Behind The Delhi Declaration: How BRICS Navigated The Iran War To Find Consensus

BRICS has adopted a joint declaration amid continuing tensions in West Asia and sharp differences among its members over the Iran war, sanctions and relations with the United States and Europe.

Leaders at the 18th BRICS Summit adopted the Delhi Declaration on Saturday after intensive negotiations that continued until 4 am, government sources said.

The declaration was released at the very end of the summit, highlighting the difficulty of reaching consensus among the 11-member grouping, whose members often hold different positions on major geopolitical issues.

“India led sustained consultations to bridge competing positions and build consensus among members,” government sources said.

The consensus assumed particular significance as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are all part of the same forum despite deep differences and competing positions on regional and geopolitical issues.

Why Reaching Consensus Was Difficult

The negotiations were harder than usual because BRICS brings together countries with starkly different views on the Iran-Israel conflict, sanctions and ties with the US and Europe.

The question of how far the grouping should go in criticising Washington also remained a major issue during the summit.

Russia, China and Iran pushed for tougher language on unilateral sanctions, greater use of national currencies in trade and reform of financial institutions still dominated by the West.

Tehran, in particular, wanted BRICS to say more about reducing reliance on the US dollar and building alternative payment systems within the bloc.

India took a different line, resisting any drift towards BRICS being seen as an anti-Western bloc.

New Delhi backs a multipolar world order and reform of bodies such as the UN Security Council, but it also has strategic partnerships with Washington and European capitals to protect.

Foreign policy experts said India’s central task was to find wording that criticised unilateral measures without naming the US outright or turning the declaration into a manifesto against the West.

Former diplomat Suresh Goyal said it was encouraging that delegations holding opposite positions were willing to compromise for the sake of BRICS’s unity. He added that a joint statement would also give the Global South a roadmap for economic cooperation.

What The Declaration Says On West Asia

The BRICS group unanimously adopted the joint declaration on Saturday, expressing “deep concern” over the war in the Middle East and calling for maximum restraint.

The declaration advocated a “multilateral approach” that respects national viewpoints.

“We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East...call for exercising maximum restraint...avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation,” the New Delhi Declaration said.

It also reiterated the commitment of member nations to resolving international disputes peacefully through dialogue, consultation and diplomacy.

The declaration further voiced concerns about the rise of “unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures” that distort trade, against the backdrop of US sanctions against Tehran and Russia over its conflict with Ukraine.

Why BRICS Failed To Agree In May

The difficulty in finding common ground was already visible during the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in May.

The two-day meeting ended without a joint statement, with India issuing only a chair’s statement.

The reason was the Iran war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had urged BRICS members to condemn what he called unlawful US and Israeli aggression against Tehran.

The United Arab Emirates pushed back hard. Its representative accused Araghchi of trying to justify attacks on the UAE and other Gulf states, saying Iran had fired about 3,000 missiles and drones at the UAE.

India said afterwards that there were “differing views among some members” on the Middle East. Its statement instead focused on areas where consensus did exist, such as UN reform.

The Iran-UAE rift continued over the summer and became one of the main reasons why the summit declaration required extensive closed-door negotiations before it could be finalised.

India’s Position On West Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Friday.

The two leaders exchanged views on recent developments in West Asia.

Modi reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. He also stressed the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, while safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce and the safety and well-being of seafarers.

The Prime Minister also thanked Iran for its regular, high-level participation in BRICS-related meetings despite the challenging circumstances.

What The Consensus Means For BRICS

The Delhi Declaration is expected to back multilateralism, reform of global governance institutions, resilient supply chains, digital public infrastructure, climate finance, counter-terrorism cooperation and greater trade in local currencies.

It is also likely to repeat support for a bigger role for developing countries in global decision-making, including India’s bid for a permanent seat on a reformed UN Security Council.

Beyond these economic and institutional commitments, the declaration is a test of whether BRICS can project unity despite widening differences within the grouping.

The fact that members with sharply divergent positions on West Asia, sanctions and their ties with the US and Europe were able to agree on a joint statement also underlines the role of negotiation in keeping the BRICS process together.