EAM holds bilateral talks with Iran’s Araghchi on Friday, with energy disruption and connectivity on agenda

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday for bilateral talks in the hope of resolving some of India’s energy and connectivity concerns. Although the ministers have spoken on multiple occasions since the conflict in West Asia broke out on February 28, this will be their first face-to-face meeting since then. Araghchi is expected to arrive here on Wednesday for the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, but as far as India is concerned, his bilateral ties with Jaishankar are expected to be the main focus of his visit. The Times of India reported on May 10 that the Iranian Foreign Minister may visit India to attend the BRICS meeting. Araghchi has been seeking a more active role from BRICS countries, especially India, the current chair, in resolving conflict-related issues. At the meeting, Jaishankar is expected to raise India’s concerns about energy supply disruptions, including the stranded LPG tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and discuss issues related to the Chabahar port after the expiration of US sanctions exemptions for Indian operations. MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday that India was in touch with Iran and the United States on the issue and that the conflict remained a complicating factor. Jaishankar is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday.The government also announced on Tuesday that Jaishankar will chair the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting on May 14-15. India will seek to bridge differences among member states on conflicts in West Asia amid an exchange of views on global and regional issues, although consensus on a joint statement seems unlikely at this stage. The ministers will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The extent of involvement of the United Arab Emirates, another party to the conflict, has not yet been determined. With Foreign Minister Wang Yi preoccupied with the Trump-Xi summit this week, China will be represented by Ambassador Xu Feihong.India announced that on the second day of the BRICS meeting, member states and partner countries will participate in a meeting themed “BRICS@20: Building Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainable Development.” This will be followed by a conference on “Global Governance and Multilateral System Reform.” “The BRICS Foreign Ministers held their last meeting on September 26, 2025, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80). The meeting was chaired by India in its capacity as BRICS Chair-elect 2026,” the MEA said in a statement.