External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reached Tehran last night on the first leg of her four-day visit to Iran and Russia. Mrs Swaraj’s Iran visit is aimed at stepping up engagement in a range of areas, including oil and trade, as the strategically important Persian Gulf nation is now ready to resume business after sanctions were lifted under a historic nuclear deal.
Mrs Swaraj is holding extensive talks with her Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and will also call on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
From Iran, the External Affairs Minister will leave for Moscow to attend the annual Foreign Ministers’ meeting of Russia, India and China. On the sidelines, she is expected to meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during which she is likely to raise the issue of China blocking India’s bid at the United Nations to ban Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Masood Azhar.