Iran hails ties with India after PM Modi-Pezeshkian meet, eyes deeper trade ties at BRICS Summit

Iran has described its relationship with India as a long-standing and civilisational partnership, signalling its intent to use President Masoud Pezeshkian’s upcoming visit to New Delhi to push bilateral trade and strategic cooperation. Tehran’s remarks come days after Pezeshkian met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek. With Pezeshkian scheduled to travel to India for the BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13, Iran is looking at the multilateral grouping as an important avenue to advance discussions with New Delhi on areas of mutual interest.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei underlined the importance Tehran attaches to its ties with New Delhi while speaking about Pezeshkian’s recent diplomatic engagements. He said India remains an important partner for Iran, particularly in the areas of trade and economic cooperation. The Iranian Embassy in India also highlighted the significance of the relationship in a post on X. Referring to Pezeshkian’s meeting with Modi, the embassy said, “One of the meetings that President Masoud Pezeshkian held was with the Prime Minister of India. Our relationship with India is a long-standing, historic and civilizational relationship, and we attach great importance to our ties with India.”

Baghaei said Tehran intends to make use of the BRICS platform to continue consultations with India and explore opportunities for closer cooperation. “We will certainly make use of the opportunity provided by the BRICS Summit to continue our discussions and consultations with India in areas of mutual interest,” Baghaei said.

Trade and economic cooperation remain key focus

Iran has particularly pointed to trade and economic engagement as important areas where the two countries can expand their partnership. Baghaei noted that India has a significant role in major multilateral forums, being a member of both the SCO and BRICS. “India is a member of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS,” he said. “It is also one of the countries with which we have good relations in various areas, particularly trade and economic cooperation,” he added.

Tehran’s comments indicate that the upcoming BRICS meeting is expected to go beyond multilateral discussions, with Iran keen to use the opportunity for direct engagement with India on bilateral economic priorities.

Chabahar Port remains central to India-Iran discussions

Connectivity and logistics infrastructure are also expected to remain high on the agenda between the two countries, with the Chabahar Port continuing to be a key subject of discussion. “Various issues are usually discussed during consultations between Iran and India, including the Chabahar Port, which is important to both countries,” Baghaei said. The Iranian spokesperson described the overall relationship with India as positive and said it continues to develop. “Overall, as I mentioned, our relationship with India is very good and continues to develop,” he added.

Modi-Pezeshkian meeting sets the tone for BRICS talks

The latest Iranian comments follow a meeting between Modi and Pezeshkian in Bishkek last week. The meeting was significant as it marked the first interaction between the two leaders in two years. During the talks, India reiterated its support for efforts aimed at achieving long-term peace and stability in the region. Modi also conveyed India’s readiness to work closely with Iran through multilateral platforms, including BRICS and the SCO.

The Prime Minister told Pezeshkian that he looked forward to welcoming the Iranian President to India for the BRICS Summit. India also signalled its intention to strengthen economic engagement with Tehran by expanding and diversifying bilateral trade channels.

In a post on X following the meeting, PM Modi wrote, “Met President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek. Reiterated our commitment to strengthening India’s long-standing friendship with Iran across diverse sectors. We want to expand and diversify our trade basket in the times to come. We had a discussion on the prevailing situation in the region. India will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring lasting peace.”

West Asia situation also figured in Modi-Pezeshkian talks

The meeting between the two leaders came at a time when continuing conflicts in West Asia have raised concerns over regional stability, commercial movement and maritime logistics. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the Modi-Pezeshkian interaction as a “fruitful meeting”. He said the leaders reviewed different aspects of bilateral relations as well as developments in the West Asia region.

“The two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral ties. They reviewed recent developments in the West Asia region. Prime Minister reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Prime Minister also underlined the need for continued efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, and for safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce,” Jaiswal wrote in a post on X.

Iranian delegation joins high-level India talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials from Tehran were also present during the meeting between Modi and Pezeshkian. The discussions took place against the backdrop of ongoing instability in West Asia, where conflicts have continued to affect regional security, maritime movement and commercial logistics.

Why the BRICS meeting matters for India-Iran ties

Pezeshkian’s upcoming visit gives both countries another opportunity to build on the discussions held in Bishkek. While BRICS provides the broader multilateral setting, Iran’s emphasis on trade, economic cooperation, connectivity and the Chabahar Port shows that bilateral priorities are also expected to remain central to the engagement. For New Delhi and Tehran, the immediate focus will be on maintaining their longstanding partnership while exploring ways to widen economic cooperation and address shared regional concerns through dialogue and multilateral platforms.

(With inputs from ANI)

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