S Jaishankar to embark on two-day Iran visit tomorrow; external affairs minister to attend 19th Joint Commission Meeting

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will embark on a two-day visit to Iran from Sunday, where he will co-chair the 19th Joint Commission Meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Javed Zarif.

Jaishankar is also expected to call upon Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, the external affairs ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The meeting comes days after the US provided a rare exemption to India from sanctions on the Chabahar port in Iran as Washington said it recognised that the strategic project was a lifeline for war-torn Afghanistan to get humanitarian supplies from India.

The Chabahar port, jointly being developed by India, Iran, and Afghanistan, is considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade with central Asian nations by the three countries. It is located on the Indian Ocean in the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.

Jaishankar will also be visiting Oman from 23 to 25 December at the invitation of Omani foreign minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the external affairs ministry said in another statement. “During his visit, EAM, in addition to meeting his counterpart, will hold meetings with other ministers to discuss matters of mutual interest. An agreement for cooperation in the field of maritime transport will be signed during the visit. EAM will also interact with the Indian community in Muscat during the visit,” the statement said.

This will be Jaishankar’s first visit to Oman after the second term of the Modi government began in May. “The visit is in pursuit of India’s objective of enhanced engagement with the Gulf region, which is in India’s extended neighbourhood. It will provide an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions with the political leadership on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues and will advance India’s growing engagement with Oman and the region,” the statement said.