian armaments has increased manifold in recent years even as their ‘Kamikaze’ drones continue to gain prominence in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Iranian naval delegations regularly visit Indian Naval Training institutes. Last year, the Iranian Navy attended the India-led MILAN-22 exercise that took place in Visakhapatnam. Apart from that, Iranian warships also took part in IMEX-22 exercise that took place off Goa coast. Subsequently, Indian training ships visited Bandar Abbas in October last year.
Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana, Director General of Defence Intelligence Agency, who was also addressing Iran Army Day said, “In modern times, Iran and India have a comprehensive partnership based on strong mutual trust, with defence cooperation being a significant aspect of the same … In recent times defence engagement between India and Iran has grown.”
“The military and defense relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the friendly country of India will carry the message of peace and security for other countries in the region and the world. The existence of the independence-seeking spirit of the two great nations of Iran and India will be the biggest support for the development of military and defense cooperation between the two countries," said Col. Hassan Momini, Defence Attache, Embassy of Iran in India.
In April 2001, during the visit of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, both sides signed the ‘Tehran Declaration’ that identified certain key sectors to enhance India-Iran bilateral ties. This was followed by ‘The New Delhi Declaration’ when former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami visited India in January 2003, which gave a strategic dimension to the ties.
During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tehran in May 2016, the Trilateral Transit Agreement (Chabahar Agreement) was signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan. India is also developing the first phase of Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar. The capacity of the port is expected to reach 8.5 MT at the end of the first phase.
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