Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has insisted that Tehran will not back down, saying Iran has withstood what he described as aggression from both the United States and Israel.
“Iran has successfully stood against Israel and the U.S.,” Pezeshkian told a gathering of Indian religious leaders in New Delhi late Friday. “Because we are pursuing truth and justice, we will not submit to bullying arrogance.”
His remarks, delivered ahead of the BRICS Summit in India over the weekend, followed comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed Iran would have destroyed Israel and destabilized the wider Middle East — and eventually targeted American cities — had Washington not launched military action against Tehran.
“If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did,” Trump said Thursday.
Pezeshkian, making his first official visit to India, also held talks Friday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In their bilateral meeting, Modi raised the issue of seafarer safety and stressed the importance of peace, free navigation and uninterrupted commercial movement.
Traffic carrying oil and other goods through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which separates Iran and Oman, has slowed dramatically since the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran on Feb. 28, leaving some ships and crew members stuck for weeks or even months.
Modi again called for the Middle East conflict to be addressed through “dialogue and diplomacy.”
Global crude oil prices have climbed as fighting between the U.S. and Iran sharply intensified this month. The jump in energy costs is especially worrying for major import-dependent economies such as India.
India, currently the world’s fastest-growing major economy, is among the nations most exposed to disruptions from the conflict. The country imports nearly 85% of the fuel it consumes and depends heavily on energy shipments moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
The turmoil in the Middle East has also directly affected Indian maritime workers. In July, two vessels with a combined 30 Indian seafarers on board were attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Indian government, 10 seafarers have been killed as a result of the regional conflict.
Modi and Pezeshkian were seen clasping hands warmly as they left the BRICS Business Forum on Friday.
“When the leaders of two great nations join hands, they remind us of the historic friendship between two great civilizations,” the Iranian embassy in India wrote on X, celebrating the relationship between Tehran and New Delhi.
