NSA Ajit Doval meets top Iranian security official, reviews West Asia situation

NAtional certificate advisor Ajit Doval met a top out iranian language certificate official on the margins of the Brics NSAs’ meeting on Monday and reviewed the situation in West Asia, the first such contact between the two sides since Iran and the US finalised an understanding on de-escalation in the region.Doval met Ghadir Nezamipour, the deputy secretary for defence affairs of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and reviewed the situation in West Asia and discussed cooperation under the Brics platform and India-Iran relations, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media without giving details.Nezamipour is the first senior Iranian official to travel to New Delhi since Iran and the US signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 17 that outlines steps for de-escalation in West Asia and in Tehran, and lays the ground for further negotiations.Following talks in Switzerland between a US delegation led by vice president JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the two sides agreed to set up a high-level committee to “provide political oversight on the mediation”.The Indian side has been closely following the developments as the outcome will have a bearing on several crucial issues, including the removal of US sanctions that will allow India to resume buying Iranian oil and the future of New Delhi’s involvement in developing Chabahar port, especially after the US ended a waiver on sanctions targeting the facility in April.Iran is also expected to send both petroleum minister Mohsin Paknejad and one of its deputy energy ministers to the Brics energy ministers’ meeting being hosted by India in Gurugram during June 25-26, people familiar with the matter said. This meeting will focus on advancing cooperation in energy security, sustainability and innovation, according to a readout from the power ministry on Sunday.The Brics energy ministers’ meeting “comes at a time when countries across the world are working to balance energy security, affordability and sustainability”, and the priorities of the Brics energy agenda “resonate strongly with India’s own sustainable development pathway focussing on meeting its growing energy demand while enhancing energy security and energy access, strengthening grid resilience [and] diversifying supply sources”, the readout said.Doval also met the executive director of analysis of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service, Million Lema Tadesse, on the margins of the Brics NSAs’ meeting. Both sides explored areas of cooperation to deepen the India-Ethiopia strategic partnership.