Fact Check: Iran president DID NOT touch Hindu spiritual leader's feet

On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Iran’s Ambassador to India, Dr Mohammad Fathali, hosted an event on September 11 in New Delhi, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met religious leaders, intellectuals, and other dignitaries.

A video of Pezeshkian bowing down has now been widely shared online. Allegedly, it shows him touching the feet of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Satishacharya to seek his blessing. An X user shared the video with the caption, “The Iranian President heard the message of Sanatan spirituality from a Hindi religious leader and even took his blessings by touching the feet.”

Several news outlets, including Times Now Navbharat and ABP News, also reported that Pezeshkian touched the feet of Swami Satishacharya during the event.

India Today Fact Check found that the viral video is edited. Pezeshkian was picking up a document that fell on the floor.

OUR PROBE

Reverse-searching frames from the video led us to its longer version, shared by the X account Ismat TV on September 13. This shows both Pezeshkian and Satishacharya bowing down. According to the account, Pezeshkian first attempted to pick up a pen, followed by Swami Satishacharya.

Ismat TV is an Indian organisation that publishes religious content on YouTube. In its YouTube bio, we found contact details, including phone numbers. India Today Fact Check called Ismat TV and spoke to a photographer employed by the organisation, called Hussain Mehdi.

He said that the channel’s staff was present at the event, and the claim that Pezeshkian touched Satishacharya’s feet is false. He also shared another video shot from a different angle showing both Pezeshkian and Satishacharya bowing down to pick up something.

This video features Jain monk Acharya Lokesh Muni. Speaking to India Today Fact Check, he said he was present at the event to invite Pezeshkian to his peace programme. He also confirmed that Pezeshkian was not touching Swami Satishacharya's feet. Rather, the Iranian president was picking up a document from the floor that he (Lokesh Muni) had given him.

We also spoke to Maulana Taqi Haider Naqvi of the Iran Culture House, New Delhi, who was present at the event. He also rebutted the claim that Pezeshkian touched Satishacharya’s feet. Naqvi also forwarded an Iranian Embassy statement regarding the matter, which reads, “The President bent down to pick up a letter that one of the leaders had given him and that had fallen to the ground.”

Thus, we concluded that the viral claim is false.