Afghan chaos further incentive for India’s efforts to strengthen ties with Iran
The recent rise of the Taliban in Kabul has expedited New Delhi's efforts to boost ties with Iran, which is positioned to be India's main corridor to Afghanistan, yet major challenges remain.
The Indian government, which has been reaching out to the new administration in Iran to establish closer ties that New Delhi sees as important to its regional aims, has seen its efforts become all the more pressing in light of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's subsequent takeover.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has visited Tehran twice this summer, the second time as one of the high-profile guests at the Aug. 5 inauguration of Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi. Just weeks before, Jaishankar had presented the Iranian leader with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handwritten note of congratulations on Raisi's June 18 election victory.
