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The New Delhi Declaration adopted by BRICS leaders at their summit in the Indian capital on Saturday expressed deep concern over continued escalation of tensions in the Middle East and West Asia while calling for maximum restraint and avoidance of actions that could further aggravate the situation. According to the joint statement reported across outlets including Reuters and Al Jazeera, the document condemned deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards without assigning blame to any specific party. It also urged protection of civilians in line with the United Nations charter, respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and efforts to maintain smooth global trade, supply chains and energy flows. The declaration further reiterated support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, opposed the forced displacement of Palestinians and backed full United Nations membership for Palestine.
The Iran war that erupted with US and Israeli strikes on February 28 has placed member states on opposing sides and tested the grouping’s cohesion, Business Standard and The New York Times reported. Iran, which joined BRICS in 2024, has faced military pressure and economic sanctions while the United Arab Emirates, another new member and a US security partner, has been targeted by thousands of Iranian missiles, drones and ballistic strikes since the conflict began. A Reuters assessment found that these tensions led to the suspension of all trade and financial transactions between the UAE and Iran in August, compounding disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz that have driven global oil prices above 100 dollars a barrel. The New Delhi Declaration’s carefully negotiated language, which recalled each member’s respective national positions, allowed consensus without forcing any side to endorse the other’s narrative on the conflict.
India as summit host played a central role in bridging the gaps after BRICS foreign ministers twice failed to produce a joint statement earlier this year, according to diplomats cited by Outlook India and India Today. The declaration’s adoption on the first day marked a diplomatic achievement for New Delhi, which maintains ties with both Iran and Israel while seeking to focus the bloc on development, institutional reform and economic cooperation rather than geopolitical confrontation. On the summit’s sidelines Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, their highest-level face-to-face meeting since the war started, the Indian Express reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping told delegates that the Middle East war does not serve the common interests of the international community and offered Beijing’s readiness to contribute to peace efforts.
BRICS members represent about 50 percent of the world’s population, 40 percent of global GDP and more than 25 percent of global trade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated during the opening session. The grouping has expanded significantly since its original five members and now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and others alongside Iran and the UAE, yet the current conflict has highlighted pre-existing rivalries such as border tensions between India and China that flared in 2020. A Responsible Statecraft analysis noted that the war has complicated India’s chairmanship given its strengthening relationship with Israel at a time when other members are deepening ties with Tehran or facing direct involvement in regional hostilities. The declaration also took aim at unilateral sanctions not authorised by the UN Security Council, a stance that aligns with positions held by Russia and China amid their own experiences with Western measures.
Previous BRICS ministerial gatherings in New Delhi this year underscored the depth of divisions, ending without consensus statements as Iran pushed for explicit condemnation of the US and Israel while the UAE sought language criticising Iranian attacks on Gulf states. The New Delhi Declaration represents a retreat from stronger wording in a 2025 BRICS statement that had condemned an earlier 12-day war against Iran, according to Manoj Kewalramani of the Takshashila Institution in Bengaluru. Sarang Shidore at the Quincy Institute described the latest text as a watered-down compromise that preserves room for disagreement while allowing the bloc to project a degree of unity on broader calls for multipolarity and reform of global governance. The summit also highlighted BRICS efforts to address economic pressures from US tariffs and to enhance cooperation in trade and technology despite the security challenges posed by the ongoing Iran conflict.
The Iran war reshapes Brics ties but also exposes divisions, as the bloc navigates its expanded membership and competing interests in a polarised global environment. Leaders emphasised the link between security and development, warning that prolonged instability threatens energy security and supply chains across the Global South. Further bilateral discussions at the summit, including between Modi and Xi Jinping, focused on de-escalating bilateral frictions to strengthen the grouping’s overall cohesion moving forward.
