Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to New Delhi next month to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, Iranian sources said on Friday, setting the stage for a significant India-Iran engagement against the backdrop of continuing tensions in West Asia.Pezeshkian’s participation in the September 12-13 summit comes at a time when Tehran is seeking greater diplomatic engagement with major emerging powers while India is attempting to steer the expanded BRICS grouping through a period of sharp geopolitical divisions.This will be the Iranian President’s first visit to India since he assumed office and will also provide an opportunity for him to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bilateral discussions.The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, when they discussed India-Iran bilateral ties as well as regional and international developments.India had formally invited Pezeshkian to the BRICS leaders’ summit during a telephone conversation between Modi and the Iranian President in June. Modi had stressed the need for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve issues in West Asia and underlined the importance of freedom of navigation and commerce.The proposed visit assumes added significance as Iran has been seeking a stronger role for BRICS amid the geopolitical fallout of the West Asia conflict. Tehran joined BRICS as a full member in 2024 along with Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE, while Indonesia joined the grouping in 2025, taking the number of full members to 11.Pezeshkian’s visit would follow Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s participation in the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in India earlier this year, reflecting the growing importance Tehran attaches to the grouping and to its engagement with New Delhi.The Iranian President’s presence could also bring West Asia to the centre of discussions at the Delhi summit, with BRICS members divided on several aspects of the conflict and Iran pushing for a stronger collective emphasis on sovereignty, diplomacy and opposition to the use of force.Iran is also moving to deepen its economic engagement with BRICS. Its central bank governor said this week that Tehran was set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, although the bank had not independently confirmed the membership at the time of the report.For New Delhi, Pezeshkian’s visit would reinforce India’s expanding diplomatic engagement with Tehran while maintaining its longstanding emphasis on dialogue, de-escalation and protection of commercial and maritime interests in the region.The summit is being hosted by India under its 2026 BRICS chairship and is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.