Iran's President to attend BRICS summit in Russia

Moscow: Iran's ambassador said in Moscow on Sunday that President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the BRICS summit of emerging economies in Russia, amid brewing tensions with the West over military cooperation, US-based Politico reported.

Pezeshkian will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Summit from October 22-24 in the Russian city of Kazan, ambassador Kazem Jalali told Iranian state media.

The two may sign a bilateral cooperation agreement, Politico stated, quoting media reports.

The visit comes in the backdrop of intensifying military cooperation between Russia and the US. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that Russia procured ballistic missiles from Iran and was likely to deploy them in Ukraine within weeks, Politico reported.
Blinken added that deepening ties between Russia and Iran was a threat to Europe's security, Politico stated.

As per Politico's report, the US, Germany, Britain and France on last Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, including measures that would hit the country's national airline Iran Air.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that ballistic missiles were delivered to Russia and noted that new sanctions were "not a solution," as per the report.

Russia has imposed a ban on 92 US nationals, including over two dozen journalists, the Russian Foreign ministry said on August 29.
The sanctions have been made in "response to the Biden administration's Russophobic policy with a stated goal of 'inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow'," state media TASS said.

The list of US citizens includes members of the US government, pro-democracy activists, academics, and leaders of defence contracting firms and financial institutions that supply weapons to Ukraine.

The ban applies to some reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and the New York Times, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry statement.