Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31 — their first face-to-face meeting in two years.
The talks focused on calming tensions in West Asia and protecting commercial shipping routes through the region, officials said. Modi underlined the need for "continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability," urging all parties to pursue dialogue and restraint. The two leaders also discussed keeping trade and energy shipping routes open, a priority given the region's role in global oil and gas supply.
The meeting is the first between the two leaders since reported US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year, and comes as India continues to balance its ties with Iran against its wider strategic relationships in the Gulf and with Western partners.
The Bishkek summit, running from August 31 to September 1, brought together leaders from India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus and Central Asian states, with an agenda covering counter-terrorism, energy security, transport corridors and regional stability.