New Delhi: In his first visit to India as president, Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday (September 11) called for the continuation of strategic agreements with India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi mounted a warm public outreach to the visiting Iranian leader, while Indian negotiators worked to secure consensus over language on the Iran war in the BRICS declaration.Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi in the afternoon, nearly two years after he became Iran’s president, and met Modi later in the day ahead of the BRICS leaders’ summit, which begins on Saturday.It was their second meeting in less than two weeks. The two had met on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, where Modi had called for expanding and diversifying trade with Iran.Pezeshkian’s Delhi visit is also the first by an Iranian president since Hassan Rouhani travelled to India in February 2018.As per protocol, Pezeshkian was received at the airport by Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur – a notable choice given the ministry’s role in Chabahar, where India Ports Global Limited signed a ten-year contract with Iran in 2024 to operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal, but which has stalled due to the US sanctions.Modi’s outreach was also evident in the social media message he posted after meeting Pezeshkian.“From Bishkek to Delhi, the productive discussions continue,” Modi said. “Happy to have met Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran. This visit is more special because it is his first visit to India.”“We talked about the India-Iran friendship. We believe that we should move forward with a long-term and win-win strategy,” he added. Saying that the two leaders had also discussed “the prevailing situation in the region”, he added, “India remains steadfast in its commitment to the pursuit of enduring peace”.This display of bonhomie between Modi and Pezeshkian unsurprisingly became the day’s most discussed, but Modi’s charm offensive came against a difficult diplomatic backdrop for India as chair of an expanded BRICS. Photo: X/@Iraninindia.The public display of bonhomie was evident at the BRICS Business Forum, where Modi was photographed taking Pezeshkian by the hand and walking alongside him, while Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa flanked the other side.The image, not surprisingly, became the most discussed one on the eve of the BRICS summit. The Iranian embassy in New Delhi posted the photograph, along with the following commentary: “When the leaders of two great nations join hands, they remind us of the historic friendship between two great civilisations”.Modi had faced criticism from the Indian opposition over the government’s handling of the Iran war, with Congress leaders accusing it of failing to condemn the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The government was also criticised for not immediately condoling the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening strikes, with the opposition calling the silence an abdication of India’s diplomatic and moral responsibilities.The optics of the Indian prime minister’s charm offensive came against a difficult diplomatic backdrop for India as chair of an expanded BRICS.The BRICS summit begins in New Delhi on Saturday, with India still trying to bring Iran and the UAE closer to an acceptable formulation on the war. The two countries have taken opposing positions during the conflict, with Tehran seeking language condemning the attacks on Iran while the UAE has sought condemnation of Iranian attacks on Gulf countries.A joint BRICS declaration has already proved elusive at several ministerial and senior-official meetings this year. At the foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in May, differences between Iran and the UAE prevented a joint declaration, with India issuing a Chair’s Statement instead.A failure to secure a declaration from the leaders in New Delhi would be particularly significant because every previous BRICS summit has ended with a final declaration.For India to get there, both Tehran and Abu Dhabi will need to make compromises on language relating to the war.Indian official sources remained upbeat on Friday, describing the negotiations as “progressing well” and “positive and constructive”. “We continue with our engagement,” the sources said, adding that India was working “to bring all our friends together”.For India to achieve a joint declaration, both Tehran and Abu Dhabi will need to make compromises on language relating to the war. Photo: Vessels in the Gulf of Oman. Credit: AP.According to the Indian readout, Modi thanked Iran for its regular, high-level participation in BRICS-related meetings despite the “challenging circumstances”.He said BRICS had the potential to build the spirit of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability among countries of the Global South and thanked Pezeshkian for participating in the Leaders’ Session of the BRICS Business Forum.The two leaders also discussed recent developments in West Asia, where fighting has continued intermittently between Iran and the United States despite an official ceasefire.Modi reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, and stressed the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability, including safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce and the safety and well-being of seafarers.The Iranian readout put greater emphasis on the bilateral relationship, with Pezeshkian stressing “the need to continue strategic agreements between Iran and India” and expand bilateral cooperation.He also said Iran and India shared “numerous commonalities” that could help expand cooperation, and argued that it was necessary to strengthen and expand ties among countries of the region.The emphasis on continuing existing agreements comes as India-Iran economic ties face considerable pressure from the war and US sanctions. Bilateral trade has contracted sharply, while India’s involvement in Chabahar has faced uncertainty following the expiry of the US sanctions waiver covering its operations there.The US-Iran war was also a recurring theme in Pezeshkian’s engagements outside the formal bilateral meeting. Addressing religious leaders, intellectuals and business representatives in New Delhi, he accused the US and Israel of trying to force Iran into submission. “If they push us, we push them back,” he said.He accused the US and Israel of invoking human rights while carrying out attacks that killed civilians. “You call us terrorists? What about you, who kill human beings, and bomb the scientists, and attack schools and hospitals?” he asked.“If you are man enough, you can just fight the soldiers, the military people,” he said, arguing that attacks on civilian infrastructure and livelihoods were intended to force Iran to surrender by depriving its population of essential supplies.“Who has said that a single government should decide for others, and that others have no right, and they should just obey?” the Iranian president asked. Photo: PTI.Pezeshkian also framed the conflict as a question of sovereignty and the right of states to determine their own affairs. “Who has said that a single government should decide for others, and that others have no right, and they should just obey?” he asked. “So we will not surrender to this.”The tone of defiance also formed the backdrop to Pezeshkian’s economic pitch at the BRICS Business Forum, where he argued that the experience of war and sanctions had exposed the vulnerability of economies dependent on a limited number of trade partners, financial channels and supply routes.He argued that geopolitical uncertainty, supply-chain disruptions and the use of economic instruments as political pressure had created a need for BRICS to turn its economic weight into what he called “operational cooperation”.“Economic security cannot be separated from national and regional security,” Pezeshkian said, referring to the experience of the recent conflict. He called for BRICS to create resilient capacities for member economies and the wider Global South so that “no country can disrupt another’s legitimate trade by monopolising financial or technological instrument[s]”.He proposed measures ranging from greater use of national currencies and reciprocal settlement mechanisms to integrated trade infrastructure, customs digitisation and reduced regulatory barriers.Pezeshkian also called for the New Development Bank to provide special credit lines for infrastructure and energy projects, including financing in local currencies and guarantees. He proposed a joint BRICS reinsurance company with initial capital of $10 billion to cover risks associated with major infrastructure and energy projects.The proposals came as the conflict continues to disrupt regional trade and shipping and Washington has intensified economic pressure on Tehran. The US treasury announced new Iran-related sanctions on September 8 targeting the aviation sector, including Mahan Air and a network of intermediaries and front companies, followed two days later by sanctions targeting individuals and entities in Iraq, the UAE, Lebanon and Turkey over alleged links to Iranian proxy networks.