India opens up to Iran

by Gareth Smith September 3, 2010

written by Gareth Smith September 3, 2010

As President Barack Obama struggles for direction in Afghanistan, the prospect of reconciliation between the United States-backed government of Hamid Karzai and Taliban members has concentrated minds not just in Pakistan, which backs the idea, but also in Tehran and New Delhi. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, visiting New Delhi in early August said the two countries’ views on Afghanistan were “close.” India is skeptical over Tehran’s desire to phase out US-led Western troops, but both countries want a stable, strong government in Kabul that can contain the Taliban. Iran and India have been wary of Sunni militants in Afghanistan since the US and its Saudi and Pakistani allies fostered a “holy war” against Soviet secularism in the 1980s. But Iranian ministerial visits to India in July and August focused not just on cooperation over Afghanistan, but on also improving economic links. Iran and India have complimentary energy interests: India, which

Gareth Smith

Gareth Smith was a distinguished journalist who reported from the Middle East for over two decades. He served as the Financial Times correspondent in Tehran, where he was the chief Iran correspondent from 2003, following his earlier role as Lebanon correspondent. Throughout his career, Smith covered Middle Eastern affairs for leading media outlets, including The Financial Times, The Guardian, and the BBC. He also contributed as an editor to Executive magazine. His work as a freelance journalist in the 1990s, focusing on the politics of Iran and Iraq, paved the way for his appointment at the FT. In 2009, he relocated to the west coast of Ireland, where he balanced freelance journalism with his passion for nature and the land.

India opens up to Iran

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