- Defence minister Rajnath Singh reached Iran to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries after concluding his three-day Russia visit during which he urged the Persian Gulf countries to resolve their differences.
- The defence minister’s visit to Tehran comes a day after he expressed concern over the situation in the Persian Gulf and called upon countries in the region to resolve differences through dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereignty.
- His remarks came in the backdrop of a series of incidents in the Persian Gulf involving Iran, the US and the UAE in recent weeks which have flared up tension in the region.
- Iranian navy had last month briefly seized control of a Liberian-flagged oil tanker in what the
- US said were international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.
- Iran has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States tries to strangle its economy.
- Iran has observer status in the SCO, which was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
- India and Pakistan were admitted as observers of the grouping in 2005 and in 2017, both the countries were admitted as full members of the bloc.
