Iranian president Pezeshkian arrives in Delhi for BRICS summit under tight security
Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian landed in Delhi for the BRICS summit, with his flight route and timing kept secret for security reasons
World leaders have begun arriving in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS summit, being held on September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already arrived, and heads of other major countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, are also attending. But among all of them, the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is drawing the most attention, as it has become the most sensitive case from a security standpoint. Given Iran's ongoing confrontation with the United States and Israel in the Middle East, Pezeshkian's flight and his security have become a matter of concern for agencies around the world.
Pezeshkian is flying directly to India from Tehran. This is his first visit to India, and he was scheduled to land at Palam airbase on the afternoon of September 11. The VVIP Iranian aircraft, after taking off from Tehran, was to exit Iranian airspace, enter Pakistani airspace, and from there enter Indian airspace. This is the most direct and fastest route, but given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the entire journey was considered quite dangerous.
The most delicate and dangerous part of the journey is exiting Iran's own airspace. Because of the ongoing military actions and missile strikes between Iran, Israel and the United States, Iranian skies remain constantly tense. There have recently been incidents of Iranian government aircraft and senior officials being targeted. During the 12-day war in June 2025, Pezeshkian himself was slightly injured in an attack on a security council meeting in Tehran. This is why the first few minutes after the president's special aircraft, "Iran02", takes off from Tehran are considered the most dangerous.
After crossing Iranian airspace, the aircraft enters Pakistani airspace. Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines, but there is no such restriction on the Iranian president's aircraft. In June too, Pakistan had provided a special fighter escort to Pezeshkian's aircraft. The Pakistani airspace segment of the route is therefore considered politically safe.
The concerns around Pezeshkian's aircraft stem from earlier incidents that raised suspicion. In April, an Iranian negotiating delegation changed its flight route at the last minute after receiving a security warning while returning from Islamabad to Tehran following US-Iran ceasefire talks. Separately, on September 1, 2026, while returning to Tehran after the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian's aircraft did not go directly to Tehran but made an emergency landing in the northern Iranian city of Rasht. After spending a few hours there, the aircraft reached Tehran, and that same night Iran's air defence system was activated in eastern Tehran amid large explosions. These incidents have fuelled international concern that the Iranian president's aircraft could be directly targeted.
Once the Iranian aircraft enters Indian airspace, full security command passes to the Indian Air Force and central security agencies. Massive security arrangements have already been made in New Delhi for the BRICS summit. Delhi Police, 200 companies of central paramilitary forces, and 25,000 to 30,000 security personnel have been deployed. In addition, more than 100 NSG commandos, SWAT teams, snipers and anti-sabotage teams are on round-the-clock watch.
For aerial security, drones, paragliders and all kinds of unmanned flights have been completely banned over the skies of the capital. Snipers and anti-drone systems have been deployed on the rooftops of key buildings. The route, flight altitude and exact timing of Pezeshkian's aircraft entering Indian airspace have been kept secret for security reasons.
