Iran’s Pezeshkian meets Mirwaiz on sidelines of BRICS Summit in Delhi 

New Delhi: The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, met Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, as part of a group interaction in New Delhi on Friday during his visit for the BRICS Summit. The gathering, hosted by Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, brought together religious leaders, intellectuals and businesspeople.

Mirwaiz travelled from Srinagar for the interaction and was among the dignitaries invited by the Iranian embassy to an event at the Oberoi hotel in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Greater Kashmir reported that he also visited an exhibition commemorating children killed in Minab. Media reports said the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, Patanjali Ayurved co-founder Acharya Balkrishna and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses director general, Sujan R Chinoy, were among those attending. 

Jain spiritual leader Acharya Lokesh Muni was also among those who met Pezeshkian at the Oberoi hotel gathering, and said he had invited the Iranian president to host an international peace summit in Tehran, an invitation he said Pezeshkian had accepted. Haji Syed Salman Chishty, Gaddi Nashin of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, was present at the same interaction and spoke of India’s tradition of “love for everyone, and hatred for no one” from Kashmir to Kanniyakumari. 

The Iranian Embassy in India, highlighting Pezeshkian’s meeting, wrote in a post on X that President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, met with a group of Indian religious leaders, intellectuals and businesspeople on Friday evening, 20 Shahrivar 1405.

Speaking to ANI after the meeting, Mirwaiz focused on peace, dialogue and justice amid the conflict in West Asia and said Pezeshkian had emphasized humanity while speaking about efforts to end wars.

The interaction has turned heads in New Delhi because Iranian leaders have, much to India’s chagrin, commented on Kashmir in the recent past. India has consistently maintained that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of the country and that outstanding issues with Pakistan should be addressed bilaterally.

In August 2019, the late Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed concern over Muslims in Kashmir and called on India to adopt a “just policy”. Iran’s foreign ministry subsequently urged India and Pakistan to resolve differences through dialogue and peaceful means.

Khamenei also criticized India following the northeast Delhi riots in 2020. In September 2024, he drew a sharp response from New Delhi after referring to Muslims in India alongside those in Gaza and Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs called the remarks “misinformed and unacceptable”.

More recently, in March this year, the Iranian embassy deleted social media posts thanking Kashmiris and India for humanitarian support, drawing attention to sensitivities surrounding references to Kashmir.

Interaction comes amid wider India-Iran engagement

The gathering came hours after the prime minister, Narendra Modi, met Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. RNA Media had earlier reported that the two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and developments in West Asia, with Modi reiterating India’s position that issues should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

Modi also stressed the need for lasting peace and stability in the region, freedom of navigation and commerce, and the safety and well-being of seafarers.

India and Iran continue to cooperate in areas including trade, connectivity and multilateral forums. RNA Media had also reported on India’s involvement in Chabahar Port, where India Ports Global Limited signed a 10-year agreement with Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization in May 2024 to develop and operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal.