India's relationship with Iran is older than the Harappan civilization, it is also mentioned in Rigveda-Avesta.

At the time of India's independence, the impact of partition also affected the relationship between India and Iran. However, gradually the relations between the two countries started warming. This country, which supported Pakistan in its opposition to India, gradually became a special friend of India.

Relations between Iran and India are centuries old.

A battle fought in Karnal in 1739 poisoned the heart of India towards Iran. This attack was carried out by Iran's ruler Nadir Shah. In Mughal history, Nadir Shah has been described as a robber. Although he was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran. The Mughals were defeated in this war and Nadir Shah took away the most beautiful masterpiece of the Mughal period, Takht-e-Taus, from India. This was the same throne on which the Kohinoor diamond was set. It was built by Shahjahan and was kept in the Delhi Fort. This attack by the Iranian ruler shook the whole of India. The sourness caused by this attack between the two countries affected the relationship which was linked to the Harappan civilization. From the time when Iran was called Persia it used to be the stronghold of the Persians.

Amidst the increasing tension between Iran and Israel, there is a debate going on as to whose side India will support if there is a war between the two countries. India has close relations with both the countries. India's relations with Iran especially date back to the Harappan and Mesopotamian civilizations. According to the website of the Indian Embassy in Iran, between 2000 and 3000 BC, people living in modern Iraq and Iran, and North-West India came from the same region. This is also confirmed by the similarity in contemporary seals and designs found in the excavations of both areas. Both countries are also mentioned in India's holy book Rigveda and the Persians' holy book Avesta.

Trade relations with the Harappan civilization

There were trade relations between India and Iran during the Indus Valley Civilization. At that time, trade between India and Iran took place through the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Evidence of this has been found in the excavation of Indus seals in Kish, Susa, and Ur in Iran. According to historians, at that time India used to buy gold, silver, lead, and zinc from Iran, while Iran used to import ivory from India.

The people of Indo-Aryan civilization belonged to the same family

It is believed that Indians and Iranians belonged to the same family before the beginning of the Indo-Aryan civilization. This is also mentioned on the website of the Indian Embassy in Tehran. It tells how they lived together for many centuries in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Their language of conversation, common activities, and rules were all the same. It is also mentioned in the Indian religious text Rigveda and the Persian holy book Avesta. It is also told that the Aryans called their motherland Airyanavejo. The Vedic account describes how the Aryans left their land and spread throughout Asia.

Iran formed from Sanskrit Arya

India is mentioned in the Persian text Avesta, North India is also described in it, while Persia is mentioned in the Rigveda. At that time Persians were called Parsi, hence Parsi came to be known as Parsi. According to the Indian Embassy in Iran, Indo was a European language at that time. One was Indic and the other Iranian, later Indic developed into Sanskrit and Iranian Persian language. It is also believed that the name of India came from Iran, that is, first Greek, then Latin, and then English. It is believed that India is a Greek word, which is written as India and pronounced as Hindia. If we understand it in simple language, it comes from Hindos, the Persian pronunciation of Sindhu in Sanskrit. Hence the name Iran is related to Sanskrit Arya. Which is still being said.

…when the Parsis fled from Persia

Iran was attacked by Arabs around 640 AD. After this, the foundation of Shiism was laid in Iran. However, it took a few years for him to become politically strong. The bad days began after the first Islamic revolution in Iran. This was the period when Islamic laws were being strictly implemented in Iran. It was during this period that the migration of the Parsi community from Iran began and gradually it became a stronghold of Shia Muslims. Especially after the fall of the Sasanian Empire, the Parsis fled to escape the Muslim invaders and took refuge in Eastern India. Even today their families are settled in India.

Modern relations between India and Iran

At the time of India's independence, the sting of partition also affected the relationship between India and Iran, and the foundation of Pakistan was laid between the two countries which were geographically close to each other. Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in the 1950s. However, by then Iran had turned towards Pakistan. Iran was the first to recognize Pakistan as a country. Iran supported Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.

Relationships back on track

Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran visited India in 1969. After this, the then PM Indira Gandhi also went to Iran in 1973. Shah came to India again in 1974. After this, India emerged as a major customer of crude oil for Iran. In 1979, the Islamic revolution took place in Iran, and Shia was declared the national religion of the country. After this Raza Pahlavi had to leave the chair. Relations between Iran and Pakistan deteriorated in 1998 when 11 Iranian diplomats were assassinated by the Taliban. After this, Iran's inclination again increased towards India. When Iran opposed the Taliban, India openly supported it.

PM Modi gave a new identity to relations

In 2016, PM Narendra Modi gave a new identity to the relations between India and Iran. While addressing this program, PM Narendra Modi had said that- India and Iran are two such civilizations which celebrate the union of their great culture. The rare Persian manuscript Kalila-va-Dimnah reflects the close historical ties between India and Iran. Persia is also mentioned in the Indian stories of Jataka and Panchatantra. It is an excellent example of the exchange and travel of cultural ideas between two societies.

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