Iran’s president to attend BRICS summit in Russia

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the BRICS summit of emerging economies in Russia, Tehran’s ambassador in Moscow confirmed Sunday, amid growing tensions with the West over military cooperation between the two countries.

Pezeshkian will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit, which is scheduled for Oct. 22-24 in the Russian city of Kazan, Ambassador Kazem Jalali told Iranian state media. The two could sign a bilateral cooperation agreement, according to media reports.

The planned visit comes on the back of intensifying military cooperation between the two governments. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed last week that Russia had procured ballistic missiles from Iran and was likely to deploy them in Ukraine within weeks.

Blinken added that deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran represented a threat to Europe’s security as a whole. 

The U.S., Germany, Britain and France last Tuesday reacted by imposing new sanctions on Iran, including measures that would hit the country’s national airline Iran Air.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that ballistic missiles were delivered to Russia and noted that new sanctions were “not a solution.”