Indian Foreign Secretary to visit Tehran as Bolton’s exit raises hopes of US-Iran talks

NEW DELHI: India will hold high level dialogue with Iran in the backdrop of USA NSA John Bolton’s resignation that could open up negotiations between Washington and Tehran brokered by France.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is visiting Iran for 16th Foreign Office Consultations on 15-16 Sept.

During his visit, he will hold consultations with his counterpart Deputy Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi. Gokhale is also expected to call on Iranian Foreign Minister Javas Zarif during his visit.


This is India’s first dialogue at the level of Foreign Secretary since PM Narendra Modi’s re-election. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met Zarif few months back on the sidelines of an international meet.

Bolton’s resignation have raised hopes of launch of dialogue between the Trump administration and Tehran as the former NSA was a strong opponent to any negotiations with Iran.

The hopes of US-Iran talks were raised when the French President invited Zarif at Biarritz where US President Donald Trump was present for the G-7 Summit.

At the end of the G7 meet, it emerged that Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could meet in the next few weeks.

At Biarritz French President Emmanuel Macron urged Trump to lift embargo from Iranian oil sales to India. Zarif held three and half hours dialogue with his French counterpart in Biarritz on August 25 signalling Tehran's possible reentry into mainstream.

France is emerging as a mediator between Washington and Tehran to defuse one of the worst global crisis in recent times.

Zarif also met Macron in Paris ahead of the G-7 Summit in the backdrop of regular contacts between his President and the French leader. ET had reported that ending Iran crisis figured during Macron-Trump lunch meeting on August 24 and the French President urged the US leader to end embargo against sale of Iranian oil to India and China, two biggest buyers of Tehran’s energy resources. This would be music to India’s ears.

India had stopped purchasing Iranian oil from May after Washington refused to extend six month waiver and threatened secondary sanctions.

Last November, the US granted a six-month waiver to India, China, Greece, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey and South Korea to continue importing oil from Iran. The temporary waiver ended in May first week. Iran supplied 10 per cent of India's oil needs and the country has number of Iran specific refineries.