India Defies US Calls to Isolate Iran, Pledges to Strengthen Long-Standing Ties
As the United States calls for Iran to be increasingly isolated, India has instead reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining and expanding its long-standing friendship with the Islamic Republic.
“We hope to develop and diversify our trade exchanges in the coming months,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a meeting with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan.
The two-day summit brings together Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Pezeshkian, and more than a dozen other world leaders, with Russia and China seeking to promote a multipolar world order and demonstrate a united front in the face of growing tensions with the West.
India’s renewed commitment to expanding relations with Tehran comes despite increasing pressure from Washington to isolate Iran economically and diplomatically.