Though there are no "irritants" in particularbetween India and Iran, Singh will be raising the issue of trade imbalance infavour of Tehran and seeking more access for Indian goods, including wheat andtea.
The back-to-back meetings with Iranian leaders assumesignificance in view of the US pushing India and other countries to curtailtheir engagement with Iran to press Tehran on its controversial nuclearprogramme.
Oil supply, one of the major components of bilateral ties,will also be discussed in the backdrop of the sanctions imposed by the US.India has already made it clear that it will continue to be one of the biggestoil buyers from the sanctions-hit country, notwithstanding US' reservation onthe issue.
"We are still the biggest buyers of oil. We willcontinue doing so. Companies pick and choose," government sources saidwhile noting that the companies had trouble with insurance which was beingresolved.
The USD six billion gas reserves project in Farzad-B blockis also expected to figure in the talks with the negotiations between OVL andthe Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) on for sometime now, with the USsanctions threatening to impact adversely on OVL commercial interests.
OVL is vulnerable to US sanctions mostly on two counts -- ithas licences from many US companies and the imposition of banking sanctions cancome in the way of raising money.
The meeting will also give an opportunity to India and Iran,an important factor in West Asian affairs, to clarify and understand eachother's views on various bilateral, regional and global issues, includingworsening Syria crisis.
Singh's meeting with the Iran's Supreme leader also assumesignificance, given the fact that Ahmadinejad is on his way out next year.
Ahead of the meeting between India and Iran, New Delhi hasmade it very clear that discussion on peace and security will be of theparamount concern which will be raised with Tehran.
"Peace and security is, indeed, our primary concerngiven just how important the entire West Asia region, Gulf region, inparticular, is for India's security and for Indian economy, both in terms ofoil imports and our exports. So, this is our own concern and we don't have totake anybody else's concern as priority," Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathaihad said in New Delhi.
