India, Pakistan pulled into Iran crisis

Sergei Lavrov said on May 15 that Russia sees India as a possible long-term mediator in diplomacy around Iran, adding a new South Asian layer to talks already involving Pakistan and the United States. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said in New Delhi that Pakistan’s mediation with Washington had “not failed yet,” even as he welcomed a wider diplomatic role for India. Pakistan, for its part, said it viewed recent calls inside India for dialogue as a “positive development,” but stopped short of claiming any breakthrough in ties with New Delhi. The remarks, delivered around a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in the Indian capital, showed how the Iran ceasefire has begun to intersect with India-Pakistan diplomacy. ### What exactly did Lavrov say about India and Pakistan? Sergei Lavrov told reporters in New Delhi on Friday that Pakistan was helping establish dialogue between the United States and Iran on urgent issues, while India could play a broader, longer-term role. Hindustan Times and other Indian outlets reported that Lavrov cited India’s diplomatic experience and international standing in making that case. (hindustantimes.com) Russian state diplomacy had already flagged Lavrov’s trip to New Delhi for the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting on May 14-15. Russia’s foreign ministry said before the trip that Lavrov would take part in the ministerial gathering chaired by India. ### How did Iran describe Pakistan’s role? Abbas Araghchi said on May 15 that Pakistan’s mediation between Iran and the United States was still alive, though difficult. (hindustantimes.com) WION and India Today both reported Araghchi as saying the process had “not failed yet,” while attributing the difficulty to U.S. behavior and mistrust between Tehran and Washington. India Today also reported that Araghchi signaled Tehran’s openness to outside diplomatic help, including from countries beyond Pakistan. (mid.ru) That leaves room for India’s role to expand, but the public comments available on Friday stopped short of announcing any formal Indian mediation channel. (wionews.com) ### Where does India stand publicly? India’s public position since the Iran-U.S. ceasefire has been to welcome the truce and call for “de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy.” Reports citing India’s external affairs ministry said New Delhi also stressed unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for energy supplies. (indiatoday.in) The BRICS meeting in New Delhi has given India a venue to host both Lavrov and Araghchi without publicly committing itself to the mediator role Lavrov described. Associated Press reported that the two-day ministerial opened in New Delhi this week as the Iran war, oil prices and divisions inside BRICS tested the bloc’s cohesion. ### Why is Pakistan talking about India dialogue at the same time? (thehindu.com) Pakistan’s foreign office said on Thursday it welcomed calls from within India for dialogue, but would wait for an official response from the Indian government before drawing conclusions. Express Tribune reported the statement as a cautious reaction rather than a policy shift. Tahir Andrabi, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, separately described such calls as a “positive development,” according to reports in Hindustan Times and Economic Times. (apnews.com) Those comments placed Pakistan in the unusual position of publicly backing dialogue with India while also being described by Lavrov and Araghchi as a channel in Iran-U.S. contacts. (tribune.com.pk) ### Does this mean India and Pakistan are coordinating on Iran? No public statement reviewed on May 15 showed India and Pakistan coordinating directly on Iran mediation. Lavrov’s formulation drew a distinction instead: Pakistan was described as handling immediate contacts, while India was cast as a possible longer-term interlocutor. (hindustantimes.com) The available public record also shows India avoiding any explicit endorsement of Pakistan’s role when it welcomed the Iran-U.S. ceasefire in April. The Hindu reported that New Delhi’s statement backed dialogue and de-escalation but did not acknowledge Pakistan’s mediation role. ### What comes next? The clearest next step is the close of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on May 15, where India, Russia and Iran are already in the room together. (hindustantimes.com) Any further movement is likely to appear first in official readouts from India’s external affairs ministry, Russia’s foreign ministry, or public comments from Abbas Araghchi and S. Jaishankar after the meeting. (apnews.com) (thehindu.com)