Iran Speaker to skip BRICS meet, as Iran seeks bilateral air route for ‘humanitarian aid’ from India

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla opened the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on Sunday by urging nations to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy in response to escalating global threats. Speaking at the Central Hall of Parliament, Birla stated that regional conflicts, wars, economic instability, trade tensions, terrorism, and climate change do not respect national borders. He argued that these transboundary challenges make diplomatic cooperation essential. The two-day event runs until Monday, October 27, and brings together parliamentary leaders from eleven BRICS member states and ten partner countries. The forum proceeded despite the absence of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf. The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi announced on Saturday, October 24, that Ghalibaf would not attend due to unforeseen circumstances. The embassy confirmed that an Iranian parliamentary delegation would participate in his place. In a written statement, the embassy reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to active participation in BRICS summits and expressed gratitude to the Indian government for its hospitality. The statement noted that the Iranian delegation intended to continue dialogues with other delegations to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, specifically within parliamentary relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the proceedings on Sunday. High-level representatives from Russia and China are attending the session. Other member countries represented include India, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates. Partner nations present include Belarus, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan. Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have reportedly declined to participate. The agenda focuses on strengthening parliamentary cooperation, people-centric development, ethical artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and reforms to global governance. A joint statement highlighting areas of agreement is expected to conclude the forum. Ghalibaf’s cancellation occurred amid renewed tension in West Asia. Reports indicate that concerns over a potential return to war influenced the decision. The Iranian official had played a leading role in recent negotiations with the United States. His absence follows a dispute regarding air travel for medical supplies. On October 19, Taher Abdolhay, the managing director of Iran Air, disclosed at a press conference in Tehran that the airline had failed to obtain permission to transport medicines from India and Singapore to Tehran. Indian officials maintained that the cancellation was unrelated to the aviation bottleneck. Sources in Delhi stated that Indian pharmaceutical companies have continued shipping medicines to Iran via third countries such as Oman and Armenia. One official explained that even during periods of intense conflict, Indian medicines were flown to Armenia and subsequently transported to Iran by truck. The official cited U.S. Treasury sanctions against major Iranian airlines as the reason for avoiding direct flights. Indian airport operators risk facing difficulties if they host sanctioned carriers. The official added that India remained fully prepared to supply goods and left the method of delivery to Iran’s discretion. Iranian officials disputed the rationale for using third-country routes. An Iranian source stated that humanitarian assistance is exempt from international sanctions and that medicine constitutes a humanitarian necessity. The official argued that the direct Delhi-Tehran air route is one of the oldest in the region and allows medicines to reach Tehran in three hours. By contrast, routing through third countries involves long-haul flights, road transit through conflict zones, and multiple cargo loadings, extending delivery times to twenty-four or forty-eight hours. The Iranian side claimed that some temperature-sensitive medications became unusable after undergoing this extended multi-modal transport process. They urged India to operationalize the bilateral air route on a priority basis for a fellow BRICS member. The broader geopolitical context includes rising apprehension about escalation in the Middle East. Both the United States and Iran have issued alerts and warnings. In the United States, the New York Times reported that the government placed employees on heightened alert across the region and reduced personnel levels at embassies and consulates. This move followed intelligence suggesting Iran was in advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans. A memo from Jay Clayton, Director of National Intelligence, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of dangers to State Department employees in the Middle East. The memo stated that agencies received intelligence indicating Iran had substantially increased efforts to target U.S. persons. Domestic political dynamics in the United States also intersected with these tensions. A Reuters/Ipsos poll closed last Monday showing President Donald Trump’s approval rating had fallen to a record low of thirty-one percent. The decline was attributed to American concern over high gasoline prices and anticipation of punishing the Republican Party in the November 3 congressional elections. Some observers suggested that an escalation in West Asia might impact electoral prospects. Simultaneously, Israel faced its own political uncertainty. Elections were scheduled for October 27. Opinion polls indicated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trailing in the rankings. An N12 News poll published the previous week ranked Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party first with twenty-three seats, down one from the prior survey. A concurrent Channel 13 poll also placed Yashar first but allocated it only twenty seats. In both surveys, Netanyahu’s Likud party finished second with nineteen seats. India had previously hosted the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. During that summit, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran would not be bullied by the United States. Pezeshkian engaged in bilateral talks with Prime Modi to discuss India-Iran relations and developments in West Asia. Other attendees at the September summit included Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto also participated. India has hosted BRICS summits in 2012, 2016, and 2021.