how Prime Minister Modi's meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian unfolded at the same summit, especially given the current US-Iran military tensions?

On 31 August 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The Backdrop of Soaring US-Iran Tensions

The meeting unfolded during a highly volatile moment of direct military escalation between the United States and Iran:

• Direct Military Exchanges: Just the day before, on Sunday, 30 August, US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent minelaying, killing three people. In immediate retaliation, Iran launched overnight missile strikes against two US air bases in Jordan.

Pezeshkian's Message to Modi

Despite the direct exchanges of fire and heavy economic pressure from the United States, President Pezeshkian used his meeting with Prime Minister Modi to signal that Tehran still favors a diplomatic resolution.

Pezeshkian told Modi directly: "...we believe that continuing the war is in no one's interest, neither ours, nor the region's, nor humanity's."

This diplomatic sideline showcased India's unique position at the summit, as both Russia (whom Modi urged to move away from "endless war") and Iran used their audiences with Modi to discuss regional stability and the desire to de-escalate active conflicts.