Iran, Ethiopia Discuss Red Sea Security on Sidelines of BRICS Summit

By Al Mayadeen English

12 Sep 2026

Pezeshkian and Abiy Ahmed meet on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi, focusing talks on Red Sea developments and regional security.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, with bilateral talks focused on developments in the Red Sea and the regional security landscape.

The meeting comes as both countries deepen engagement with BRICS Plus, with Tehran and Addis Ababa exchanging views on strategic issues affecting the Red Sea and the surrounding region.

In a post on X, Abiy Ahmed said his talks with Pezeshkian focused on developments in the Red Sea and regional security, including the importance of dialogue and stability. Both leaders stressed the role of dialogue and cooperation in maintaining stability across the region.

Abiy Ahmed said Ethiopia wants to learn from Iran's experience, stating that Iranians' "resilience and patriotism" are an achievement the Ethiopian people would like to learn from.

He also called for broader bilateral relations, noting Ethiopia's extensive economic and cultural exchanges with Iran's neighboring countries and its interest in expanding similar engagement with Tehran.

Pezeshkian: US presence brings bloodshed, not salvation

On his part, Pezeshkian stressed the need to deepen economic relations among BRICS members, saying stronger economic and financial ties among member states can contribute to their development.

He said Iran had faced unjust attacks by its enemies in recent months and that the enemy had sought to sow divisions among the Iranian people and cause bloodshed. He noted that the enemy's brutal actions had instead strengthened national unity.

"The US presence in the region brings bloodshed, not salvation," Pezeshkian affirmed, adding that the resistance of the Iranian people will prevent the United States and "Israel" from achieving their objectives.

He described relations between Iran and Ethiopia as fraternal and spanning more than 70 years, saying he expects bilateral ties to grow more structured going forward.

Long-standing ties, growing cooperation

Iran and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations in 1950, with Ethiopia becoming the first country in the Horn of Africa and sub-Saharan Africa to establish relations with the country. Bilateral ties have followed an upward trajectory since 2020, with cooperation expanding across agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and science and technology.

That growing cooperation was reflected in Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf's visit to Addis Ababa in January 2025, when the two sides agreed to establish a joint economic commission.

It was also evident during the Ethiopian parliament speaker's visit to Tehran in December 2025, when Pezeshkian affirmed Iran's readiness to expand economic, diplomatic, cultural, and security ties.

Abiy Ahmed also meets with Modi

Abiy Ahmed held separate talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first official visit to India, with discussions focused on defense cooperation, technology transfer, capacity building, mining, and partnership toward COP32, the Ethiopian prime minister said in a post on X.

Abiy Ahmed said India and Ethiopia share deep historic ties, longstanding cultural connections, and strong people-to-people bonds, but that much of the potential between the two countries remains untapped. He said the time is right to build a more ambitious partnership grounded in technology, skills, investment, sustainable development, and stronger ties between the two peoples.

BRICS summit

The Iran-Ethiopia meeting took place on Saturday on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where leaders were set to formally endorse a joint declaration finalized ahead of the summit, Reuters reported. The declaration denounces unilateral military action without naming any specific country.

Reaching consensus had been complicated by tensions between Iran and the UAE over the latter's complicity in the US-Israeli war on Iran, following a failure to agree on a joint communique at a May foreign ministers' meeting.

Leaders attending the summit include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The summit has centered on BRICS efforts to expand its role in international institutions, including calls for reform at the IMF, World Bank, and WTO. Modi is also expected to push for stronger trade ties within the bloc, fewer commercial barriers, and wider investment and business cooperation.