Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the 18th BRICS Summit 2026. His schedule also includes a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.

Before departing Tehran, President Pezeshkian emphasised that the BRICS grouping seeks to confront unilateralism. He noted that the summit’s slogan reflects this framework and expressed hope that member nations would move closer to achieving this goal.

He acknowledged the complexity of economic issues and stressed the need for new approaches to reduce totalitarianism and unilateralism globally.

According to ISNA, the Iranian leader highlighted the importance of the summit, pointing to its guiding principles of independence, solidarity, sustainability, resistance, and innovation. He confirmed that economic, financial, industrial, and trade matters would be central to the discussions.

He further stated that a special bank has been established within the BRICS framework. This institution is expected to facilitate investment among member countries and enable transactions without reliance on the dollar. He argued that such mechanisms would help reduce America’s dominance through dollar dependency.

President Pezeshkian had previously met Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek. He will continue his engagements with a bilateral meeting in Delhi, underlining that Iran and India share a long-standing relationship with significant potential to expand commonalities.

He remarked that the summit provides an opportunity to meet and consult with officials from China, Russia, Brazil, India, and other participating nations.

During their earlier meeting in Bishkek, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s support for efforts aimed at achieving long-term peace and stability in the region. Modi also reaffirmed India’s readiness to cooperate closely with Iran in multilateral organisations such as BRICS and SCO. He stressed New Delhi’s resolve to expand and diversify bilateral trade channels with Iran, underscoring India’s commitment to strengthening historic ties across multiple domains.

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12–13 September. The Chairship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with development, sustainability, and innovation forming the core focus areas.

BRICS has become a vital platform for coordination among major emerging economies and for advancing the interests of the Global South in multilateral institutions. Its agenda spans development, finance, technology, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.

The grouping now includes 11 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE. Collectively, BRICS members represent around 49.5 per cent of the global population, 40 per cent of global GDP, and 26 per cent of global trade, according to background information on India’s 2026 Chairship.

India’s leadership of BRICS comes at a time of global economic fragmentation, technological disruption, geopolitical uncertainty, climate change, and resource pressures. The expanded grouping offers a platform for cooperation on development, climate action, technology, energy, and financial resilience. It also contributes to discussions on reforming global institutions.

For India, the 2026 Chairship is focused on translating the expanded representation of BRICS into meaningful cooperation and tangible outcomes. New Delhi aims to build consensus among diverse members while strengthening the effectiveness of existing mechanisms.

ANI