During his participation in the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian intensified bilateral diplomacy with key group members. He held a series of meetings with leaders from India, Malaysia, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iran's goal is to expand trade ties and promote financial mechanisms that are less susceptible to Western pressure.
Pezeshkian met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, and on Saturday, he conducted further talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Indian President Droupadi Murmu, and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Collectively, these meetings demonstrate Iran's economic and diplomatic priorities within BRICS: expanding bilateral trade, strengthening ties with developing economies and neighboring states, increasing the use of national currencies in trade, and developing alternative payment channels, which could reduce dependence on sanctions and financial institutions controlled by the West.
This approach aligns with the direction of discussions at the BRICS summit in New Delhi. The group's latest declaration places more emphasis on facilitating cross-border payments and settlements in national currencies but does not call for the immediate creation of a common BRICS currency.
India: Expanding Trade and Strategic Economic Cooperation
Pezeshkian's meeting with Modi on Friday focused on enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The Iranian President emphasized the importance of economic and financial interaction among BRICS members, as well as the necessity of continuing the implementation of strategic agreements between Iran and India.
Pezeshkian noted that the numerous historical and economic commonalities between Iran and India could serve as a solid foundation for expanding bilateral relations, and called for a more active utilization of both countries' economic potential.
This meeting took place while India seeks to balance its relations with Iran, Russia, Gulf states, and Western powers. Modi assured Pezeshkian of India's commitment to dialogue and diplomacy in resolving regional disputes, while also stressing the importance of maintaining peace and stability in West Asia, including maritime and trade security.
On Saturday, Pezeshkian also met with President Droupadi Murmu, highlighting the need for strategic planning to deepen relations and utilize the economic potential of both countries more effectively. In turn, Murmu stated that India highly values strengthening ties with Iran and described Pezeshkian's visit as significant, noting it was his first trip to India in eight years.
For Tehran, India is important not only as a major BRICS economy but also as a long-standing economic partner with whom Iran has sought to develop trade, transport, and linkages despite sanctions.
Malaysia: Strengthening Trade and Economic Ties
During his meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Pezeshkian stressed the need to strengthen relations between Iran and Malaysia, discussing bilateral ties, regional events, and matters of mutual interest.
Pezeshkian presented the broader regional conflict as an obstacle to cooperation among Muslim and neighboring countries, stating that Iran strives for peace, respect for its rights, and the lifting of 'unjust sanctions.' Anwar expressed support for closer relations with Iran, particularly in the fields of trade, economy, and education. He also praised the resilience of the Iranian government and people and reiterated Malaysia's position against attacks on Iran's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
From an economic perspective, this meeting is significant as Malaysia offers Iran an additional avenue to expand commercial relations with a large Asian Muslim economy outside its immediate vicinity.
UAE: High-Level Channel with Key Gulf Neighbor
Pezeshkian's meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, became one of Pezeshkian's most politically significant bilateral meetings in New Delhi. This meeting brought together high-ranking Iranian and Emirati officials during a period when relations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi were affected by broader regional tensions.
Despite this, both sides maintained interest in dialogue, regional stability, and economic interaction. This meeting also holds broader significance within BRICS, as both Iran and the UAE are members of the group, despite disagreements over regional security and their relationship with the United States.
According to Reuters, both sides supported the BRICS declaration calling for maximum restraint in West Asia, and the meeting between Pezeshkian and Khaled was the highest-level contact between Iran and the UAE since the current conflict began. For Tehran, maintaining communication channels with Gulf neighbors is a vital element of its broader efforts to strengthen regional economic ties and prevent political differences from becoming permanent barriers to trade and investment.
Ethiopia: Expanding Iran's African Economic Presence
Pezeshkian also met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, who highly praised the resistance, resilience, and patriotism of the Iranian people and expressed Ethiopia's interest in studying Iran's experience. Both leaders discussed expanding bilateral relations, including economic and cultural exchange. Abiy noted that Ethiopia already maintains extensive economic and cultural ties with Iran's neighboring countries and expressed a desire to develop similar interaction directly with Tehran.
Meanwhile, Pezeshkian emphasized the importance of stronger economic relations among BRICS members, asserting that deeper financial and economic cooperation can contribute to the development of all member states. This meeting fits into Iran's broader efforts to use BRICS as a platform to expand economic ties with countries in Asia, Africa, and the wider Global South.
BRICS as an Economic and Financial Platform
Pezeshkian's intensive bilateral diplomacy in New Delhi goes beyond a series of isolated political meetings. It reflects the aspiration to transform Iran's membership in BRICS into practical economic partnerships. For Tehran, this group offers a basis for expanding trade with major developing economies while exploring ways to reduce vulnerability of foreign trade to sanctions, restrictions on traditional banking channels, and dependence on Western financial infrastructure.
Iran has repeatedly advocated for the wider use of national currencies in trade among BRICS members, as well as for diversified payment mechanisms. At the summit, Pezeshkian stated that expanding the use of national currencies is one of the most crucial steps for the group. AP reported that Iran also insists on mechanisms designed to reduce the bloc's dependence on Western financial systems.
The significance of this agenda extends beyond Iran. BRICS countries constitute a substantial portion of the world's population and economic volume, and their members possess large energy, manufacturing, agricultural, technological, and financial capabilities. Their ability to increase trade in local currencies and create more efficient cross-border payment arrangements can gradually reduce transaction costs and limit the influence of unilateral financial restrictions.
However, the current BRICS approach is gradual, not a sudden attempt to displace the dollar. Discussions in New Delhi focused on simplifying, accelerating, and lowering the cost of local currency settlements, as well as improving the interoperability of members' payment and messaging systems.
For Iran, facing extensive limitations in access to international financial channels, such mechanisms hold additional strategic value. They can provide more opportunities for trade and investment with countries willing to conduct business outside traditional Western financial channels.
From Diplomatic Contacts to Economic Architecture
Pezeshkian's meetings in New Delhi are therefore part of a broader Iranian strategy: strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade with developing economies, deepening regional economic integration, and supporting financial mechanisms that grant greater autonomy to developing nations.
The focus is not necessarily on replacing the dollar overnight, but on creating additional options for trade and investment—through national currencies, alternative payment channels, regional connectivity, and institutions like the BRICS New Development Bank. The New Delhi summit provided Iran with an opportunity to simultaneously achieve all these goals: by engaging with major Asian economies like India and Malaysia, maintaining dialogue with a key Gulf neighbor like the UAE, expanding its African presence through Ethiopia, and working within BRICS to promote a more diversified international economic system.
In this sense, Pezeshkian's bilateral diplomacy at the summit represents an effort to transform Iran's membership in BRICS from a political affiliation into a practical platform for trade, investment, and greater financial resilience.