NEW DELHI (The Thursday Times) — Iran’s Supreme Leader’s representative in India, Ayatollah Abdul Majid Hakim Elahi, has described India and Iran as “two pages of the same book,” describing a relationship that goes far beyond ordinary diplomacy.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Elahi said the two countries share 5,000-year-old cultural, civilisational and economic ties, NDTV reported. He said culture, civilisation, education and the economy bind the two nations, and that their people share deep similarities in habits, behaviour and cultural values.
“Never felt I was in a foreign country”
Elahi said that whenever he returns to Iran and tells people he lives in India, their respect for him grows, because Iranians hold India in great affection. He said he had never felt he was in a foreign country while living in India, and that Indians and Iranians are sometimes so alike it is hard to tell them apart. He recalled that large numbers of Iranians came to India in the past and settled there.
A role in the Middle East
Elahi said India could play an important role in establishing peace, security and justice, particularly in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. He described India as one of the world’s influential countries, whose voice is heard on international platforms, and said the world needs to move forward on the path of dialogue, justice and cooperation.
The two-day summit, held on October 22 and 23 under the theme “A World Between Orders,” featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar among its speakers.
Mediation led from Islamabad
The remarks come as Pakistan plays a central role in diplomacy around the war involving Iran. Pakistan mediated talks between Iran and the United States in April, and this week Field Marshal Asim Munir met President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei in Tehran.
In May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India had raised no objections to Pakistan’s role as a mediator in the conflict, The Wire reported.∎
