Srinagar, May 15 -- New Delhi - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that Tehran places "great importance" on relations with India and hopes the Strait of Hormuz will soon return to normal operations, while warning that negotiations with the United States have reached an effective stalemate over uranium enrichment and accusing Washington of creating obstacles to diplomacy through contradictory messaging.

Araqchi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, in New Delhi, where the two sides discussed the crisis in West Asia, energy security and maritime stability.

The meeting marked the first comprehensive high-level engagement between India and Iran since war broke out fo...