Mehr News Agency – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said that sanctions and terrorism are two US strategies against independent countries, adding that regional countries can counter US unilateral sanctions by collective cooperation to make progress with their indigenous capabilities. He made the remarks at the meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday in Tehran. The two sides discussed the most important bilateral, regional and international issues.
Referring to the historical and cultural commonalities as well as the long history of relations between the two countries, Shamkhani said that Tehran and New Delhi can play an important role in the containment and management of regional crises by strengthening relations at all levels while meeting the interests of both countries.
Stating that today, terrorism and extremism are the most common threats to all countries in the region, he noted that continued cooperation and development of regional mechanisms to counter common threats will prevent foreign intervention under the pretext of countering the threat of terrorism. Sanctions and terrorism are two US strategies against independent countries, Shamkhani said, adding that regional countries can counter US unilateral sanctions by collective cooperation to make progress with their indigenous capabilities.
Regional countries and neighboring countries to Afghanistan share the same views on the need to assist the Afghan government in countering terrorism and pursuing peace negotiations with various groups, he said referring to the second session of Regional Security Dialogue which was held last week. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, for his part, expressed his pleasure at the visit to Iran, saying that the high-level officials of the two countries are interested in increasing the level of cooperation.
Cooperation between Iran and India in the development of Chabahar Port and the creation of new infrastructures in the fields of energy, trade, the transit of goods, and etc. will have a significant impact on the region’s economic prosperity as one of the most important needs for stability and security, he added. Iran, India, and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement on the development of Chabahar Port in Tehran in May 2016 to establish a strategic transit and transport route connecting the three countries.
