Iran's Pezeshkian Tells BRICS Summit Unilateral Sanctions Hit Food Security
Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian told the BRICS summit that unilateral sanctions harm food security and welfare, urging trade in national currencies.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian used the closing session of the two-day BRICS leaders' summit in New Delhi on Sunday to argue that unilateral sanctions carry direct consequences for global food security and public welfare.
Addressing the gathering, he said BRICS members should widen the use of national currencies in trade and push for an inclusive global economic framework. Over-reliance on existing financial and trade systems, he argued, has left emerging economies exposed to political shocks.
His remarks came weeks after the United States imposed fresh economic sanctions on Iran, tightening pressure on Tehran's finances amid ongoing military conflict between the two countries.
Pezeshkian called for BRICS to take a larger role in shaping a more balanced, inclusive and just international order, saying the summit's theme of "Resilience, Cooperation and Sustainability" should be turned into concrete action rather than remaining a slogan.
He linked economic resilience to security, warning that strikes on Iran's economic, energy and development infrastructure could reverberate beyond its borders and produce regional and global effects. The Iranian people, he said, have borne a heavy cost, with civilian deaths and damage to infrastructure built over decades, and he urged the international community to protect civilians and resist any normalisation of attacks on civilian targets.
On the economic front, he pressed for an expanded role for the New Development Bank to strengthen the resilience of BRICS economies, and pointed to Iran's geopolitical position along with its energy and transit capacity as assets that could support trade and energy corridors among member states.
Turning to West Asia, Pezeshkian said people in the region continue to live with the consequences of what he described as crimes and genocide, and asked BRICS nations to play a more effective part in upholding national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the prohibition on the use of force.
He also drew attention to the environmental fallout of war, noting that damage to energy and industrial infrastructure can harm natural resources in ways that go beyond economic loss. Describing knowledge and innovation as central to the BRICS agenda, he said artificial intelligence and emerging technologies should empower nations rather than serve as instruments of domination.
Pezeshkian, who was accompanied by his daughter Zahra, left New Delhi on Sunday after a three-day visit. He thanked India, its people and Prime Minister Modi for hosting the summit, saying its theme reflected pressing global needs at a time when the fortunes of nations are increasingly intertwined.