During the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12 September 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with senior Kashmiri religious leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Aga Syed Hassan, Muntazir Mehdi and Molvi Imran Raza Ansari, on the sidelines of the event.
The leaders urged “diplomacy over war” to resolve regional issues. They exchanged views with the minister on the grave situation confronting the region, calling for safeguarding unity within the Muslim Ummah and expressing solidarity with Iran. The delegation also voiced concern over the loss of life, destruction of homes and infrastructure, and the climate of fear created by war. Photographs of the meeting were released by the Iranian news agency IRNA.
Mirwaiz Farooq highlighted that war multiplies human suffering and that even deep differences must return to dialogue, engagement and negotiation. He warned that current conflicts should not deepen sectarian divisions within the Muslim world and referenced the continued devastation in Palestine and Lebanon. The Mirwaiz also gifted Mr. Araghchi a wooden miniature of the historic Jama Masjid.
Aga Syed Hassan reiterated Kashmir’s solidarity with Iran and praised the Iranian people’s resilience. He stressed that bullying, coercion and unilateralism have no place in today’s world and called for a global order based on sovereignty, mutual respect, international law and peaceful dispute resolution. The Kashmiri leaders thanked the foreign minister for recognizing the deep‑rooted bonds between Kashmir and Iran.
