NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) — The US-Israel war on Iran is set to cast a shadow over a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping that kicks off in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, testing the bloc’s ability to reach a unified position and produce a joint statement.
The grouping of developing countries, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded over the years with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran had urged India, the BRICS chair for 2026, to use the platform to build a consensus condemning US and Israeli actions in the Gulf conflict.
The main differences have emerged between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, which began lobbing missiles and drones at Gulf countries after the US and Israel launched a war on the country on February 28.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is likely to arrive late on Wednesday to attend the gathering, which will run through May 14–15. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also expected to attend the meeting.
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It was not immediately clear who would represent the UAE during the meeting.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, is welcomed by his Emirati counterpart Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 12, 2025. (Iranian Foreign Ministry via AP)
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in March that some BRICS members were involved directly in the conflict, due to which it had been “difficult for us to forge a consensus.”
During the fighting, the UAE and other Gulf states did not join the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, though a report Monday claimed the Emirates and Saudi Arabia had quietly struck Iranian military and energy sites in early April, a revelation liable to raise tensions.
Another ministry official told Reuters that India was hopeful it would get a joint statement after the latest round of meetings with foreign ministers.
An Emirates aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 16, 2026 (AFP)
“Glad that the foreign ministers from all the BRICS countries, except China who is otherwise tied up, are coming. This is a good sign on efforts to build a BRICS coalition around a matter of interest to emerging economies and the global south,” said former Indian diplomat Manjeev Singh Puri.
“Of course political solutions are difficult but the fact that they are meeting is positive and hopefully it will lead to a way forward.”
Soaring energy prices caused by Iran largely closing the Strait of Hormuz have thrown global markets into turmoil. The US later imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports in response.
The blockade over the key waterway has prompted many BRICS nations, including India, to introduce emergency measures to protect their economies and consumers.
Iranians walk past a giant billboard reading “the Strait of Hormuz remains closed,” at Revolution Square in Tehran on April 22, 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP)
So far, China has taken a nominally neutral stance, given its robust ties with both Iran and Sunni-majority Arab states.
China will be represented by its Ambassador to India Xu Feihong to fill in for its Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is unlikely to travel with US President Donald Trump visiting Beijing this week.
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