Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, with India highlighting its longstanding civilisational ties with Iran and the two countries’ shared commitment to progress and prosperity.
Pezeshkian was received at the airport by Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
In a post on X, the MEA said, “Pleased to welcome President of Iran, Dr Pezeshkian at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He was warmly received by MoS Shantanu Thakur at the airport. India and Iran share civilizational ties, marked by robust cultural and people-to-people bonds. As BRICS partners, the two countries are working to contribute to shared progress and prosperity.”
The Iranian President is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Friday.
Ahead of his departure from Tehran, Pezeshkian said BRICS could play an important role in countering unilateralism and called for new approaches to address challenges in the global economic order.
“The goal of BRICS is to confront unilateralism, and the slogan of the current summit is also within this framework, and we hope to get closer to this goal day by day,” he said.
According to Iranian news agency ISNA, Pezeshkian said economic, financial, industrial and trade issues would be discussed at the summit.
“Independence, solidarity, sustainability, resistance, and innovation are the slogans of the summit, and economic, financial, industrial, and trade issues will be discussed at this summit,” he said.
The Iranian President also highlighted the role of BRICS financial mechanisms in facilitating economic interactions among member and partner countries with reduced dependence on the US dollar.
“A special bank has been formed within the BRICS framework, and we are going to see investment from countries so that interactions between countries and members can be carried out without dependence on the dollar,” he said.
Pezeshkian had earlier met PM Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. He said his visit to India would provide an opportunity to hold discussions with leaders and officials from BRICS countries.
“Our presence at this summit is a good opportunity to meet and discuss with various officials, including those from China, Russia, Brazil, India, and other countries,” he said.
The Iranian President also emphasised the longstanding relationship between India and Iran and the scope for expanding areas of common interest.
During their meeting in Bishkek, PM Modi had reiterated India’s readiness to cooperate closely with Iran in multilateral forums, including BRICS and the SCO. The Prime Minister had also expressed India’s resolve to “expand and diversify” bilateral trade channels with Iran.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13 under its 2026 Chairship. India’s Chairship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with development, sustainability and innovation among its key priorities.
BRICS has emerged as an important platform for coordination among major emerging economies and for advancing the interests of the Global South in multilateral institutions. Its agenda covers development, finance, technology, trade and people-to-people exchanges.
The grouping currently comprises 11 countries — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE.
(ANI)
