Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country will not surrender, adding that it has resisted aggression from the U.S. and Israel.<\/p>\n
“Iran has successfully stood against Israel and the U.S<\/a>.,” Pezeshkian said late Friday as he addressed a gathering of Indian religious leaders in New Delhi. “Since we are seeking truth and justice, we will not yield in front of bullying arrogance.” <\/p>\n Pezeshkian’s comments ahead of the BRICS Summit in India over the weekend came on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that Iran would have wiped out<\/a> Israel and the Middle East, and started hitting U.S. cities, if Washington had not taken military action against Iran.<\/p>\n “If I had it to do again, I would do exactly what I did,” Trump said on Thursday. <\/p>\n Pezeshkian, who is on his first visit to India, also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. During the bilateral meeting, Modi raised concerns about the safety of seafarers<\/a> and underscored the need for peace and for freedom of navigation and commerce. <\/p>\n Shipments of oil and other cargoes through the critical Strait of Hormuz separating Iran and Oman have slowed to a trickle since the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran on Feb. 28, stranding ships and seafarers for weeks or months at a time.<\/p>\n The Indian prime minister reiterated his appeal to resolve the conflict in the Middle East with “dialogue and diplomacy.” <\/p>\n Global crude oil<\/a> prices have surged in response to a sharp escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran this month.\u00a0Rising energy prices are a major concern for countries like India that are major energy importers. <\/p>\n India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, is among the countries most\u00a0vulnerable to the supply disruptions<\/a>\u00a0caused by the war. The South Asian country imports\u00a0nearly 85% of its fuel needs\u00a0and relies on the\u00a0energy supply chain through the\u00a0Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n The conflict in the Middle East has affected many Indian crews. In July, two vessels carrying a total of 30 Indian seafarers were attacked while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. \u00a0As per the Indian government, 10 seafarers have lost their lives<\/a> due to the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Modi and Pezeshkian were photographed warmly holding hands as they exited the BRICS Business Forum on Friday.\u00a0 <\/p>\n