New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New Delhi on Friday, pressing for the protection of shipping lanes and the safety of seafarers as the BRICS summit opened against a backdrop of war and economic strain. In a statement, India’s foreign ministry said Modi “underscored the need to protect the freedom of navigation and commerce, and the safety and well being of seafarers,” echoing New Delhi’s long-standing call for dialogue over confrontation, as reported by Dawn News.
The meeting came on the eve of the annual BRICS leaders’ summit, which will also host Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders from Russia, the Gulf and beyond. For India, the gathering underscores a delicate balancing act: maintaining historical and cultural links with Iran, nurturing strategic ties with Israel, and preserving close relationships with Arab states where millions of Indians live and work. The stakes are personal as well as geopolitical; attacks on vessels in the region have killed at least 10 Indian crew members.
Modi and Pezeshkian held their second face-to-face talk in two weeks. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on August 31, the Iranian leader told Modi that Tehran sought a negotiated end to its conflict with the United States. While New Delhi has condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbours, energy infrastructure and ships, it also signed a surprise joint declaration in Bishkek criticizing the US–Israeli military campaign against Iran and Western sanctions.
Later on Friday, Modi began separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, another second meeting in a fortnight, focused on trade, energy and defence. Indian officials said the two leaders were expected to discuss civil nuclear cooperation, fertilisers, critical minerals, manufacturing, railways and steel. At their Bishkek meeting, Modi told Putin that the war in Ukraine must end “for humanity’s sake” and that India would back every credible peace effort.
India remains one of the largest buyers of Russian crude, a lifeline for Moscow’s budget since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of sweeping Western sanctions. New Delhi argues that its vast population and growing economy require secure, affordable and reliable energy, and insists the Ukraine war can be resolved only through diplomacy, not by halting trade in energy, metals or fertilisers. Russia’s share of India’s crude imports hit a record 51 per cent in July before likely easing in August as China increased its own Russian purchases, Indian media reported.
As BRICS convened, the summit’s agenda was dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global trade turbulence and energy security. Xi’s arrival marked his first visit to India since 2019, a cautious thaw six years after a deadly border clash in the Himalayas. Beijing said it stood ready to “strengthen communication, enhance cooperation, and properly handle differences,” even as deep mistrust persisted over the frontier, trade imbalances and strategic rivalry. Dozens of Tibetan exiles protested in New Delhi against Xi’s visit, waving placards and invoking the legacy of the Dalai Lama.
Within BRICS, the Gulf conflict has emerged as a “central fault line,” analysts said, testing the cohesion of a bloc that now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE alongside India, China and Russia. Pezeshkian’s presence, his first visit to India as president, ensures the Middle East war will loom large over the two day summit.
