Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated reformist leader Masoud Pezeshkian on his victory in the presidential election in Iran, saying he looks forward to further strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
”Congratulations @drpezeshkian on your election as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region,” the PM said in a post on X.
The election in the Islamic Republic were necessitated due to the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, along with his foreign minister and other key aides, in a helicopter crash in May.
Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and former minister, won the runoff presidential election, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law.
Due to its civilisational ties with Iran, India will keep a close watch on the developments in the Islamic country in the wake of the presidential election.
Iran, which is battling Western sanctions, is one of India’s key sources of crude oil. Despite threats of sanctions from the US, India has maintained close relations with Iran in diverse fields. India’s bilateral trade has also increased to $2.33 billion in 2022-23, making it one of the biggest trading partners in West Asia.
India has also invested heavily in the Chabahar Port in Iran, which provides it a crucial transport link to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. In fact, India is developing the port on a war-footing to enhance regional connectivity up to Central Asia and beyond. Successive regimes in Iran have welcomed Indian investments in the port and other projects.
India has pledged to invest $120 million in equipping the port. India has also offered an in-credit window equivalent to $250 million, for mutually identified projects aimed at improving Chabahar-related infrastructure.