Iran's President Pezeshkian to Attend BRICS Summit Amid Rising Tensions with the West

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the BRICS summit in Russia, as confirmed by Tehran's ambassador in Moscow. This comes amid increased tensions between Iran and the West over alleged military cooperation with Moscow. The U.S. and its allies have imposed new sanctions on Iran, which Tehran disputes.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia, state media cited Tehran's ambassador in Moscow as saying on Sunday. This announcement comes amid tensions with the West over alleged military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed on Tuesday that Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran and is likely to use them in Ukraine within weeks. He warned that the cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatened broader European security.

In response, the United States, Germany, Britain, and France imposed new sanctions on Iran on Tuesday, including measures targeting its national airline, Iran Air. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi refuted claims of missile delivery to Russia and criticized the new sanctions, calling them ineffective.

Tehran's ambassador in Russia, Kazem Jalali, confirmed on Sunday that Pezeshkian will meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during the BRICS summit in Kazan from Oct. 22 to 24. Both countries are expected to sign a bilateral comprehensive cooperation agreement.

(With inputs from agencies.)