Will Iran's visa-free regime for Indian travellers deter chances of getting a US visa?

The recent exchange of strikes in the Red Sea between the Houthis of Yemen (backed by the Iranian establishment) — in support of Palestinians and against Israel — and the US have led to the possibility of increased hostility between Washington DC and Tehran.

More than 1.4 million Indians visited the US in 2023. On the other hand, 31,000 people from India went to Iran in the first six months of 2023, according to data the Iranian Tourism  Ministry shared with the Tehran Times in December 2023.

India imports crude oil from Iran and exports rice, tea, fertilisers, chemicals, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, polyester yarn and woven fabrics, and rubber products, among many other things.

However, India's bilateral trade with Iran has decreased sharply in the years since the pandemic. India's exports to Iran stood $567 million in April-October 2023, down 47%, according to a Hindu BusinessLine report citing sources.

Iran has an interest in increasing trade with India. India also became the biggest source of foreign tourists from Asia in 2022, according to a tourism consultancy firm IPK International. That would explain the easing of the visa process by the government in Tehran.

People from the Parsee community visit Iran for religious tourism and the US acknowledges it.

CNBC-TV18 spoke to a few leading travel companies that specialise in itineraries to Iran.

"There is no such issue. Given that many Parsees from India visit Iran for religious tourism, getting a visa to travel to the US does not get difficult. As long as all the documents required for a US visa are in place, a trip to Iran does not mean that a US visa could be denied. Although the final decision to issue a US visa is with the US Consulate, we have not faced any vis denials for US," a Mumbai-based tour operator property.

"There is no issue for Indian passport holders getting a visa for any country as long as all their documents are in place," said another tour operator.

However, he added that people who have Israeli passports face issues getting entry into many countries. For example, he said, "Malaysia banned entry for Israeli passport holders soon after the war between Israel and Palestine began."

Another journalist who has travelled to  Iran said, "Being a Parsee I travelled to visit my roots in Iran. I recently applied for a US visa and I have received it for me and my mother. Both of us have travelled to Iran in the past."

Now according to the Iranian embassy, individuals holding ordinary Indian passports will be allowed to enter the country without a visa once every six months, with a maximum stay of 15 days, which cannot be extended. "The visa abolition only applies to individuals entering the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran for tourism purposes," a press note issued by the country read.

It said Indians wanting to stay for a longer period, or make multiple entries within a six-month period, or requiring other types of visas must obtain necessary visas from Iranian missions in India.