A senior Iranian official said Thursday that Tehran was ready to take up the case of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala sentenced to death in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national. “We are ready to do whatever we can as it involves a humanitarian issue,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Iran-backed Houthi rebels remain in control of large parts of Yemen, including capital Sanaa.
After the Yemen president last month upheld the death sentence of Nimisha, in jail since 2017, India said it was in touch with her family members and was extending all possible help to them in exploring legal options.
Iran’s offer of help came ahead of another round of foreign office consultations with India in which Tehran is expected to call for revival of trade ties, including resumption of oil supplies to India. Unlike with Iran, India has not just continued to import crude from Russia despite international sanctions but also ramped up Russian supplies.
The official also spoke about bilateral ties with India and the need to explore opportunities to enhance trade ties, despite the sanctions Iran is facing. “We don’t want to impose any hardship on India but there are opportunities that can be explored. The nature of sanctions against Iran and Russia are different but it’s still a legitimate question why India has continued to import energy from Russia but not Iran. We need to see how this issue can be addressed,” said the official.
Speaking about the conflict in Gaza and the overall West Asia situation, the official said Israel’s military actions in Gaza had only worked to further “internationalise” the Palestine issue. “The core issue is the occupation of Palestine and it must be addressed. We want to see an independent Palestine state. Nobody can erase it from the global agenda,” said the official, who also backed stronger counter-terrorism cooperation with India in the context of recent developments in Syria.
Also read: ‘Last-min pardon’ the hope for kin of nurse on Yemen death row
