4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 14, 2026 05:08 AM IST
For the first time since Pakistan emerged as a mediator between the US and Iran amid the war in West Asia, Tehran has conveyed to New Delhi that if India comes up with a “diplomatic initiative”, the Iranian government will “welcome and work on it”. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday that he has conveyed the same to MEA Secretary (West) Siby George at their bilateral meeting.
Giving a context to Pakistan’s role, he said that Egypt, Qatar, Oman, and now Pakistan have been mediators, and that they are open to India as well. Gharibabadi, who is a member of the Iranian negotiating team and was part of the Islamabad talks, said, “We always welcome any diplomatic initiative. Egypt had diplomatic initiative, when we did not have even full political or diplomatic relations with Egypt, but we welcomed the initiative of Egypt. So, the nature of the initiatives are important. We went to Cairo. We had the Cairo declaration solving a problem between Iran and the agency (IAEA) regarding verification activities. We had Qatar, Oman, and now we have Pakistan. What is the role of a mediator? Mediator is only facilitating, not engaging substantively, because you are not a part of differences or dispute or even negotiations… negotiations are taking place only between two sides.”
“This morning, I said to my counterpart in the (Indian) foreign ministry here… I requested India to come up with an initiative. India is a big, important country. If India comes up with an initiative, we will work on that. So this is the nature of accepting different initiatives.” When asked about India’s response, he said, “India has always supported peace in the region. That’s very important… So, if there is any initiative, we absolutely would welcome such an initiative… whatever role India plays, would be important.”
In March, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India can’t act as a “dalal nation” (broker) in global geopolitics, specifically regarding West Asia mediation. This remark, made at an all-party meeting, differentiated India’s foreign policy from Pakistan’s role as a mediator between the US and Iran. Gharibabadi, who is accompanying Iranian Foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi for the two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting starting Thursday, appreciated India for the “balanced view”, and said, “India, as the chair, is showing impartiality, and that’s important.” He said Iran is in favour of a final declaration. “We want to have a successful meeting. It’s not good to signal this message to the world that BRICS has been divided… we’re in favour of having a declaration. But…, there is one neighboring country of Iran that is insisting to condemn Iran into final declaration. Iran has been aggressed. We have been attacked by the US and Israel, and now one neighbouring country of Iran is insisting to condemn Iran.”
The Iranian minister is referring to the fact that the 11-member BRICS grouping, which the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran are part of, has not been able to agree on a common language on the conflict. Iranians claim that UAE is insisting on condemning Iran. With consensus eluding the grouping, New Delhi had issued a Chair’s summary on April 24 stating that “members expressed deep concern on the recent conflict in the Middle East (West Asia) and offered views and assessments on the matter”.
In early March, The Indian Express reported that Tehran had reached out to New Delhi to take the lead in issuing a statement on behalf of the BRICS, currently chaired by India, condemning the US and Israeli strikes against Iran in the previous two weeks. This put Delhi in a diplomatic pickle given that it had not taken sides in the ongoing conflict. About the closure of Strait of Hormuz, Gharibabadi said, “We are working now on protocol and arrangements to see what services Iran and Oman are providing in the Strait of Hormuz… We are evaluating… It hasn’t been finalised… Yes, we have a temporary arrangement now…” However, he said India is a “friendly nation” and 11 vessels have been allowed to transit.
