A Case of India and Iran, Political Relationship since Gulf War to 2001

Abstract

Encouraging national interest is the basic objective of foreign policy.  From this view point, this paper tries to analyze the India‘s role in making political relations good with all over the world especially with the Middle East and more specially with Iran. Indo –Iran relations have an evidences of centuries back marked by meaningful interactions. These two Countries share a border till 1947, and they share some common features in their Language, Culture and Traditions. Both regions of South Asia and the Persian Gulf have Powerful political Commercial, Cultural, Energy and people to people links. After independence, India and Iran established diplomatic relations on March 1950. Currently India has two Consulates in Iran, Bandar Abbas and Zahedan. Shah of Iran visited India in March 1956 and also Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Iran in September 1959. Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi visited Iran in April 1974 and Prime Minister Shri Moraji Desai visited Iran in June 1977 and again Shah of Iran visited India in February 1978. India was always trying to remain close to the Arab region, and especially with the Gulf, significantly contributing India’s energy requirements, India has always favored a broad-based engagement with the West Asian countries to foster both economic and strategic interests. These two countries made some high level visits to each other’s country for the promotion, development and improvement of their political, economic, and commercial relations.

Keywords: bilateral, cultural, Economic relations, Iran, India, high level delegation visits, energy national interest.