Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari will visit Iran on August 4 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani.
Ansari will attend the ceremony along with representatives from several other countries including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari. The swearing-in ceremony will be held after Rouhani is officially endorsed by the Supreme Leader of Iran – Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei. Rouhani is also expected to announce his Cabinet during the ceremony.
Hassan Rouhani won the June 14 presidential election in Iran by securing 50.7% of the votes.
India and Iran share close bilateral, historical, and trade ties. However, bilateral relations soured after India voted against Iran’s nuclear programme in 2005. In 2012-2013, bilateral trade between the two sides stood $14.9 billion. India is also keen on upgrading Iran’s Chabahar Port, a bid for which it now has to compete with China. Recently, Iran, following India’s refusal to provide a sovereign guarantee to refineries processing Iranian crude, offered to back Iranian insurance firms that cover the country’s ships and tankers calling at Indian ports, and has extended the insurance to Indian refineries.