India and Iran are discussing the construction of the Chabahar Port.

As both parties held delegation-level talks, India and Iran addressed the development of the Chabahar Port and shared views on regional and international concerns, including Afghanistan.
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated on Twitter, “Today, India and Iran had Foreign Office Consultations chaired by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Iran’s Deputy FM Ali Bagheri Kani. Both parties talked on bilateral relations, as well as the development of Chabahar Port. Regional and international topics of mutual importance were also discussed.”
According to the MEA statement, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra headed the Indian team, while Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani led the Iranian delegation.
Both parties covered the whole range of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, and consular involvement, during the delegation-level meetings. The two parties reaffirmed their commitment to continuing collaboration for the development of the Chabahar Port’s Shahid Beheshti terminal.
Both countries discussed regional and global problems, particularly Afghanistan. According to the statement, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister addressed the Foreign Secretary on topics pertaining to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
On Wednesday, Ali Bagheri, Iran’s Foreign Minister, met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss bilateral cooperation and the JCPOA.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, is also known as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
India-Iran ties have been distinguished by important connections for millennia. The number of ministerial visits has risen since the diplomatic connection was formed in 1950 with the friendship treaty.
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister H Amirabdollahian met with Jaishankar.
The two nations have multiple bilateral consultation structures in place at various levels that meet on a regular basis. These include the Ministerial-level Joint Committee Meeting (JCM), the Foreign Secretary-level Foreign Office Consultations, and the Joint Consular Committee Meeting at the Joint Secretary/DG level.
India’s trade connections with Iran have traditionally been dominated by Indian imports of Iranian crude oil. India bought USD 12.11 billion in crude oil from Iran in 2018-19. However, once the Significant Reduction Exemption (SRE) term expired on May 2, 2019, India ceased importing petroleum from Iran. The bilateral trade in 2019-20 was USD 4.77 billion, a 71.99% reduction from the trade of USD 17.03 billion in 2018-19.
What is notable is that Indian exports to Iran increased by 45.60 percent between 2011-12 and 2019-20. Rice, tea, sugar, soya, medicines/pharmaceuticals, man-made staple fibres, electrical machinery, and other products are among India’s key exports to Iran.
Iran’s major imports include inorganic/organic chemicals, fertilisers, cement clinkers, fruits and nuts, leather, and so on. Both nations are negotiating a Preferential Trade Agreement, with five rounds of discussions already completed.
India is building the first phase of the Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar. At the completion of the first phase, the port’s capacity will be 8.5 MT. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tehran in May 2016, a contract for the Shahid Beheshti port of Chabahar was signed, which includes an investment of USD 85 million for port equipment.