Iran minister to visit India and Pakistan; government rules out mediation

NEW DELHI: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Pakistan on Monday, ahead of his trip to India and amid tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack.
Araghchi is expected to fly back to Tehran before visiting India later this week. Iran had earlier offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to defuse tensions but his visit to India at least has nothing to do with the terrorist attack in J&K.
government sources said the visit is for India-Iran joint commission meeting that is chaired by the foreign ministers and was scheduled to take place well before the April 22 attack before it was postponed. India has never accepted any offer of mediation by any third country.
Araghchi, accompanied by a high-level delegation, will have a key session with Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar, according to reports in the Pakistan media. Their discussions will focus on bilateral ties between Pakistan and Iran as well as the current regional situation, particularly in the context of recent Pakistan-India tensions, Express Tribune said.
On Saturday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told the Iranian state-run Press TV that foreign minister Araghchi plans to visit Pakistan and India as part of Tehran's ongoing consultations with regional countries. In Pakistan, Araghchi will hold consultations with high-ranking Pakistani officials, Baghaei said.
The official also confirmed the top Iranian diplomat will pay an official visit to India later in the week. Three days after the Pahalgam attack, Araghchi had offered to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, saying Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to "forge greater understanding at this difficult time". He had also condemned the attack "strongly and unequivocally".