Sushma Swaraj to visit Iran

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Saudi Arabia visit, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is set to travel to Iran. She will be in Teheran on April 16 for a joint commission meeting. The visit is important against the background of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran for leadership of the Islamic world. Western sanctions on Iran are likely to be lifted fully and India, with historical ties with Iran, is well positioned in Asia to leverage the economic opportunities from this. Modi has visited Riyadh but not paid an official visit to Iran.