New Delhi, Sept 11 (V7N) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that pressure on his country from the United States had reached a critical and dangerous stage, speaking in India ahead of a BRICS summit.

Pezeshkian suggested that "the world today is going through a period of unprecedented complexity," adding that the use of economic levers of pressure only served to exacerbate that. "Iran has been subjected to heavy sanctions in recent years; this pressure has reached a critical and dangerous stage in recent months following the military aggression by the United States and Israel," he said.

The US and Israel sparked the Middle East war in late February with strikes on Iran, whose economy had already been weakened by decades of international sanctions. The Islamic republic retaliated by choking off the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for energy transit, causing global energy prices to surge.

"When a country is subjected to political and military pressure on its trade, energy, infrastructure and financial system, the repercussions extend beyond its borders," Pezeshkian said.

The Iranian president is on his first official visit to India and is due to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Friday, according to Indian diplomatic sources. The visit comes as India has sought to balance its traditional ties with Iran against its growing strategic partnership with the United States and Israel.

Pezeshkian's visit to India coincides with the BRICS summit, which brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and several newly added member countries. Iran is among the newer members of the expanded BRICS grouping, reflecting its pivot toward non-Western alliances amid Western sanctions.

Iran has been a key player in the ongoing Middle East conflict, having imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. The move has disrupted global energy supplies and contributed to rising oil prices worldwide. The US has responded with a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports and has sought to reopen the strait through military escorts and mine-clearing operations.

Tehran has demanded the lifting of US sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and an end to the US naval blockade as conditions for reopening the strait. Diplomatic efforts led by Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman have so far failed to produce a lasting settlement.

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