The Iranian embassy has been trying to find a way to send a 40-tonne consignment of medicines from India to Iran, after the Iranian aircraft that was supposed to carry it was damaged in an air strike at Mashhad airport last week. According to The Indian Express, the Iranian embassy had bought the medicines using funds received through donations that came in from various parts of India, including Jammu & Kashmir.
A Mahan Air aircraft was supposed to arrive in India from Iran and carry the consignment of medicines to the war-torn country. However, after the aircraft was damaged in the airstrikes, the Iranian embassy is now trying to figure out a way to send the medicines to Iran. An official quoted by The Indian Express said that, earlier, two smaller batches of medicines purchased in India were sent to Tehran via the Armenian route. The official further said that the Iranian mission in India has been using the donations collected in India for purchasing medicines, which are urgently needed in Iran. He said that Iran might face a shortage of medicines as the pharmaceutical companies and facilities in the country were being attacked.
Notably, amid the war situation, Iran received massive donations from Indians, particularly Shia Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. However, as per the rules, the money and other donated items, including gold and silver jewellery, cannot directly be sent to Iran via diplomatic channels. The donated items must first be deposited in local banks and monetised. Besides, the embassies cannot receive funds directly into their primary bank accounts. For this purpose, a separate bank account must be opened with the Ministry of External Affairs’ permission.
The funds collected by a foreign mission are then subject to strict scrutiny by the Reserve Bank of India before being sent out of the country. The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations does not expressly address fundraising by foreign missions, but allows them banking rights. Therefore, Iran opened a bank account with the State Bank of India earlier in March to receive funds.
According to the official quoted by The Indian Express, Iran sought permission to use funds collected in India to purchase medicines, which was granted. The Indian government also recently delivered a consignment of medicines to Iran as a humanitarian gesture.
