Sun May 04 16:30:05 UTC 2025: ## Iranian Foreign Minister to Mediate Between India and Pakistan Amidst Heightened Tensions
**New Delhi, May 4, 2025** – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit both Pakistan and India this week in a bid to mediate between the two nations following a recent terror attack in Pahalgam, India. The visit, announced by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, follows weeks of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, which have included airspace closures, trade restrictions, and severed postal links.
Araghchi will first travel to Islamabad on May 5th, meeting with Pakistani officials including Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He will then travel to New Delhi on May 7th and 8th for talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, chairing a Joint Commission Meeting focused on economic cooperation. The separate visits to Islamabad and New Delhi are designed to avoid any appearance of favoring one nation over the other.
The Iranian minister’s offer to mediate comes after he publicly stated Tehran’s willingness to help bridge the gap between the “brotherly neighbours”. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also contacted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the Pahalgam attack and express condolences. India, however, has historically resisted third-party mediation on bilateral issues, although back-channel talks have been facilitated by other countries in the past.
While the Joint Commission Meeting will address significant economic issues, including trade payments, banking arrangements to circumvent U.S. sanctions, and the development of Chabahar port, the shadow of the Pahalgam attack and the wider regional tensions will undoubtedly loom large. The recent postponement of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks and escalating tensions in Yemen further complicate the diplomatic landscape. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has not yet publicly responded to Iran’s mediation offer, but has expressed appreciation for messages of solidarity and condemnation of the attack.
First Piper 