Foreign minister leaves for Tehran

New Delhi: In an attempt to juggle India's growing US relations with its centuries-old ties with Iran, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee goes to Tehran next week - his first visit abroad after the government won the trust vote yesterday. Mukherjee will be there on a day-long visit July 29, which will be packed with meetings with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Petroleum Minister Gholamhossein Nozari, a senior official said. He is also likely to meet Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief secretary of its Supreme National Security Council and its chief nuclear negotiator. Political push Mukherjee's visit, which will be keenly watched in Washington, will give a political push to the tri-nation pipeline that seeks to bring Iranian gas to India via Pakistan, which is said to be in its... [read full story]