At BRICS summit, Iranian President Pezeshkian slams West over sanctions’ impact on food security, global welfare

BRICS must expand trade in national currencies and work towards an inclusive global economic framework as excessive dependence on existing financial and trade systems has made emerging economies vulnerable to political shocks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday (September 13, 2026).In an address at the concluding session of the two-day BRICS summit, Mr. Pezeshkian, taking a swipe at Western powers, was also critical of "unilateral sanctions", saying they were directly impacting global food security and people's welfare.The Iranian leader's remarks came weeks after the U.S. imposed new economic sanctions on Iran, tightening the squeeze on Tehran's finances amid ongoing military hostilities between the two sides.The Iranian President said BRICS had evolved beyond being merely a framework for cooperation among emerging economies and had become a manifestation of growing demand for a more balanced and inclusive world in which "no centre of power has the right to determine the destiny of others".The BRICS now must play a greater role in building a more balanced, inclusive and just international order, the Iranian President said, stressing that resilience, cooperation and sustainability should be translated into practical action.Military aggressionThe Iranian President said economic resilience could not be sustained without security, referring to what he described as the military aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran.He said the attacks on Iran's economic, energy and development infrastructure could have consequences beyond national borders, creating regional and global repercussions.Mr. Pezeshkian said the Iranian people had paid a heavy price, with civilians killed and infrastructure built over decades damaged. He said the international community had a responsibility to protect civilians and prevent the "normalisation of attacks on civilian targets".Mr. Pezeshkian thanked India, its people and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hosting the summit, saying its theme — "Resilience, Cooperation and Sustainability" — reflected the fundamental global needs at a time when the destinies of nations were increasingly interconnected.He said the international community's challenge was not merely to manage current crises, but to build a system that strengthened nations against future crises and created a fairer world.Delving into pressing economic challenges, Mr. Pezeshkian said excessive dependence on limited financial and trade systems had made economies vulnerable to political shocks.Unilateral sanctions directly affected food security and people's welfare, he said, pitching for expanding trade in national currencies and strengthening the New Development Bank to enhance the economic resilience of BRICS members.On the situation in Gaza and Lebanon, the Iranian President said the people of the region continued to face the consequences of "crimes and genocide".He called on BRICS to play a more effective role in defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the prohibition of the use of force.Elaborating on global challenges, Mr. Pezeshkian said no country could address them alone and called for transforming the capacities of the Global South into shared capabilities.He highlighted Iran's geopolitical position and energy and transit capacities, saying they could contribute to the development of trade and energy corridors among BRICS members.On sustainability, he warned that development that increases inequality or transfers today's costs to future generations could not be sustainable.The Iranian President also flagged concerns over the environmental consequences of war, saying damage to energy and industrial infrastructure could affect natural resources beyond economic losses.Key elementsMr. Pezeshkian identified knowledge and innovation as key elements of the BRICS agenda, stressing that artificial intelligence and emerging technologies should serve as tools for empowering nations rather than instruments of domination.He also reaffirmed Iran's readiness to contribute its capacities to BRICS cooperation, emphasising that resilience required sustained cooperation, cooperation required justice, and sustainability was impossible without peace and security."Let us turn BRICS into a platform for translating these principles into practical action," he said, adding that a future in which growth, security and development were possible for all was a shared responsibility toward future generations.