TEHRAN - General Amir Hatami, the Iranian defense minister, is going to visit India to participate in a ministerial meeting of the Indian Ocean Region states and negotiate on promotion of defense and security cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi.

Rajnath Singh, the Indian defense minister, has invited General Hatami to attend the forthcoming meeting of the defense ministers of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), according to Tasnim. 

Brigadier General Hatami will hold meetings on the sidelines of the event with senior Indian political and military officials on expanding political, security and defense ties.

In addition to delivering a speech to the ministerial meeting of the Indian Ocean Region, Hatami will take part in the opening of the biennial Aero India air show that is planned to be held in Bangalore on February 3-5.
According to Indian media reports, Rajnath Singh will host all defense ministers of the Indian Ocean Region on February 4, 2021. 

There are a few forums such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in the Indian Ocean context for policy conversations and security dialogues.

“India sees IOR countries as a priority area, as they face a lot of the same security challenges as India,” according to Indian media. 

Delhi has considered the Indian Ocean as a critical region for India's strategic interests. Iran also believes the region plays a key role in its national security. Therefore, both sides assume the meeting as a starting point for military and security cooperation. 

Hossein Dehghan, former Iran’s defense minister, has highlighted the cooperation between Iran and India in political, military and security fields and noted it has “a significant effect on enhancement of sustainable peace and stability” in the region. 

EE/PA