New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hosted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for talks to review the overall situation in West Asia and chart a path for expanded bilateral relations, marking their second meeting in less than two weeks.
The talks took place hours after the Iranian leader arrived in the national capital to attend the BRICS summit. It is Pezeshkian’s first visit to India as president.
The visit assumes significance as it comes amid a sudden spike in overall tensions in West Asia following the US slapping new punitive economic measures against Iran.
“India and Iran share civilizational ties, marked by robust cultural and people-to-people bonds. As BRICS partners, the two countries are working to contribute to shared progress and prosperity,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.
Before leaving for New Delhi, Pezeshkian underlined the need for BRICS to focus on boosting its economic resilience.
“The new BRICS bank was created to free countries from reliance on the dollar and to stand against America’s push for dominance,” he said.
Modi had met the Iranian leader in Bishkek on August 31 and conveyed that India supports all efforts towards ending the conflict.
Pezeshkian, on his part, had urged Modi to use India’s extensive contacts with various parties to help them move away from the path of war and bloodshed, and return to the path of dialogue and agreement.
In the talks this evening, the Indian side is expected to again underline the importance of ensuring the freedom of navigation and the protection of civilians and civil infrastructure in the region.
Global oil supplies have suffered severe disruptions following Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — considered the world’s most critical energy chokepoint, through which roughly 20 per cent of global petroleum flows.
