Iran President to visit India for BRICS Summit

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to make his first visit to India since February, coinciding with the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Sources confirm the trip, though details remain to be finalized. Pezeshkian will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focusing on bolstering bilateral ties, discussing the status of the Chabahar port, and addressing recent developments in West Asia.

Indian seafarers operating in the Strait of Hormuz, numbering over 165, have been a cause for concern as several have lost their lives due to strikes. In a June phone conversation, Prime Minister Modi formally invited Pezeshkian to the BRICS Leaders Summit, which India will host on September 12-13. Prior to this, the two leaders met in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.

The visit comes after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's trip to India in June, where he highlighted India's role as a global peacemaker and its potential to help de-escalate tensions in West Asia. Since February, the MEA has documented 16 Indian nationals, including 10 seafarers, who have been killed and 75 injured in the conflict in West Asia.

In July, the MEA summoned the Iranian Deputy Chief of Mission over the death of an Indian sailor and injuries to several others after Iranian cruise missiles hit two UAE-flagged tankers carrying Indian seafarers.