Modi Meets Iran FM Araghchi on BRICS Sidelines — First India-Iran High-Level Contact Since Iran War

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on May 14, 2026 — the first in-person high-level contact between India and Iran since the Iran-related conflict began in early 2026. The meeting covered regional security, bilateral trade relations (India is a major purchaser of Iranian oil, settled in rupees outside SWIFT), and India's offer to facilitate diplomatic engagement. Modi conveyed India's support for dialogue and diplomacy as the primary route to conflict resolution. The meeting is significant given India's position as a non-Western actor with active ties to both sides of regional tensions. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar separately held a formal bilateral with Araghchi on the conference sidelines. India's engagement reinforces its stated 'strategic autonomy' doctrine and the 'Humanity First' theme of its 2026 BRICS chairmanship.