A week after China announced that it would impose various sanctions on the US, if its interests in Iran were harmed; the Islamic Republic emphasised its long-standing relationship with another Asian nation: India. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on August 31, 2026. The two leaders met again on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit held in the Indian capital of New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026. Ahead of that event, Iran highlighted its long-standing friendship with India, placing a special emphasis on the Chabahar Port Project.

It may be noted that Iran is a member of BRICS, an intergovernmental organisation comprising 11 major emerging economies and developing countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, Spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmail Baghaei Hamaneh said: “Our relationship with India is a long-standing, historic and civilisational relationship, and we attach great importance to our ties with India. India is a member of both the SCO and BRICS. It is also one of the countries with which we have good relations in various areas, particularly trade and economic cooperation.” He added: “Various issues are usually discussed during consultations between Iran and India, including the Chabahar Port, which is important to both countries.” Baghaei claimed that Iran’s relationship with India would continue to develop.

India and Iran, which have long-standing diplomatic relations, began cooperating on the development and operation of Chabahar Port to further strengthen connectivity and trade ties. India made an allocation of approximately USD 42.35 million for Chabahar in the 2025-26 fiscal year. However, no new funds have been allocated for the 2026-27 financial year, with New Delhi claiming that it fully completed its USD 120 million financial commitment for port equipment procurement. Meanwhile, the Donald Trump Administration recently sanctioned four India-based companies and three Indian nationals as part of Operation Economic Outcast, targeting the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.

During his meeting with President Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in the Kyrgyz Republic, Prime Minister Modi stated that India “reiterated our commitment to strengthening the long-standing friendship with Iran across diverse sectors“. In a post on X, the Indian Prime Minister mentioned that he and the Iranian President also discussed the current situation in West Asia and India’s support for efforts to secure lasting peace amid the conflict with the US and Israel.

As expected, Washington DC took notice of the Modi-Pezeshkian meeting, with US Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio stating that he “does not believe that India would strike a trade deal with Iran“. Rubio reportedly stressed: “Well, I don’t think there’s a trade deal between India and Iran. Obviously, there are – countries all develop their own foreign policy, and many countries around the world talk to the Iranian regime. I think what ultimately happens, though, is – and the President (Donald Trump) has been very clear – is no country should be helping Iran evade sanctions.”

Although the US discourages other nations to boost trade ties with Iran, China and India have hinted that they are not ready to follow Washington DC’s advice. Instead, Beijing and New Delhi have decided to strengthen ties with the Islamic Republic. Interestingly, Iran emphasised the importance of its ties with India just a day after Russia welcomed India’s efforts to end the Ukraine War.

Meanwhile,

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das