Iran conflict looms over Brics foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: The war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran is expected to dominate a two-day meeting of Brics foreign ministers opening in New Delhi on Thursday, posing an early test of whether the expanded bloc can agree on a common position and issue a joint statement.

Brics, which began with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has since widened to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran has asked India, which will chair Brics in 2026, to use the grouping as a forum to build agreement on condemning US and Israeli actions in the Middle East conflict.

The main divergence within the bloc has emerged between Iran and the UAE, which are on opposite sides of the front line in a war launched by the US and Israel on February 28.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive late on Wednesday to take part in the gathering, which will continue through May 14 and 15. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also expected to attend. It was not immediately clear who would represent the UAE at the meeting.

Consensus remains difficult

Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in March that some Brics members were directly involved in the conflict, making it difficult to reach a shared position.

“difficult for us to forge a consensus”

However, another Indian ministry official told Reuters that India remained hopeful of securing a joint statement after the latest round of meetings among foreign ministers.

Former Indian diplomat Manjeev Singh Puri said the level of participation itself was encouraging.

“Glad that the foreign ministers from all the Brics countries, except China, which 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,”

“Of course, political solutions are difficult but the fact that they are meeting is positive and hopefully it will lead to a way forward.”

Economic pressure and China’s representation

The conflict has also pushed up energy prices sharply, prompting several Brics countries, including India, to adopt emergency steps aimed at shielding their economies and consumers.

China, has so far maintained a nominally neutral position, reflecting its strong relations with both Iran and Arab countries.

China will be represented at the New Delhi meeting by its ambassador to India, Xu Feihong. Foreign Minister Wang Yi is not expected to travel because US President Donald Trump is visiting Beijing this week.

The meeting comes at a time when Brics is trying to project itself as a platform for emerging economies and the global south, but the Middle East conflict is set to complicate efforts to present a unified diplomatic stance.