TEHRAN - India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Iran on Monday, as the two countries aim to strengthen ties and expand cooperation in different fields. 

The top Indian diplomat was received by his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and later got to sit down with Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi. 

While different economic, political, and diplomatic issues were discussed, analysts widely believe that a significant portion of the discussions between the Indian foreign minister and Iranian officials centered on the matter of the Red Sea. According to reports, Jaishankar is said to have delivered a message from the U.S. to Iran, urging Tehran to utilize its influence to aid in halting Yemeni attacks on Israeli vessels.

In recent weeks, Yemeni armed forces have initiated strikes against ships either owned by or intended for Israel within the country's territorial waters. The popular Ansarullah movement in Yemen has clarified that these actions are a display of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, who are being slaughtered and denied food, water, and medication in the face of relentless Israeli bombardments on the coastal enclave.

Yemen has declared that these attacks will cease once Israel permits humanitarian aid into the enclave, housing over 2 million people, and halts its devastatingly destructive and deadly assaults on the Palestinian population. Reports indicate that only vessels linked to Israel have been targeted, while other ships, including those from India, have been able to transit the Red Sea without disruption.

Last week, instead of urging the regime to cease its ongoing violations of human rights, the U.S. and Britain chose to conduct airstrikes on Yemeni territory, in support of Israel. Furthermore, both Washington and London have accused Iran of masterminding the Yemeni attacks on ships destined for Israel. Iran has vehemently refuted these allegations, emphasizing that while Sana’a maintains an alliance with Iran, it preserves its independence in formulating opinions, making decisions, and taking action.

Throughout discussions with Jaishankar, Iranian officials appear to have reiterated their position on the events in the Red Sea.

During a meeting with Foreign Minister Jaishankar, President Raisi of Iran underscored the root cause of the current volatile situation in West Asia. "The cessation of the attacks on Gaza, the punishment of the Zionist regime, and the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people are the only solutions for the return of stability and security to the region. India's role in ending the bombardments, lifting the siege on this region, and upholding the rights of the Palestinian people is crucial,” Raisi stated. 

During a joint press conference in Tehran, the Iranian foreign minister called out the U.S. for its hypocrisy, saying Washington “cannot participate alongside Israel in killing the people of Gaza and start a new war and tension in the Red Sea, and at the same time ask the parties and countries in the region to exercise restraint and prevent the spread of the war”.

"During a trip two weeks ago, one of the high-ranking officials from Sana'a assured us that they would not disturb the maritime security. But as long as the war and genocide in Gaza continue, they will act to block the way of the Israeli regime's ships, as well as the ships that go to the Israeli ports," the top Iranian diplomat stated. 

He also advised U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken not to tie the security and national interests of his country to the fate of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he said, is falling.