NSA Ajit Doval meets senior Iranian security official ahead of BRICS NSAs meet

📌 Summary:

• Ahead of the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' (NSAs) meeting in New Delhi, NSA Ajit Doval met Iran's Deputy NSA Ghadir Nezamipour (Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs, Iran's Supreme National Security Council)
• Both sides reviewed the situation in West Asia and discussed cooperation under the BRICS platform and India-Iran bilateral ties; it is the first visit by a senior Iranian official since Iran struck a peace agreement with the US
• India holds the rotating BRICS presidency in 2026; the NSAs meeting sets the stage for the BRICS leaders' summit in India in September
• Chinese FM Wang Yi and Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu also attending; Doval separately met Ethiopia's intelligence chief to deepen the India-Ethiopia strategic partnership
• Theme of the NSAs meeting: "Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today" — including the role of new technologies in emerging threats; NSAs to review outcomes of BRICS Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism and on security in the use of ICTs

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 IR — India's BRICS presidency, plurilateral groupings, India-Iran ties and West Asia diplomacy amid the US-Iran thaw.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• BRICS members (2026): Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates
• This was the 16th BRICS NSAs meeting; India holds the 2026 rotating presidency; leaders' summit due in India in September 2026
• Iran's apex security body: Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)

🔑 Key Term: BRICS NSAs Meeting — annual gathering of National Security Advisers of BRICS states to coordinate on counter-terrorism, ICT security and non-traditional security challenges.