Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday and is set to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen trade and overall ties later in the evening.
Pezeshkian’s first visit to India as the president comes as tensions in the Middle East have spiked after the US launched Operation Economic Outcast, a maximum-pressure campaign to completely sever the remaining financial and commercial lifelines sustaining the Islamic Republic. The Iranian leader emphasised that BRICS was needed to focus on boosting its economic resilience.
He said that the BRICS bank was created for the freedom of countries from reliance on the dollar and to stand against US dominance.
During the bilateral meeting with the Iranian president, PM Modi is expected to strongly emphasise freedom of navigation and the protection of civil infrastructure during bilateral talks with Pezeshkian. “India and Iran share civilisational ties, marked by robust cultural and people-to-people bonds. The summit in New Delhi is taking place against the backdrop of a global economy facing the adverse impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East crisis, especially the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration’s trade and tariff policies.
As BRICS partners, the two countries are working to contribute to shared progress and prosperity,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media while welcoming the Iranian leader.
