Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is set to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24, despite ongoing tensions with the West over Iran's military cooperation with Russia. This information was confirmed by Iran’s state media and Tehran’s ambassador to Moscow.
Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, confirmed to the news agency IRNA that Pezeshkian will participate in the BRICS summit. BRICS is a group of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. During his visit, Pezeshkian is expected to have discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Diplomats anticipate that Iran and Russia may sign a major bilateral cooperation agreement at this summit.
The backdrop to this summit involves growing geopolitical tensions. Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of receiving ballistic missiles from Iran, which could potentially be used in Ukraine. This accusation has increased Western scrutiny of the Moscow-Tehran alliance and raised concerns about European security.
In response to these developments, the United States, along with Germany, Britain, and France, has imposed new sanctions on Iran, targeting its national airline, Iran Air. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has denied the allegations of missile transfers and expressed frustration with the sanctions, arguing that they are unproductive.
Given these complex international issues, the BRICS summit could serve as a valuable platform for discussing and addressing these challenges.
