New Delhi: An Iranian parliamentary delegation arrived in New Delhi on Sunday to attend the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, a day after Tehran announced that its parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, would miss the gathering. The delegation’s arrival confirmed Iran’s participation in the two-day meeting despite the cancellation of its senior parliamentary leader’s visit.
The delegation includes Ahmad Naderi, a member of the Iranian parliament’s presiding committee; Abbas Moghtadaei Khourasgani, who heads the Iran–India parliamentary friendship group; and Ali Haddadi, the group’s deputy head. Indian parliamentarians Ghulam Ali Khatana and Yusuf Pathan received them alongside the Iranian ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali.
Iran’s embassy had announced Ghalibaf’s withdrawal on Saturday, citing “unforeseen circumstances” without explaining the circumstances behind the decision. It nevertheless reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to BRICS and said Iranian representatives would pursue discussions with other delegations to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly parliamentary ties.
The embassy also thanked the Indian government for its hospitality and preparations, expressing hope that the meeting would advance cooperation among participating countries. Its statement did not identify a diplomatic or domestic reason for Ghalibaf’s absence, leaving the cause of the cancellation publicly unexplained.
The forum will take place on Monday and Tuesday in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, bringing together parliamentary leaders and lawmakers from BRICS member and partner countries. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, is scheduled to attend and interact with visiting delegation leaders, according to details announced ahead of the meeting.
Four principal sessions will examine stronger public institutions, human-centred applications of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, reform of global governance, and sustainable development. A separate meeting of parliamentary international affairs committee chairpersons will address parliamentary diplomacy, capacity building and exchanges of legislative experience.
Bilateral meetings and interactions between parliamentary friendship groups are also planned, providing opportunities to discuss relationships beyond the formal sessions. Delegation secretaries were scheduled to meet on October 25 to finalize the forum’s joint statement before the main proceedings.
Iran’s delegation is approaching the gathering with an emphasis on a changed international order and opposition to unilateralism, Mehr reported. That stated priority places Tehran’s concerns about the distribution of international power alongside the forum’s broader discussions on governance and development.
The visit follows a higher-level India-Iran interaction at the BRICS summit in New Delhi last month, when Modi met the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian. In its account of that meeting, the prime minister’s office said Modi thanked Iran for maintaining regular, high-level participation in BRICS engagements despite challenging circumstances.
The two leaders also discussed developments in West Asia, with Modi reiterating India’s position that disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. The parliamentary delegation’s arrival now continues that engagement through legislative channels, although Ghalibaf’s absence removes an opportunity for speaker-level consultations in Delhi.