Ajit Doval Iran Talks: NSA Reviews West Asia with Tehran on BRICS Sidelines

Ajit Doval Iran talks took place in New Delhi on 22 June, when National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, KC, met Ghadir Nezamipour, Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS NSAs Meeting.

The two reviewed the situation in West Asia.

Ajit Doval Iran Talks on the BRICS Sidelines

Both sides also discussed cooperation under the BRICS platform and the state of India-Iran bilateral ties. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the meeting on its official channel.

Who Ghadir Nezamipour Is

Nezamipour heads the defence affairs desk at Iran's SNSC, the council that coordinates Tehran's security policy.



Where the Talks Sit

This is the 16th meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security, hosted in the capital as India chairs the bloc this year. Iran joined BRICS in the expansion that took the grouping to eleven members.

Doval has worked the format hard. He held a run of sideline bilaterals around the main sessions, having earlier met counterparts during engagements such as his talks with Nepal. The wider BRICS NSA meeting drew security chiefs from China, Russia and across the enlarged bloc. The Ajit Doval Iran talks added Tehran to that list.

India and Iran

India and Iran run a working relationship spanning connectivity, energy and regional security, with Chabahar port at its core. New Delhi has steered the partnership through years of Western sanctions pressure and has called for restraint across the region.

Day-to-day ties run through the Indian mission in Tehran, while South Block sets the policy.

The BRICS Security Track

Counter-terrorism and information security run as standing themes through the bloc's working groups, set out in official briefings. India's broader defence diplomacy has moved on several fronts this month, from West Asia to its dialogue with Thailand.