With the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States causing tension in the region, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian landed in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the BRICS Leaders’ Summit.
Pezeshkian is one of a number of foreign leaders and top officials coming to the Indian capital ahead of the two day summit on September 12 and 13. As per the Ministry of External Affairs of India, he will have a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday evening.
The visit is Pezeshkian’s second foreign trip since the U.S. and Israel initiated their war against Iran in late February. He did make a trip abroad in the midst of the conflict to Pakistan in June.
Pezeshkian’s appointment follows high maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, which have impacted shipping and put pressure on global energy markets during the conflict.
India is hosting the 18th Leaders’ Summit of the expanded bloc, which is divided over the Middle East conflict. Iran is a full-fledged member of the BRICS countries, and the other member, the United Arab Emirates, has been directly affected by the fighting. One of the hurdles for the grouping is expected to be finding common ground in addressing the crisis.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was in New Delhi early Friday while Chinese President Xi Jinping will be arriving Saturday for the summit. Modi will also have bilateral talks with Putin.
The summit will see leaders of the BRICS members from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The group now comprises of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and several partner countries.
The two had earlier had a meeting in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on August 31 when they discussed bilateral ties and the regional conflict. Modi reaffirmed India’s stance on settling the issues through dialogue and diplomacy and urged the safety of navigation and trade.
