Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, held talks with Pavan Kapoor, India’s Deputy National Security Adviser, amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States over stalled nuclear negotiations.
The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai shared the meeting on X, “Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met and held talks with Pavan Kapoor, Deputy National Security Adviser of the Republic of India.”
Officials noted that the two discussed matters of mutual interest, but no further details on the agenda or outcomes were immediately available.
The meeting comes at a time when US President Donald Trump reiterated his hardline stance on Iran, stating that the United States has an “armada” heading toward the country, while expressing hope it would not need to be used.
Larijani, a veteran Iranian politician and former parliamentary Speaker, was appointed to head the Supreme National Security Council in August 2025 as part of a wider security leadership reshuffle. Kapoor, a senior Indian diplomat and former ambassador to Russia, has held the Deputy National Security Adviser post since July 2024.
An “armada” is heading toward Iran as US forces will be conducting a multi-day air exercise in the Middle East. Iran says mediation efforts between Tehran and the US are ongoing, according to state-affiliated news agency Tasnim.
The death toll from anti-government protests in Iran has risen amid warnings from Trump of retaliation against the government in Tehran for the killing of demonstrators.
At least 5,858 protesters have been killed in Iran since anti-government demonstrations erupted in late December, according to updated figures released Tuesday by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
The group said the toll includes 100 minors under the age of 18. HRANA also reported that 11,017 people severely injured and said 42,324 have been arrested since the start of the unrest.
The figures are based on cases it has identified and verified, according to HRANA.
The Iranian government, however, has offered much lower official death tolls, and internet blackouts continue to limit outside verification.
Earlier this week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said at least 3,117 people have been killed during the protests, including 2,427 “civilians” and security personnel, as well as 690 individuals labeled as “terrorists.” It also listed widespread destruction across civilian and government infrastructure.
Trump took to social media to threaten Iran again on Wednesday morning, urging the country to negotiate an “equitable” nuclear deal or face another potential US military strike.
Trump’s warning to Tehran over both its domestic crackdown and its nuclear ambitions. Protests in Iran, which erupted over economic grievances and inflation, have evolved into the most significant threat to the Islamic Republic’s survival since its inception in 1979.
