Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the US-led coalition’s attacks on Houthi military targets in Yemen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is leaving here on Sunday on a two-day visit to Iran.

The visit is part of regular high-level exchanges between the two sides, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

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Mr Jaishankar will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and hold discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues. Political cooperation, connectivity initiatives and strong people-to-people ties will constitute important aspects of the agenda, the MEA added.

It is understood that the escalating crisis in the Middle East will come up prominently during the discussions between the two sides. The visit comes days after Mr Jaishankar spoke to the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. A day after the conversation between them, the US and UK forces attacked the Houthi rebel positions in South Yemen in retaliation for their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis are backed by Iran.

Various bilateral issues, particularly the North South Trade Corridor and the Chabahar Port project, are also expected to come up during the discussions.