New Delhi: India is set to host Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi from Wednesday, ahead of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit later this month. This will be Araghchi’s first visit to India since war broke out in West Asia between the US, Israel and Iran at the end of February.
During his visit, Araghchi will lead Iran’s delegation for the foreign ministers’ meeting of BRICS to be hosted on 14 and 15 May.
Araghchi has emerged as the face of the Iranian government in the last two months, handling negotiations with the US via Pakistan to end the conflict. The Iranian Foreign Minister made trips to Beijing earlier this month, as well as Islamabad in April, in an attempt to make clear Tehran’s stance on ending the war.
His India visit days before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to arrive in New Delhi for both bilateral talks and the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Quad. Rubio is expected to arrive in New Delhi between 24 and 26 May.
The Araghchi and Rubio visits this month come as India continues to engage with all countries involved in the conflict in West Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to depart for the United Arab Emirates on 15 May, and hold bilateral talks with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan.
Earlier, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval had made a quick visit to Saudi Arabia on 19 April, interacting with multiple officials in Riyadh. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, meanwhile, visited the UAE earlier this month and reviewed bilateral ties between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.
Iran had not confirmed Araghchi’s participation in the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting until Monday. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was set to lead the Iranian delegation in the event that Araghchi could not make the trip to New Delhi.
However, multiple people familiar with the matter confirmed that Araghchi is set to lead the delegation and will arrive in New Delhi on 13 May, a day before the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting is scheduled to begin.
Araghchi’s direct participation in the BRICS meeting will bring him face-to-face with officials from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both countries that have been hit by Iran’s retaliation during the roughly 40-day war with the US and Israel.
The UAE is likely to be represented by Reem Al-Hashimy, the Minister of State for International Cooperation. Abu Dhabi has faced the brunt of Tehran’s retaliation, engaging with over 2,500 missiles and drones launched from Iran during the conflict.
Just last week, Abu Dhabi accused Tehran of launching missiles and drones at its territory. Three Indians were injured in a fire in a petroleum complex in Fujairah, which Abu Dhabi said was caused by Tehran’s attacks—an allegation Iran denied.
Araghchi’s visit comes at a challenging moment for West Asia. The Strait of Hormuz—the global waterway, which sees a fifth of the world’s energy supplies transit annually—has been effectively closed by Iran since the outbreak of war.
The situation in the Strait has had massive impacts on the global economy, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling on Indians to cut their usage of vehicles to curb excess fuel consumption, and urging companies to return to work from home policies, last seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conflict in West Asia has seen a surge in the price of oil. The situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz has also impacted India’s imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Araghchi’s attendance in the meeting could also potentially underline Tehran’s intent to deepen engagement with the BRICS countries. At the same time of Araghchi’s expected visit to New Delhi, US President Donald J. Trump will be in Beijing holding bilateral discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China has been Iran’s main economic partner and largest importer of Iranian oil. Due to Trump’s visit to Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is unlikely to make the trip to New Delhi for the BRICS meeting. Beijing is likely to be represented by one of its three Deputy Foreign Ministers or its BRICS Sherpa.
The Iranian Foreign Minister will also be in New Delhi, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to depart for the United Arab Emirates and hold a bilateral meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan. Modi’s visit, first reported by ThePrint, will focus on energy security, due to the continuing impact of the conflict in West Asia.
The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting is likely to see the participation of a number of foreign ministers including Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Other countries to be represented by their respective foreign ministers are Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, South Africa and Ethiopia. Apart from the meeting itself, the foreign ministers’ participating in the summit are expected to call-on Prime Minister Modi Thursday evening, before the Indian leader departs for his five-nation tour.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)