Iran's President Pezeshkian in Delhi for BRICS Summit, to Meet Modi

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is arriving in New Delhi to attend the BRICS Leaders' Summit, marking his first visit to India since assuming the presidency. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening.

The visit is the first by an Iranian president in more than eight years, following Hassan Rouhani's trip to India in February 2018.

Pezeshkian's arrival comes as Iran remains engaged in a conflict with the United States and Israel. Over the past six months, the country has weathered the war but sustained significant damage.

The visit also carries diplomatic weight because Iran and the UAE have yet to agree on the wording of the diplomatic language for the BRICS Delhi Declaration. Senior negotiators from India, Russia, Brazil and Egypt are working to bring both countries to a consensus.

Modi and Pezeshkian last met ten days ago, on August 31, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation leaders' summit. That was their first encounter since the conflict in West Asia began. The two leaders have also held at least two telephone conversations in the past six months.

During their Bishkek meeting, Modi expressed concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and stressed that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Pezeshkian urged India to use its extensive contacts with various parties to help steer them away from war and bloodshed and back toward dialogue and agreement, citing India's important position and capacities in the region and the world, as well as the deep historical and cultural ties between the two nations.

Modi reiterated the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region and called for safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce, so that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including commercial shipping and seafarers, are not harmed. New Delhi has been concerned about attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the issue is expected to be raised again. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of fresh fighting between the US and Iran after weeks of a fragile ceasefire.