India, Iran to combat Afghan extremism

NEW DELHI — India and Iran said Saturday that they would step up cooperation in combating extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan in an effort to restore peace and stability to the war-torn country.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, said the two countries would also make efforts to improve regional connectivity to landlocked Afghanistan by developing Iran’s port, road and rail routes.

The United States, which leads a coalition battling insurgents in Afghanistan, has long worked to isolate Iran.