Iranian President Rouhani's visit to India to focus on connectivity, culture and energy trade

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday landed in Hyderabad beginning his three-day visit to India.

He was received at the Begumpet airport by Governor of Telangana ESL Narasimhan and Union Minister RK Singh. The Iranian President is expected to lead Friday prayers at the famous Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad which is a request from the Iranian side, consented by the Indian government.

Rouhani will be meeting the Shia community in Hyderabad before heading to New Delhi where he is expected to meet the Parsi community, another new element in an Iranian President’s visit.

It is known that Parsis fled persecution in Iran hundreds of years ago.

The Iranian President’s visit could see both India and Iran seal details of the final take over of operations of the strategically important Chabahar port by India.

According to the reports, India is allowing for the first time investment in rupees in Iran in an attempt to evade the banking problems caused by Western sanctions on Iran. Earlier, it was only allowed for Nepal and Bhutan.

Rouhani will meet PM Narendra Modi on Saturday. His visit comes days after PM Modi completed a four-nation tour of the Gulf and the Middle East, and weeks after Iran’s declared enemy, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited to India.

Sources stated that the key pillars of President Rouhani’s visit include connectivity, culture and energy trade.

In the coming months, Jordanian King Abdullah and Saudi King Mohammad Bin Salman are also said to visit India which will show the balancing act that Indian diplomacy has to play in this strained but important region.