Iran FM Araghchi to visit Pakistan, India this week, days after offering to mediate to reduce tensions

The Hindu

04-05-2025

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will arrive in Islamabad on Monday (May 5, 2025), ahead of a visit to Delhi later this week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced in Tehran on Sunday. The visit by Mr. Araghchi to India had been planned several weeks ago. Now, coupled with the visit to Pakistan, it takes on an added mission, after he offered to mediate between the two 'brotherly neighbours of Iran'.
Mr. Araghchi will travel back to Tehran after his talks in Islamabad on May 5, and then travel to Delhi on May 7-8, so as to avoid 'hyphenating' the two visits, sources said. Both India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to aircraft owned or operated by the other side, although the measures do not technically affect aircraft operated by a third country.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit reflects 'the deep-rooted and strong relationship between Pakistan and the brotherly nation of Iran', but did not refer to talks on the tensions with Delhi after the Pahalgam terror attack. During his visit, Mr. Araghchi will meet Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and call on Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the MoFA statement said.
Also read: Iranian President condemns Pahalgam terror attack, calls for regional unity against terrorism
On April 25, Mr. Araghchi had said in a post on X that Tehran stood 'ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time', and quoted a 13th-century Persian poem, calling for empathy in a time of 'pain'. Mr. Araghchi has spoken on the telephone to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Mr. Dar in the past week, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack and express condolences, and spoke to Mr. Sharif about India-Pakistan tensions.
Also read: More Gulf nations call for lowering tensions between India, Pakistan
The MEA has, thus far, not responded to calls for mediation or de-escalation of tensions, saying only that India appreciates the messages of solidarity and condemnation of the terror attack that it has received. India has always rejected calls for third-party mediation on bilateral issues, although India-Pakistan back-channel talks have been facilitated by a number of countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On the agenda
During his visit on Thursday (May 8, 2025), Mr. Araghchi will hold talks with Mr. Jaishankar, and both Ministers will chair the 'Joint Commission Meeting' (JCM) that focuses on economic cooperation. India and Iran have several pending issues, particularly on trade payments and banking arrangements to circumvent U.S. sanctions, as well as the development of Chabahar port according to the 10-year agreement signed by them in May 2024.
U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order in February to review Iranian entities, including Chabahar port, for violating America's 'maximum pressure' campaign to enforce the U.S. sanctions is also likely to come up for discussions.
The visits to the region by Mr. Araghchi come even as Iran and the U.S. have postponed their next round of talks over nuclear issues, and tensions are rising over the U.S.'s bombardment of Yemen and attacks by the Houthi militia, which the U.S. accuses Iran of funding and arming.