Post-deal with world powers, Iran briefs India on moving ahead

Iran today briefed India in "detail" over the Interim Agreement between Iran and six super powers while outlining prospects of moving forward in the evolving situation and discussed various possibilities of furthering bilateral economic cooperation.

In a meeting with Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Rahimpour also discussed expansion and enhancement of the strategic Chabahar port project in Iran in which India has evinced a keen interest in participation.

"The visiting Deputy Minister provided a detailed briefing to the Foreign Secretary about the scenario in the region in the light of the Interim Agreement between Iran and E3 plus 3 and outlined prospects of moving forward in the evolving situation," official sources said here.

Capping days of negotiations, representatives of the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and Germany (P5+1 group of nations) reached an agreement with Iran in the early hours in Geneva yesterday to slow its controversial nuclear programme in return for about USD 7 billion in sanctions relief.

Under the deal, Iran agreed to give better access to inspectors and halt some of its work on uranium enrichment. But Iranian negotiators insisted they still had a right to nuclear power. In return, there will be no new nuclear-related sanctions on Iran for six months.

Singh and Rahimpour also "discussed various possibilities of furthering bilateral economic cooperation, particularly the Chabahar port project in which India has evinced a keen interest in participation", the sources said.

Following the meeting with Singh, Rahimpour also called on External Affairs Minister Salman khurshid.

Meanwhile, officials in Petroleum Ministry and oil companies here said India is likely to resume paying Iran in Euros after yesterday's historic accord made it easier to import crude oil from one of its biggest suppliers.