Iran Offers To Help India In Securing Release Of Kerala Nurse Facing Death Row In Yemen

A senior Iranian official stated on Thursday that Tehran was prepared to intervene in the case of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala who has been 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," the official said, requesting anonymity. Iran-backed Houthi rebels control large parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.

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Following Yemen's president's decision last month to uphold Nimisha's death sentence, she has been in prison since 2017. India announced it was in contact with her family and providing all possible assistance to explore legal options.

Iran's offer of support came ahead of another round of foreign office talks with India, during which Tehran is expected to advocate for the revival of trade relations, including the resumption of oil exports to India.

In contrast to its dealings with Iran, India has continued to import crude oil from Russia despite international sanctions and has even increased its Russian oil supplies.

The official also discussed bilateral relations with India and the need to explore opportunities for expanding trade ties, despite the sanctions Iran faces.

"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," the official said.

Addressing the situation in Gaza and the broader West Asia conflict, the official remarked that Israel's military actions in Gaza had only served to "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," the official stated, also supporting stronger counter-terrorism cooperation with India in light of recent developments in Syria.