Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar urged BRICS members to ensure “safe, unimpeded” maritime traffic — specifically citing the strategic Strait of Hormuz — as foreign ministers met in New Delhi amid rising geopolitical volatility. He said the grouping is expected by many emerging and developing countries to play a constructive, stabilizing role at a time of shifting international alignments.
But the New Delhi meeting exposed sharp divisions within the expanded BRICS, complicating that ambition. Once a five-member bloc, BRICS has grown rapidly: South Africa joined in 2010, several states including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE were added in January 2024, and Indonesia became a full member in 2025. That enlargement has brought new perspectives — and new fault lines.
Iran and the UAE arrived at the talks particularly at odds over the wider Middle East confrontation that erupted after strikes on Iran late in February and has since affected global energy and commodity flows. Observers warned the bloc may struggle even to agree on the language to describe the conflict involving Iran, Israel and external actors — an early test of BRICS’s coherence.
Jaishankar also called on members to confront the growing use of unilateral coercive measures and sanctions that he said run counter to international law and the UN Charter, signaling New Delhi’s interest in rules-based stability for trade and navigation.
Why the meeting matters
BRICS has long pitched itself as a counterweight to Western-led institutions. The group’s enlargement aims to broaden its economic and political reach, but the new mix of members makes consensus harder to reach on hot-button security issues. The ministers’ meeting comes as the regionwide tensions have disrupted supplies of oil, gas and key raw materials, putting energy security at the top of the agenda.
India, the BRICS chair for 2026, is confronting an added economic strain: slipping foreign exchange reserves. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to curb purchases of gold for a year and to conserve fuel as part of efforts to stabilize the economy, underscoring why energy and currency questions are central to the talks. Delegates expected to prioritize energy security, protection of maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, and boosting trade in local currencies.
Calls and countercalls
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi used the platform to demand an unequivocal condemnation of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran — a position unlikely to win consensus among members such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The session was also shadowed by reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the UAE to strengthen ties; Abu Dhabi swiftly denied any secret trip, emphasizing that its relations with Israel are public and transparent.
Araghchi responded to reports of covert meetings with pointed social media posts that did not name the UAE, warning that hostility toward Iran and collusion with Israel were “unforgivable” and saying those who collude would be held to account. Tehran has long criticized the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized UAE–Israel ties and has accused Israel of maintaining a military and intelligence presence in Gulf states. During the recent hostilities, Iran struck the UAE more than other countries, according to reports.
Outlook
The New Delhi meeting highlighted the competing priorities inside BRICS: the desire to present a united front on global economic governance and the realities of differing regional alliances and security concerns. With energy markets sensitive to disruptions and many members eyeing alternatives to dollar-dominated trade, the group faces pressure to produce practical cooperation on energy, finance and trade even as it grapples with deep political disagreements. Whether BRICS can reconcile those tensions and craft common positions on the Middle East will be a key measure of its influence going forward.