BRICS fractures over Iran war as Delhi meeting ends without joint statement
Primary region BRICS
Tags Diplomacy
Regions BRICS
A BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys meeting on the Middle East, held in New Delhi on April 24, 2026, ended without a joint statement after what diplomats described as 'very tense' negotiations. Iran pushed for language recognizing the US and Israel as having initiated the conflict, while the UAE — also a BRICS member — insisted on explicitly criticizing Iran for attacking Gulf states. India, as BRICS chair for 2026, attempted to tone down references to Israel and Palestine in the draft, which proved unacceptable to other members. India ultimately issued a Chair's Statement noting 'deep concern' but no consensus. The 10-nation bloc now includes members on opposing sides of active kinetic conflicts: Iran and the UAE/Saudi Arabia are both members. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the outcome 'shocking and shameful,' citing India's 'steadfast solidarity with the Israeli regime.' The BRICS leaders' summit is scheduled for September 12-13 in New Delhi.
Strategic interpretation
The BRICS impasse demonstrates that the bloc's 2024 enlargement — adding Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia — has made consensus geopolitically impossible when members are on opposing sides of active conflicts. India's chair position forces Modi into an untenable balancing act between Washington, Tel Aviv, and Tehran. The Chair's Statement workaround mirrors G20 tactics on Ukraine, signaling that BRICS functions better as a forum for bilateral sideline deals than as a cohesive geopolitical counterweight.