Iran Speaker to Miss BRICS Forum as Delegation Attends

Iranian parliamentary Speaker MohammadBaqer Qalibaf will not attend the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on October 26-27, the Iranian embassy said, while confirming that an Iranian delegation would take part. The embassy attributed his absence to “certain unforeseen circumstances” but did not explain what they were. In a statement dated October 24, the embassy said the delegation would continue dialogue and consultations with representatives of BRICS member countries, with the aim of strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in parliamentary relations. It also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to participating in BRICS meetings and thanked India for hosting the forum. The announcement comes amid reported difficulties arranging deliveries of Indian medicines to Iran. An Iranian official told Indian media that Tehran wanted a direct air route for medicine shipments, arguing that transport through third countries can take longer and may damage temperature-sensitive items. The official said Iran had received some medicines through Armenia that were rendered unusable after lengthy transit and cargo transfers. That account was not independently documented...