Putin, Xi and Iran's Pezeshkian descend on India for high-stakes BRICS summit amid escalating global tensions

All eyes will be on New Delhi this weekend, as the presidents of Iran, Russia and China gather in India for the 18th BRICS summit. The meeting comes at a critical time as conflicts roil the Middle East and Europe, putting the bloc to one of its biggest tests since its founding 20 years ago.

The Sept. 12-13 summit comes more than six months after the war broke out between the U.S. and Iran, and at a time when regional tensions are again spiking. It follows the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit earlier this month, where several of the same leaders met.

The BRICS alliance was established in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, and has since expanded to include nations such as Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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At the forefront are Iran-India relations, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to highlight trade, connectivity, energy cooperation and regional developments. The two leaders are meeting less than two weeks after reaffirming their "longstanding" strategic partnership.

In the face of an economic onslaught from Washington, Tehran has been working to deepen ties with Moscow and Beijing. In its latest attempt at securing a critical economic lifeline, Iran is seeking membership in the BRICS New Development Bank. The effort comes as many of Iran's largest remaining economic partners, including China, India, Russia and the UAE, will all be represented in New Delhi, giving Tehran a rare opportunity to engage several key trading partners collectively, just as the U.S. ramps up sanctions pressure.

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Also in focus is China. President Xi Jinping will be visiting for the first time in seven years. The high-stakes trip marks the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between India and China after a deadly military clash in 2020 along their disputed Himalayan border. A bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi is expected to focus on maintaining that normalization while expanding economic engagement, making it one of the summit's most closely watched sidelines meetings.

Then there is Russia. President Vladimir Putin met Modi on Friday in a pre-summit bilateral meeting. It marks Putin's first trip to India since the Ukraine war began four years ago.

Energy and defense are expected to dominate the agenda after the Russian president criticized American tariffs as "illegal" and "unacceptable."

Just earlier this week, the Kremlin touted expanding energy ties, saying India's imports of Russian energy have reached a "new record" every month. Moscow has also said Russia understands India's position on the war in Ukraine and that it "to a great extent corresponds" with Russia's own position, while calling on India to facilitate a peaceful resolution.

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