NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary S Jaishankar is planning to visit Iran this month as part of India’s move to renew bilateral ties amid efforts at rapprochement with the Persian Gulf nation by world powers.Jaishankar is finalising his trip after road transport, highways and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari visited Tehran last month to sign a memorandum of understanding on Chabahar port expansion project. His trip will be followed by that of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj for NAM ministerial meeting.Officials said Jaishankar’s visit will focus on cementing trade ties that were hampered due to the sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran over its nuclear programme.The foreign secretary is expected to discuss connectivity projects such as that linking Chabahar port to Afghanistan border and North-South Transportation Corridor that will pass through Iran.The government is keen to bolster ties with Iran because it is India’s gateway to Afghanistan and the rest of Central Asia and Eurasia, besides being a source of hydrocarbons. Oil imports from Iran saw a sharp decline after the sanctions.While the Iranian President had sent his special envoy for this year’s Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Gadkari was the first senior Indian leader to visit Tehran under the Narendra Modi government.Officials said that India wants to be well positioned to take advantage when sanctions on Iran are lifted. Bilateral cooperation could get a further boost after both India and Iran attain membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation , they said.Experts said it is important for India to act fast also because China has already made a big move to invest in Iran, including part of Chabahar project. Although India-Iran relations remained steady over the past decade, trade ties could not make further headway due to the sanctions.India expects the strategic Chabahar port, which will give sea-land access to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan, to be operational by December 2016. India intends to lease two berths at Chabahar for 10 years, officials said.Access to Afghanistan’s Garland Highway can be made from Chabahar port using the existing Iranian road network and the Zaranj-Delaram road, constructed by India in 2009. This will give road access to four of the major cities in Afghanistan – Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. The port will also be used to ship crude oil and urea, saving transportation costs and reducing freight time from India to Central Asia and the Gulf by about a third.Experts said Iran could be part of India’s Afghanistan strategy, given renewed threats from Taliban and Pakistan-based groups to India’s interests in Afghanistan and the deal between Pakistan and Afghan intelligence agencies making the situation more complex.The US has been asking India and other countries not to “rush” into doing business with Iran as a deal with Iran on the nuclear programme is still in the works. Prime Minister Modi had, however, assured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani of India’s commitment to building the port.