NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held bilateral talks in the national capital on Friday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, with discussions focusing on strengthening India-Iran ties and cooperation in multilateral forums.
The meeting came shortly after Modi and Pezeshkian, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressed the BRICS Business Forum 2026. Modi was also seen holding hands with Pezeshkian as they walked together through the venue, in a visual display of solidarity among leaders of the expanded grouping.
The talks assume significance against the backdrop of Pezeshkian’s call at the BRICS Business Forum for stronger economic cooperation among member countries and a shift from potential partnerships to practical, operational cooperation in trade, investment and joint financing.
“We believe that the true strength of BRICS is not confined merely to the size of its members’ economies; rather, it becomes more apparent when these capacities are transformed into a network of trade, investment and joint financing,” Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian President also voiced concern over geopolitical uncertainty, supply-chain disruptions and the growing use of economic instruments for political pressure, describing the global economic environment as increasingly complex.
Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi earlier on Friday to participate in the BRICS Summit. The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the longstanding civilisational ties between India and Iran and their strong cultural and people-to-people connections. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur.
Ahead of his departure from Tehran, Pezeshkian said BRICS should work towards confronting unilateralism and expressed hope that the grouping would gradually move closer to that objective through new approaches to global economic challenges.
Modi and Pezeshkian had earlier met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek, where the Prime Minister reiterated India’s readiness to work closely with Iran in multilateral organisations, including BRICS and the SCO. Modi had also emphasised 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, guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
BRICS currently comprises 11 countries — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. The grouping has emerged as an important platform for cooperation among major emerging economies on development, trade, finance, technology, energy and climate action, while also providing a forum for advancing discussions on reforms in global institutions.
For India, the 2026 chairship is focused on translating the expanded representation of BRICS into meaningful cooperation and tangible outcomes while building consensus among its diverse members.
