S Jaishankar may attend Iran Prez’s swearing-in

External affairs minister S Jaishankar is expected to represent India at the inauguration of Iran’s president-elect Ebrahim Raisi on August 5, reflecting the convergence between the two countries on key issues such as the situation in Afghanistan.

Iran had extended an invitation to India to attend the swearing-in when Jaishankar met Raisi during in Tehran on July 7 while travelling to Moscow, and there were earlier indications that the country would be represented at the ceremony by some other minister, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

However, India is now expected to be represented by the external affairs minister at the ceremony to signal the importance attached by New Delhi to its ties with Tehran, the people cited above said. A visit by Jaishankar will also be an opportunity for the two sides to exchange notes on regional developments, especially the security situation in Afghanistan, the people said.