When Ghadir Nezami stepped off the plane in New Delhi on Monday, it wasn't just another routine diplomatic arrival. Nezami, the Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, lands at a moment when the geopolitical floorboards are shifting under everyone's feet. Outwardly, he's in India for the BRICS National Security Advisers (NSA) Meeting running June 22-23. In reality, his presence points to a much deeper, messier reality.
Iran is testing its weight inside an expanded eleven-nation bloc.
For a long time, Western commentators dismissed BRICS as a talk shop. That skepticism doesn't hold up well in 2026. With new members like Iran, the UAE, Egypt, and Ethiopia sitting alongside veterans like India, China, and Russia, the group represents a massive chunk of global energy supply and population. When these security chiefs gather, they aren't just reading boilerplate statements about "cooperation." They are coordinating how to bypass Western sanctions and handle increasingly volatile trade routes.
The Friction Points on the Table
Host NSA Ajit Doval is steering this week's discussions around a specific focus: non-traditional security challenges. Don't let the bureaucratic phrasing fool you. This means cyber warfare, critical technology supply chains, and the weaponization of economic tools.
Think about the timing. Just as Nezami arrived in Delhi, reports surfaced from Qatar and Pakistan that Iran and the United States are establishing a direct communication line to avoid direct clashes in the Strait of Hormuz. At the exact same time, Iran's Foreign Ministry is pushing BRICS to take a harder stance against unilateral Western actions. Iran is playing a dual game: using diplomacy to keep a lid on immediate military conflict while embedding itself in alternative global structures to survive economically.
For Nezami, the specialized sessions in Delhi offer a direct line to tech-heavy partners. Iran has faced severe cyber offensives targeting its infrastructure for years. In Delhi, the security delegations are reviewing the outcomes of the BRICS Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism and ICT security. Iran wants access to Chinese and Indian tech setups to harden its own defense networks.
India's Hard Balancing Act
You have to look at this from India's perspective to see the real tension. India is holding the BRICS chairship for the fourth time. Prime Minister Modi has spent years building a close strategic partnership with Washington. Yet, here is New Delhi, hosting the top security officials from Russia (Sergei Shoigu), China (Wang Yi), and Iran (Nezami) all in the same week.
It is a masterclass in strategic autonomy. India refuses to let the West dictate its regional friendships. Delhi needs Iran for transit access to Central Asia via the Chabahar Port. It needs Russia for defense equipment and discounted oil. And it needs to manage a highly tense border relationship with China—which is why Foreign Minister Wang Yi's presence in Delhi is sparking speculation about a separate sit-down with Doval before the full BRICS leaders' summit this September.
Beyond the Photo Ops
If you want to understand where this is actually going, look at the economic plumbing. The real work of BRICS isn't happening in the public speeches about world peace. It's happening in the quiet bilateral meetings Nezami is holding on the sidelines.
The expansion of the bloc has fundamentally altered the conversation around international trade. When you put major oil producers like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE into the same room with massive consumers like China and India, the discussion naturally shifts away from Western financial systems. They are talking about local-currency trade settlements and insurance mechanisms for cargo ships that don't rely on European or American firms.
The immediate next steps for these delegations involve finalizing the security protocols that will be handed up to the heads of state in September. Expect Iran to press for binding joint statements on maritime security, specifically protecting energy corridors across the western Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. For security heads like Nezami, getting BRICS recognition on these fronts provides a layer of diplomatic cover that Tehran desperately needs.
