Iran Helicopter Crash: Ebrahim Raisi Had Special Affinity for India

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi who was killed in a helicopter crash shared a special bond with India. The India and Iran trade increased under President Ebrahim Raisi and Iran also got a full Shanghai Cooperation Organisation under the rotating chairmanship of India.

Hyderabad/Tehran (Iran): Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash, shared a close bond with India. India was among the first countries to offer condolences, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was 'saddened and shocked' by the demise of the Iranian president.

The Union Home Ministry on Monday announced that a one-day state mourning will be observed across India on Tuesday, May 21 as a mark of respect for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash. The national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is regularly flown across India and there will be no official entertainment during the period of state mourning.

When Ebrahim Raisi, who enjoyed close ties with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took oath as Iran's president in August 2021, India was among the few nations to be invited. Union External Affairs Minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had represented India at the swearing-in ceremony in Tehran. EAM Jaishankar was the first foreign minister of any country to meet Iran's then President-elect Raisi in July 2021.

Under President Raisi, Iran pursued a 'look east' strategy of deepening ties with Asian powers, including India.

India and Iran’s trade increased under President Ebrahim Raisi:Trade and connectivity have also defined New Delhi's ties with Tehran. In 2022-23, India's bilateral trade with Iran reached $2.33 billion. While New Delhi's trade with Tehran had declined in recent years, it saw a 21.77 per cent uptick in 2022-23, after Ebrahim Raisi came to power in 2021.

In July 2023, Iran – an observer state till then – got a full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under the rotating chairmanship of India.

On August 24, 2023, during their bilateral meeting in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ebrahim Raisi also agreed upon fast-tracking infrastructure cooperation, focusing especially on the Chabahar project and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – the 7,200 km-long multimodal trade corridor linking Russia with India via the ports of Iran.

Under Ebrahim Raisi, Iran announced a 15-day visa-free policy for Indian tourists in February 2024. In May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year contract for the operation of Chabahar Port, a project which was close to Ebrahim Raisi's heart as well.

Ebrahim Raisi special connection with India

63-year-old Raisi a hardline cleric shared special ties to India. He hailed from the Iranian province of Khorasan and believed in expanding ties with the East, including India. It is a well-known fact that Raisi had a 'special affinity' for India.

Many Indian families have historic links to Khorasan. Some people from the Parsi community who arrived in India belonged to Iran’s Greater Khorasan area.