Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to participate in the upcoming BRICS summit, which will be held from October 22-24, 2024, in Kazan, Russia. This engagement was confirmed by Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, through state media on Sunday, and is seen as a significant diplomatic move amid escalating military collaboration between Tehran and Moscow.

During the summit, Pezeshkian is expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussions could culminate in the signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement, according to media reports.

This visit follows intensified military ties between the two nations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently disclosed that Russia had acquired ballistic missiles from Iran, with plans to potentially deploy them in Ukraine in the coming weeks. Blinken further warned that the deepening relationship between Moscow and Tehran poses a serious threat to European security.

In response to these developments, the United States, Germany, Britain, and France imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, targeting key sectors, including Iran Air. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, refuted claims that ballistic missiles had been transferred to Russia and argued that sanctions were not a viable solution to the issue.