By Aarti Tikoo Singh

New Delhi/Tehran, Jan 5 (IANS): An Iranian minister on Sunday said that Iran's ongoing tensions with the US following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Major General Qassem Soleimani and other officials in an American airstrike, will not affect Iran-India relationship.

Dr Mohsin Jawadi, Deputy Minister for Culture and Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran, told IANS at the sidelines of a conference on 'book export markets' in New Delhi that India-Iran relations are independent of the ongoing crisis Iran is facing back home.

"We condemn the attack. Iran has been facing threats for a long time. We have no personal enmity with anyone, but if someone attacks us, we know how to retaliate," he said without mentioning the US and going into specifics of the situation in Tehran.

India-Iran relationship, he said, has risen above all these issues. "Our relationship is very deep and mature. Don't think there will be any impact on our relationship because of this attack," he said.

Speaking at the conference 'CEO Speak 2020' organized by FICCI jointly with New Delhi World Book Fair, Jawadi emphasized the need for India and Iran to strengthen ties through books and culture.