Pezeshkian Urges Modi to Mediate as US-Iran Conflict Escalates

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 31 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. The meeting, the first in-person encounter between the two leaders in two years, occurred as the United States resumed military attacks on Iran following a month-long pause. This escalation prompted Iranian retaliatory strikes against American bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, leading President Donald Trump to threaten further hard-hitting responses.

During the talks, Pezeshkian urged Modi to leverage his international contacts to steer the United States away from force and toward dialogue. He claimed the U.S. has failed to fulfill commitments from a June 17 memorandum of understanding. Prime Minister Modi expressed concern over the instability in West Asia, emphasizing the need to safeguard freedom of navigation and commerce while reiterating that regional issues must be resolved through diplomacy.

Beyond the conflict, the leaders discussed expanding bilateral trade and strategic connectivity, specifically focusing on the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian port of Chabahar. Modi invited Pezeshkian to visit India for the upcoming BRICS Summit. Separately, Pezeshkian met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Bishkek, where the two discussed regional connectivity and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as a pathway to peace. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled a further escalation of economic sanctions against Tehran.