Indian Defense Minister in Tehran

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is in Tehran to discuss ties between the two countries after concluding his three-day Russia visit during which he urged Persian Gulf countries to resolve their differences.
Singh arrived in Tehran on Saturday evening from Moscow where he attended a meeting of the defense ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries, Hindustan Times reported. 
He held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, on Sunday, in which the two top military officials discussed mutual cooperation and regional and international issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, ISNA reported.
The Indian defense chief’s visit to Tehran came a day after he expressed concern over the situation in the Persian Gulf and called on regional countries to resolve differences through dialogue based on mutual respect and sovereignty.
Singh’s remarks followed a series of incidents in the Persian Gulf involving Iran, the US and some Persian Gulf Arab states since last year, which have flared tension in the region.
Iranian naval forces had last month briefly seized control of a Liberian-flagged oil tanker in what the US said were international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Sea of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.
Iran has threatened to impose restrictions on the maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial route for oil cargos, if the United States tries to strangle its economy. 
Iran has observer status in SCO, which was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan were admitted as SCO observers in 2005, and in 2017, both the countries were admitted as full members of the bloc.