Iran believes India can play ‘greater role’ in ushering peace in West Asia: Araghchi

INdia put up recreate a “greater role” in diplomatic negotiations aimed at ensuring public certificate and security in West Asia as it has friendly ties with almost all countries in the region, Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday against the backdrop of the stalemate in negotiations between Iran and the US.Araghchi met national security adviser Ajit Doval on Thursday and held talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Friday on the margins of a Brics foreign ministers meeting that concluded without consensus on a joint statement because of differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the West Asia conflict.The Indian side has called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the conflict, which has impacted supplies of energy and fertilisers because of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while staying away from any direct role in mediating between the parties to the conflict. New Delhi has also had to strike a delicate balance between key West Asian states such as UAE, with which it has vital energy partnerships, and its long-standing ties with Iran.“I think India, with its good reputation, can play a greater role in this region, to help diplomacy, to help peace and to promote peace and security,” Araghchi told a news conference at the Iranian embassy.“India is a friend to almost all the countries in the Persian Gulf, in the north of this gulf and in the southern part of that. So we appreciate any positive, constructive role played by India in this region,” he said while responding to a question on the role that India can play in helping to end the conflict that began on February 28 with the military strikes on Iran by Israel and the US.Araghchi contended that a Brics member state with “special relations with Israel” — an obvious reference to the UAE — had stalled consensus within the bloc, but said it was for India to decide on its relations with other countries, including the Emirates. “What matters for us is the good relations which exist between us and India and it is rooted in history…We have always had and we are determined to continue our good relations with India,” he said.He acknowledged that the Strait of Hormuz had figured in his discussions with Jaishankar and said the situation in the crucial waterway — used to transport almost 50% of India’s oil imports — is “very complicated” and Iran is trying to help merchant shipping to safely cross the strait. “Everything would go back to normal once the act of aggression is totally and completely ended,” he said, adding that only the vessels of countries involved in the war or those aiding Israel and the US will not be allowed to use the waterway.Araghchi also made it clear that only Iran and Oman will decide on the administration of the Strait of Hormuz under any future arrangements on the waterway. “Iran and Oman are two coastal countries on two sides of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is located in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, there are no international waters in between. Everything should be managed by Iran and Oman,” he said.He suggested that the situation in the waterway will not return to normal till the US ends its “aggression” and lifts a naval blockade of Iranian ports. “We have the blockade by the US, we have insecurity in the region because of the US aggression…Once the aggression is ended, then I’m sure everything would go back to normal and we can make arrangements for the safe passage of all vessels through the Strait of Hormuz together with Oman,” he said.Responding to a question about a possible arrangement between Iran and India on ensuring the movement of energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi noted that India had stopped buying Iranian crude because of “the US illegal and unilateral sanctions” and said Tehran remains ready to resume energy supplies to New Delhi. “We are obviously interested to continue our business in oil and energy and we are ready to sell our oil to India. We do understand their considerations and we do understand the consequences of the sanctions imposed by the US,” he said.“We have no problem, it is up to the Indian government to decide but I believe that once the sanctions are lifted, we will immediately go back to the same volume of trade we had with each other. Before those sanctions, we used to have more than $20 billion of trade with India. Now it is much smaller but still in billions of dollars,” he said.With the US ending a waiver on sanctions that allowed India’s participation in the development of the strategic Chabahar port, Araghchi said he hoped New Delhi will continue its work on the facility, which he described as a “golden gate” for trade with Central Asian states and the Caucasus region. The Indian side has virtually wound up operations by a state-run company at the Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar port to reduce exposure to the US sanctions.“Chabahar port is one of the symbols of cooperation between Iran and India and we are so glad that Indians played an important role in the development of that port. It is now somehow slowed down because of the US sanctions, but I am confident that this port would be like a golden gate for India to access Central Asia, the Caucasus and then Europe,” he said.“It is a very strategic port, important for both us and India and many other countries. So, I hope that the Indians would continue their work in Chabahar port so that it would be fully developed [to serve the] interests of India and other countries,” he said.Amid the stalemate in negotiations between the US and Iran, which have exchanged several proposals on ending the conflict in recent days without reaching common ground, Araghchi said Iran is ready for both a diplomatic solution or the resumption of hostilities. After almost 40 days of fighting, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire early last month.“As a diplomat, I’m optimistic that a diplomatic solution can prevail, but we shouldn’t ignore the possibility of going back to a full-scale war. We, as the Islamic Republic of Iran, are prepared for both scenarios. We are prepared to go back to fighting…and we are also ready for diplomacy and a diplomatic solution,” he said.