A delegation from India Foundation attended the Joint Program of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) and the India Foundation at Tehran, Iran from 1-4th December 2025, representing a continuation of India’s strategic involvement with a very crucial country of the region. The delegation was led by Dr Ram Madhav, President of India Foundation, and also included Capt Alok Bansal, Executive Vice President, India Foundation; Dr Ausaf Sayeed, former Secretary (CPV & OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs and former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Seychelles; Amb Ruchira Kamboj, Former Permanent Representative to UN, India and Member of Governing Council of India Foundation and Dr Pavan Chaurasia, Research Fellow India Foundation.
On 1st December 2025, the delegation arrived at Tehran. The session began on 2nd December 2025 with a meeting of the delegation with Dr. Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Foreign Minister and President of the IPIS who welcomed the delegates for the conference and expressed his pleasure to host the delegates from India. Dr Madhav reciprocated the sentiments and thanked the leadership of the IPIS for the warm hospitality and comfort and for taking good care of the delegation. The roundtable began with the opening remarks by Dr Khatibzadeh who introduced the IF delegation with the diplomats, experts and scholars who were invited by the IPIS for the joint roundtable. He also emphasised about the troubles and challenges that contemporary world and especially West Asia in facing in the contemporary scenario, which includes conflicts, violation of international laws and a drift from the rule based world order. He expressed hope that amidst these hostile India and Iran would be able to further strengthen their ties. Dr Madhav, in his introductory remarks pointed out that Iran and India have been connected not just historically but civilizationally too and that there is a very strong people to people connect between the people of two great countries. Setting the tone for the discussion, he highlighted as to how due to geopolitical contestations, there have been ups and downs in the bilateral relations but India considers Iran as a great player in the Indian Ocean Region and wants to work with it in order to address the issues of the region. He also laid stress of the role of Global South in the new world and pointed out that although the old world is witnessing unprecedented disorder, the new world order is nowhere to be seen. Discussion on themes like the ‘Developments in West Asia and Afghanistan: Iranian and Indian Perspectives’, Corridor Game: Iran and India in the North-South Corridor and Caucausus Developments’ and ‘Shifts In Global Order and the Role of Middle Powers’ took place where speakers from India and Iran delivered their remarks and perspectives.
On 3rd December 2025, the delegation called on Dr. Rezaei, Director General for Monitoring and Strategic Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt of Iran. Capt Alok Bansal shared his views about India’s perspective about the regional and global challenges and as to how India looks the Iran as its vital partner in the region. Dr Rezaei welcomed the delegates at the Ministry and expressed his willingness to engage more and more with think tanks like India Foundation that have been making efforts in making India-Iran ties more coherent. The delegation also held a meeting with Dr. Kammal Kharazi, Advisor to the Supreme Leader, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations (SCFR). Dr Kharazi pointed out the historical linkages between India and Iran and as to how the past can be utilised for the better of India-Iran ties in the future. Amb Ausaf Sayeed from the IF delegation laid emphasis on the economic, strategic and commercial relevance of West Asia for India and how India stresses on discussion and diplomacy in order to solve issues between countries of the region. Amb Ruchira Kamboj mentioned that decline of multilateralism, rise of ethno-nationalism have shifted the global centre of gravity towards global south and therefore Iran and India, both countries of global south need to work together and pointed out the sectors like DPI, connectivity and skill up gradation where the two sides can collaborate and learn from each-others experiences.
