NSA Ajit Doval Holds Talks With Senior Iranian Security official On Sidelines of BRICS Conclave

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Monday held wide-ranging talks with senior Iranian security official Ghadir Nezamipour focusing on the evolving security environment in West Asia. Nezamipour, the Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs at Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), is in New Delhi to attend a conclave of BRICS."Both sides reviewed the ongoing situation in West Asia. They also discussed cooperation under the BRICS platform and India-Iran bilateral ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on social media. It is the first visit to India by a senior official from Iran after it struck a peace agreement with the US.The NSAs of BRICS nations will hold extensive discussions on the security scenario

in the region on Tuesday. The conclave officially begins on Monday. India to host key BRICS security conclave amid rising geopolitical tensions.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, and other top BRICS security officials are set to be part of the deliberations. The conclave will be chaired by NSA Doval.New Delhi is hosting the conclave in its capacity as the current chair of the influential grouping.BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with Indonesia joining in 2025.BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.The top BRICS security officials are expected to deliberate extensively on the overall regional security scenario including the situation in West Asia as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.The Indian side is likely to raise its concerns over terrorism including cross-border terrorist activities targeting Jammu and Kashmir by terror groups based in Pakistan.The Pakistan-Afghanistan hostilities may too figure in the deliberations, people familiar with the matter said.The BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in May had ended without a joint statement as sharp differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict were on full display.BRICS operates under a framework of consensus and India had issued a chair's statement and outcome document featuring two specific paragraphs where unanimity could not be reached.