External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to embark to Tehran to attend the swearing-in of the newly elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on August 5, people familiar with the development said on Monday.
Raisi, a hardliner and known to be close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, won the presidential election in June by a landslide. India has already accepted an invitation by Iran for the event, which is likely to be attended by leaders and representatives of a number of countries. Last month, the external affairs minister called on President-elect Raisi during a stopover at the Iranian capital on his way to Russia.
Earlier, Jaishankar had met the President-elect on July 8 when he handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating him on the election victory. “Appreciate warm sentiments for India. Deeply value his strong commitment to strengthen our bilateral ties and expand cooperation on regional and global issues,” Mr. Jaishankar had said after calling on Mr. Raisi. The meeting with Mr. Jaishankar was the first interaction between Mr. Raisi and a foreign dignitary since he won the election on June 19.
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