Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has left Tehran for New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit and is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Friday.
Pezeshkian’s visit comes at a particularly sensitive time for Iran and the wider region, with the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel putting additional geopolitical pressure on the BRICS grouping. Iran has been a full BRICS member since 2024.
The Iranian president is among the major leaders expected in New Delhi for the September 12–13 summit, which is being hosted by India.
Pezeshkian-Modi Meeting in Focus
The bilateral meeting between Modi and Pezeshkian is expected to attract particular attention because of the current situation in West Asia and India's longstanding engagement with Iran.
The discussions are likely to provide an opportunity for the two sides to review bilateral relations and regional developments, while also discussing areas of mutual economic and strategic interest.
Pezeshkian's visit is also significant for the BRICS summit because Iran's position on the ongoing conflict is one of the issues testing consensus within the expanded grouping.
Iran War Puts BRICS Under Pressure
The summit is taking place against the backdrop of the continuing US-led war against Iran, which has created divisions within BRICS.
Iran and the UAE, both members of the expanded grouping, currently find themselves on opposing sides of the conflict. The UAE has suspended trade and financial transactions with Iran after being targeted by Iranian missiles, adding another complication for a bloc that operates largely through consensus.
The conflict has also disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude oil prices above $100 a barrel, adding an economic dimension to the geopolitical crisis.
India Balances Regional and Strategic Interests
For New Delhi, the meeting with Pezeshkian comes as India seeks to maintain engagement with Iran while managing its wider relationships with Russia, China, the United States and other major powers.
India has longstanding economic and strategic interests in Iran, including connectivity through the Chabahar port and access to markets in Central Asia.
The Modi-Pezeshkian talks could therefore provide an opportunity to discuss both the immediate regional situation and the longer-term prospects for bilateral cooperation.
BRICS Seeks Common Ground
Pezeshkian's presence also comes as BRICS attempts to produce a joint declaration despite differences among its members.
Reuters reported that disagreements between Iran and the UAE had complicated efforts to draft common language on the Middle East crisis. However, recent discussions within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation provided some hope that countries with differing positions could still find mutually acceptable formulations.
The New Delhi summit will therefore be an important test of whether the expanded BRICS can maintain unity while its members face conflicting geopolitical pressures.
Economic Cooperation Also on Agenda
Alongside geopolitical issues, the summit is expected to focus heavily on economic cooperation.
India's BRICS presidency has promoted initiatives involving trade, startups, innovation, logistics and supply-chain resilience. Leaders are also expected to consider proposals for a BRICS Incubator Network, a startup innovation fund and a logistics supply-chain cooperation framework.
For Iran, participation in these initiatives could provide opportunities to deepen economic engagement with other emerging economies despite the broader pressure created by sanctions and the regional conflict.
Pezeshkian Among Key Leaders in Delhi
Pezeshkian joins a high-level gathering that includes Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with leaders from South Africa, Egypt and Indonesia. The UAE is expected to be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The presence of these leaders makes the New Delhi summit one of the most consequential BRICS meetings since the grouping's expansion.
For India, Pezeshkian's visit offers an opportunity to engage directly with Tehran at a time when the regional security environment and the future of BRICS cooperation are both under intense scrutiny.
