Defense Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Iran on Saturday to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries after wrapping up his three-day visit to Russia during which he urged the Persian Gulf countries to resolve their differences.
Singh arrived in Tehran on Saturday night from Moscow, where he attended a meeting of defense ministers from the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He is scheduled to meet his Iranian counterpart, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, during his visit to Tehran.
“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh arrived in Tehran tonight. She will meet with the Iranian Defense Minister during her visit, ”the defense ministry said in a tweet.
The Defense Minister’s visit to Tehran comes a day after he expressed concern about the situation in the Persian Gulf and called on the countries of the region to resolve differences through dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereignty.
Singh’s comments came in the context of a series of incidents in the Persian Gulf involving Iran, the US and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks, which have increased tension in the region.
Last month, the Iranian navy briefly took control of a Liberian-flagged oil tanker in what the United States said were international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea. beyond.
Iran has threatened to cut off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States tries to strangle its economy. Iran has observer status in the SCO, which was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan were admitted as observers to the grouping in 2005 and in 2017, both countries were admitted as full members of the bloc.
(With contributions from the agency)
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