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Iran War Reshapes BRICS Ties, Exposes Divisions
Confirmed
In Short: The US-Israel war on Iran has highlighted the challenges BRICS faces in coordinating geopolitical action, despite promises of deeper cooperation.
Although the US-Israel war on Iran has affected most BRICS members, the bloc's recent summit in New Delhi did not address it directly, revealing the difficulty in turning shared dissatisfaction with the Western-led order into coordinated action.
The war also deepened BRICS' relationship with the US, as seen in high-level meetings and defense and economic ties maintained with Western partners.
In May, BRICS foreign ministers failed to produce a common position on the war, with Iran wanting condemnation of the US and Israel, and the UAE opposing language that ignored Iranian attacks.
The summit provided a platform for countries to reassess their relationships, with China, Russia, and Iran seeking to dilute US influence, while India remains reluctant to align BRICS as an anti-Western bloc.
What's confirmed
- Although the US-Israel war on Iran has affected most BRICS members, the bloc's recent summit in New Delhi did not address it directly, revealing the difficulty in turning shared dissatisfaction with the Western-led order into coordinated action.
- The war also deepened BRICS' relationship with the US, as seen in high-level meetings and defense and economic ties maintained with Western partners.
- In May, BRICS foreign ministers failed to produce a common position on the war, with Iran wanting condemnation of the US and Israel, and the UAE opposing language that ignored Iranian attacks.
- The summit provided a platform for countries to reassess their relationships, with China, Russia, and Iran seeking to dilute US influence, while India remains reluctant to align BRICS as an anti-Western bloc.
What's still developing
- It is deepening its relationship with Washington, participating in the Quad and maintaining extensive defence and economic ties with Western partners.
- Iran wanted the group to condemn the US and Israeli military campaign, while the UAE opposed language that ignored Iranian attacks and its own security concerns.
- It was a clear sign of the political cost of BRICS expansion.
- Trump shadow looms large over Brics as Modi hosts Putin and Xi in Delhi Several Brics members would have been loath to draw President Donald Trump's anger, as he has previously called the group's proposals, including potentially linking central-bank digital currencies for cross-border trade, "anti-American".
- Iran's Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince sat down for talks together - the highest-level face-to-face meeting known between the two countries since the war began.
- (From left) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photo at the Brics summit in Delhi This weekend, some of the most powerful people in the world gathered in Delhi around a vast circular table.
- Among those listening were members of the Brics group, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
- Iran and the UAE have been on opposing ends of the war in the Middle East, with Tehran launching missiles and drones at its fellow Brics member as the conflict sent shockwaves across global economies.