Gadkari attends oath ceremony of Iran President, conveys PM Modi's good wishes

New Delhi: Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran in reflection of close ties between the two countries.

Pezeshkian was sworn-in as Iran's ninth president over three weeks after he defeated hardliner Saeed Jalili in a run-off election.

The presidential election was necessitated following the death of hardline President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Gadkari conveyed good wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Pezeshkian on assuming the office.

"During Minister Nitin Gadkari's interactions in Iran, both sides positively assessed the state of bilateral relations, including cooperation on the development of Chabahar Port," it said.

In a post on 'X', Gadkari said: "Heartfelt congratulations to H.E. @drpezeshkian on behalf of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, the Indian Government and people of India." "We look forward to continued collaboration and mutual growth, reaffirming our commitment to furthering India-Iran relations across various sectors for the prosperity and development of both countries," he said.

The MEA said both sides underscored that Chabahar Port would contribute to strengthening bilateral and regional trade.

"It would provide access to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to regional and global markets," it said in a statement.

Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India and Iran to boost connectivity and trade ties.