DNA TV Show: Row over fat-containing laddus in Tirupati Temple
Kolkata rape-murder case: Junior doctors to end protest, resume emergency services from...
Salman Khan's security breached, case registered against biker following actor's car
Sarfaraz Ahmed trolls Babar Azam in Champions One-Day Cup, star batter responds with century
After reducing debt, Anil Ambani's company now approves Rs 3014 crore...
Legends League Cricket 2024: Full schedule, squads, live streaming - All you need to know
India reacts to report on diversion of Indian defence exports to Ukraine, says, ‘it is…’
Tata Group-owned app to deliver iPhone 16 models in 10 minutes, service starts from…
Amitabh Bachchan apologises for this reason in viral video: 'Galat ho gaya tha...'
New COVID-19’s XEC 'contagious' variant spreads across 27 countries, here's what you need to know
Verantes Living Awarded as India’s No.1 Stainless Steel Modular Kitchen Brand
Narayana Murthy’s Infosys set to invest Rs 170000000 in this startup
Discover Stainless France, the Leading Supplier of Cobalt Chrome
India dismisses Khalistani terrorist Pannun's US lawsuit over assassination attempt, calls it…
IND vs BAN, 1st Test: R Ashwin joins Ravindra Jadeja in elite club, becomes second cricketer to....
More trouble for ex-RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh, Bengal medical body now...
Tirupati Laddu row: Lab report confirms prasada contains beef fat, fish oil
Meet IPS officer who has resigned after serving for 18 yrs due to...
ITR filing: Haven’t received your income tax refund yet? Here’s what you should do
FATF says India faces severe 'terrorist financing threats' from...
WATCH: IAS officer poses as customer at liquor shop, imposes Rs 50000 fine for....
Meet Indian man, who got hired whopping Rs 12000000 crore salary job, not from IIT, IIM he is...
Meet ‘delivery boy’ who beats Mukesh Ambani in world’s billionaire list, his net worth is…
Suriya, Bobby Deol-starrer Kanguva gets new release date, averts clash with Rajinikanth's Vettaiyan
This Bajaj Group company's shares rose by Rs 1687 in just 5 days after...
5 super expensive assets Mukesh Ambani owns: Rs 15000 crore home, Rs 600 crore jet, MI worth...
IND vs BAN, 1st Test: Shubman Gill joins Virat Kohli in unwanted list after poor outing on Day 1
“I'm gonna cut…”: Know what Andrew Flintoff said to Yuvraj Singh before his 6 sixes feat
Kareena Kapoor revives vintage glam in 25-year-old Banarasi saree makeover
Atishi’s Delhi cabinet: AAP leader to retain four minsters; new face to be included
Centre investigates 26-year-old EY employee's death amid massive outrage
NASA's James Webb unveils black hole starving its host galaxy; see pic
'They will also finish....': Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP over 'one nation, one election'
Housing society issues notice over too many deliveries asks to hire personal watchman
ICC releases venues for women's T20 world cup, check list here
J-K Assembly Election 2024: 'Abdullahs, Muftis, Gandhis have given...,' says PM Modi in Srinagar
Meet woman who left medical career for UPSC exam , became IPS with AIR 165 then left job due to...
Meet Indian billionaire with Rs 32615 crore net worth who wants you to save Rs 600 daily because...
IAS Puja Khedkar case latest update: Delhi HC issues...; Know details here
Haryana Assembly Election 2024: BJP releases election manifesto, guarantees...
Amid Ind vs Ban, why is 'boycottBangladeshCricket' trending on social media? Know here
'Usko dekh...': Rishabh Pant during war of words with Liton Das during Ind vs Ban test
This is world's costliest rice, price of 1 kg will leave you shocked, it is grown in...
Could your phone be the next bomb? The scary truth about remote explosions
Watch video: Rohit Sharma's reaction after Virat Kohli's dismissal in Ind vs Ban test match
Bihar: 15 people held for torching 21 houses in Nawada, government says more arrests likely
Atishi, along with new cabinet, to take oath as Delhi CM on..., know details here
Ed raids ex-IAS, Noida Authority CEO's house, Rs 1 crore cash, Rs 19 crore jewellery recovered
Hezbollah walkie-talkie blast kills 20 in Lebanon; Israel declares 'start of new phase in war'
NASA Alert: Giant asteroid Apophis, as big as a skyscraper, will approach Earth on...
Himesh Reshammiya's father, music director Vipin Reshammiya, passes away at 87
This is now India's biggest alcohol firm, has surpassed Johnnie Walker maker Diageo by Rs...
Big win for ISRO: Centre approves Chandrayaan-4, Venus mission and a space station; allocates Rs...
ANALYSIS
A successor to Raisi is yet to be named. Raisi was often dubbed to be more of a hardliner and perceived to be more ‘anti-west’ as compared to his predecessor Hassan Rouhani.
TRENDING NOW
Late Ebrahim Raisi, 63 -- who died in a helicopter crash, in East Azerbaijan province (Iran), on May 19, 2024 -- served as Iranian President for nearly three years (he had taken over as president in August 2021). Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (60) was also killed in the crash.
Iran’s ties with China and Russia
A successor to Raisi is yet to be named. Raisi was often dubbed to be more of a hardliner and perceived to be more ‘anti-west’ as compared to his predecessor Hassan Rouhani. There is no doubt, that due to key US sanctions imposed on Iran, after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal 2015/Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA in 2018, Tehran had begun to move closer to China and Russia (Iran and China had signed a 25-year pact – referred to as ‘strategic cooperation pact in March 2021) in recent years. Under Raisi, Tehran’s proximity with Beijing and Moscow further increased in both the strategic and economic sphere due to the geopolitical circumstances in the Middle East and outside.
Iran's support for Russia during the Russia-Ukraine war, enrichment of Uranium levels well over the levels agreed under the Iran nuclear deal 2015 and the turmoil in the Middle East - especially Iran-Israel tensions further strained ties with the west. US has also imposed several sanctions on Tehran for providing military support to Russia.
It had been argued, that Raisi took forward Iran's Look East policy initially conceived by former Iranian President Ahmadijenad. Iran, which entered BRICS+ in January 2024, had been pushing for de-dollarization and had signed an agreement with Russian for carrying out trade in local currencies in December 2023.
While tensions between Iran and US may have risen significantly and Tehran may have moved much closer to China and Russia a few things need to be borne in mind:
First, there were times when a revival of the Iran nuclear deal seemed possible. Apart from Biden's initial months in office -- when Rouhani was president -- the best opportunity seemed to be the Russia-Ukraine war. Washington wanted to keep oil prices in check and improving ties with Iran and allowing the sale of Iranian oil was one way of doing so. Days before the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, in 2022, Raisi had also referred to the possibility of Iran selling oil to Europe. Even though US-Iran strains continued, Washington DC turned a blind eye to the sale of Iranian oil to several countries including China (in the first three months of 2024, Iran’s crude oil exports to China witnessed a year on year rise of over 30% according to estimates).
Second, back channels between the US and Iran have continued despite the tensions between both countries. One of the key factors for these back-channel talks has been Washington’s attempt to ensure that the situation in the Middle East does not worsen – especially after the recent Iran-Israel tensions. This year itself, indirect talks between both countries were held in Oman. Earlier this month, US White House Middle East envoy Brett McGurk and acting special envoy on Iran Abram Paley held indirect talks with Iran in Oman – via Omani mediators. The issues discussed were Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s attack on Israel in April 2024 and the need to rein in Iranian proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah (the US state department has not denied the fact that it would keep its channels of communications with Iran open).
US State Department government spokesperson Matthew Miller also stated that Iran had sought US assistance after the helicopter crash which killed Ebrahim Raisi and other officials. Said Miller:
"I'm not going to get into the details, but we were asked by the Iranian government for assistance”.
Third, despite the bonhomie between Iran and China there were misgivings in Iran about China not having invested significantly in Iran. While China had made some ambitious commitments regarding investments in Iran -- under the 25 year strategic pact – economic ties between both countries have been restricted largely to China’s purchase of large amounts of crude oil from Iran. Tehran had conveyed this to Beijing. Realising the pitfalls of excessive dependence upon China, the Iranian President also sought to strengthen ties with several other countries – including India -- during his tenure. On May 13, 2024, India and China had signed a 10 year agreement via which India would develop the port for 10 years. The US while commenting on this agreement had warned India about potential sanctions. PM Modi had met twice with Ebrahim Raisi. PM Modi, while condoling Raisi’s death also recognised his role in improving India-Iran ties, in a post on x said:
"Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow”
In conclusion, there is no doubt that Raisi during his presidency faced some serious economic and geopolitical challenges and adopted an aggressive stance vis-à-vis the west, he was pragmatic enough to keep channels of communication with the West open and also to understand the need for diversifying Iran’s economic relations.
The author is a policy analyst and faculty member at the Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA)