Iran war reshapes Brics ties but also exposes divisions

This weekend, some of the most powerful people in the world gathered in Delhi around a vast circular table.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that together, the leaders next to him should increasingly become "rule-shapers", not "rule-takers"

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.

These are hardly natural allies. They have histories of border disputes and even military confrontations.

India and China engaged in a deadly clash along their disputed border in 2020. 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.

The fact that India was able to gather these leaders together in person is a feat in and of itself and testament to its diplomatic reach. The weekend also provided a platform for countries to reassess their relationships in light of the Iran war.

But agreeing on what a new global order should look like and achieving clear, tangible outcomes was a much harder task, and that tension ran through this weekend's summit.

A counterweight to Western influence

For members such as China, Russia and Iran, Brics offers a vehicle to dilute the influence of the US and western Europe.

But India has been reluctant to cast Brics as an anti-Western bloc. Modi himself said at the summit that the group is "not against anyone".

That distinction matters for Delhi, which wants to preserve its relationships with nations at odds with each other.

"There are countries in the grouping which would like it to become anti-western, but it is not that," says Anil Trigunayat, a veteran Indian diplomat and former ambassador. What India has achieved, in his view, is a push for "strategic autonomy in an era of war" and initiatives to "enhance greater collaboration amongst themselves".

Inside the joint declaration

The summit succeeded in delivering a joint declaration when divisions among members have rarely been so glaring.

Twice earlier this year, meetings between Brics ministers had failed to produce a joint statement. This time a consensus was reached, but by side-stepping issues that members sharply disagree on, with few solutions.

The "New Delhi Declaration" was adopted on the first day of the summit. But what is striking is what it doesn't say.
On the war in the Middle East, the declaration urges "maximum restraint". It also condemns "attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities" but assigns no blame.

It reiterates support for a two-state solution, opposes forced displacement of Palestinians or actions that could "legitimise or prolong occupation", framing it carefully around existing UN resolutions.

It makes no mention at all of Russia's war in Ukraine, a departure from previous Brics declarations.

There is similar caution on trade. It lists concerns over "indiscriminate rising tariffs" and condemns unilateral sanctions but stops short of naming the US, and is likely to avoid Washington's ire.
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".

"Not mentioning any country by name, even as they condemned the conflict in the Middle East, bears the hallmark of India," says Praveen Donthi, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.

"I was pleasantly surprised that there was a strong reference to tariffs, because India could have wanted to be less direct about it, but perhaps this was a chance to convey their displeasure," he added.

Beyond the summit

In the wake of Trump's trade threats and the shock of the war in the Middle East, reshaping the global order has become a vital need for many member economies.

What the summit did provide is a platform for meetings that seemed hard to imagine just a few months ago.

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.

This weekend offered Tehran a chance to show that it does not stand alone amid the US and Israel's military attacks and economic pressure.

As Iran tries to withstand US sanctions, Washington's "Operation Economic Outcast" and a naval blockade on its ports, Pezeshkian pressed for deeper economic ties with Brics members, including Malaysia, India and Ethiopia.

As for China, this was President Xi's first visit to Delhi in seven years. There has been deep mistrust between China and India since the 2020 border dispute, but those tensions have eased. There is also a large trade imbalance, with a deficit tilting heavily in China's favour.
There was a cordial handshake between Xi and Modi, not the latter's signature hug. Xi also stayed for less than 24 hours, skipping the gala dinner hosted by Modi on Saturday night.

But the weekend was still a big moment for two countries with such a difficult relationship. According to official readouts, the two leaders agreed to strengthen business ties and transport links and address barriers to trade.

Trigunayat believes this is part of a gradual warming of relations in recent years, and that there is a will on both sides to work together. But whether it will produce substantial progress remains to be seen.

"I always say we have to trust, but verify first," he says.
What comes next?

The summit showed that Brics can create space for rivals to talk and manoeuvre outside Western-dominated institutions.

The harder question is what happens next. It's clear that members agree they need a new global order more than ever, but what exactly should replace it and how to get there is far more challenging to answer.

Reuters adds: Chinese ​President Xi Jinping unveiled on Sunday initiatives in areas ranging from AI to trade to deepen cooperation among the "Greater ‌BRICS" emerging economies, as Beijing seeks to weld the grouping into a practical platform for Global South development.
Cooperation in areas from politics and security to economics and finance are the main focus areas of the grouping, with 2026 chair India and 2027 chair China seeking wider partnership to boost its ​global clout.
The success of the "Greater BRICS Initiative" depends on laying a solid foundation for pragmatic cooperation, Xi told the leaders' ​annual summit in New Delhi, the official Xinhua news agency said.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra speaks during day two of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, September 13, 2026. Reuters.

'Greater BRICS' nations should further co-operate, maintain ⁠the stability of industrial and supply chains, and cultivate an integrated market, Xi told the summit's closing session.
China will take the ​lead in establishing a BRICS AI Open Source Zone to promote cooperation on large language models, AI training and an open AI ecosystem, ​Xi added.
He also proposed a BRICS Special Economic Zone partnership and said China would host a BRICS Service Trade Forum next year to boost trade and investment ties.
EXPANDED ROLE FOR 'GREATER BRICS' GROUPING
BRICS has expanded to include Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates beyond an original membership of Brazil, ​Russia, India, China and South Africa two decades ago that aimed to transform a world order dominated by the United States.
In ​addition, 10 partner countries span emerging economies across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, broadening its reach across the Global South.
China and Russia ‌sometimes ⁠refer to this larger bloc as "Greater BRICS".
BRICS HELPS CREATE FAIRER WORLD ORDER, PUTIN SAYS
The benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should not stay limited to BRICS alone, but should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in remarks earlier.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called BRICS a powerful driving force towards creating a new, fairer and multipolar ​world order, urging its members to ​find ways to combine the ⁠competitive advantages of their individual economies.
The summit comes amid renewed fighting in the Gulf region, with tit-for-tat attacks by the United States and Iran and Iran-backed Houthis widening the conflict by launching attacks on ​Saudi Arabia.
But the weekend summit scored an important diplomatic goal on Saturday, when it managed to forge ​consensus on a ⁠joint declaration backed by Iran and the UAE.
In general terms, the declaration expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of tension in the Middle East and urged the exercise of maximum restraint.
Separately, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on the sidelines, ⁠in the ​highest-level meeting of the two countries' officials since the start of the conflict.
They ​discussed issues ranging from de-escalation and stability, and efforts to advance regional peace and development.