Tehran: In a rare meeting with a non-Muslim dignitary, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday held discussions in Tehran with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a variety of subjects, including bilateral matters and the tense situation in the region.
Prior to the meeting with 73-year-old Khamenei, who holds near-absolute power, Singh held talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who later accompanied him to the meeting with the supreme leader.
While no official word was immediately available about the specific subjects for the two meetings, Indian officials had indicated that highly-tilted trade relations in favour of Iran, supply of oil and gas and other key strategic bilateral and international issues, including Syria, were expected to dominate the talks.
Though there are no "irritants" in bilateral ties, India is seeking more access for its goods, including wheat and tea.
Singh's back-to-back meetings with Iranian leaders assume significance in view of the US pushing India and other countries to curtail their engagement with Iran to press Tehran on its controversial nuclear programme.
India has already made it clear that it will continue to be one of the biggest oil buyers from the sanctions-hit country, notwithstanding US's reservation on the issue.
"We are still the biggest buyers of oil. We will continue doing so. Companies pick and choose," government sources said while noting that the companies had trouble with insurance which was being resolved.
The meetings also gave an opportunity to India and Iran, an important factor in West Asian affairs, to clarify and understand each other's views on various bilateral, regional and global issues, including worsening Syria crisis.
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