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Pezeshkian-Modi call
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed regional peace, bilateral relations, and cooperation within BRICS during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.
“"successful planning and organization"”
Mehr News Agency said Pezeshkian told Modi that Iran and India have a deep and rich history of respectful bilateral relations and that the two countries can use their vast capacities to expand their relations in the future.
During the call, Pezeshkian praised India for "successful planning and organization" of a recent meeting of energy ministers of the BRICS developing nations.
The Iranian president also said Iran will stick to its commitments under the memorandum of understanding signed with the US in mid-June, on the condition that the US also keeps its obligations under the agreement.
Mehr News Agency quoted Pezeshkian saying, "The international community must work toward consolidating this process, so that aggression and the use of force find no place in international relations," referring to preventing any repetition of US-Israeli aggression on Iran that endangered shipping routes in the Persian Gulf during the aggression in March and April.
Security talks in New Delhi
Security officials from India and Iran met on Monday in New Delhi on the sidelines of a BRICS meeting that included Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed said India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Iran's Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Qadir Nizami, to discuss developments in the Middle East as well as Indian-Iranian relations, according to the Indian Foreign Ministry.
In a post from the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on X, Nizami said he also met Wang Yi and discussed the implementation of the peace agreement, and Tehran expressed gratitude for the political support China provides.
Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported that Iran's IRNA news agency also said Nizami underscored the 'need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in various political, economic, and security fields.'
The same article said the Indian Foreign Ministry said last week that the BRICS meeting would focus on 'non-traditional security challenges,' with participants discussing the rapid evolution of challenges related to national security and the role of new technologies in facing emerging threats.
UAE-India ties amid Iran tensions
Iran International reported that India and the United Arab Emirates agreed on a framework for a strategic defense partnership during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Abu Dhabi amid rising tensions between the UAE and Iran.
“agreed on a framework for a strategic defense partnership”
The Indian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, May 15, that the two countries also signed agreements on strategic oil reserves and securing supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) during the visit.
Iran International said the MEA statement noted the sides agreed to deepen cooperation in defense industries and areas such as innovation and advanced technology, training, military exercises, maritime security, cyber defense, secure communications, and information sharing.
The article linked the shift to Tehran-Abu Dhabi relations being strained by Iran carrying out drone and missile attacks against UAE oil and energy facilities, and it cited the Wall Street Journal reporting on May 11 that the UAE carried out covert attacks against Iran, including strikes against Iran's Lavan Island oil refinery in April.
Iran International also said Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global energy markets and disrupted shipping and trade in the region, while it reported that under the oil agreement announced on Friday there is a possibility of increasing ADNOC's crude storage in India to 30 million barrels and that ADNOC said it would explore expanding LNG supply and trading with Indian Oil Corporation.
