Foreign ministers from the expanded BRICS bloc convened in New Delhi on Thursday for a two-day summit, navigating deep internal divisions and global economic instability fueled by the ongoing war in Iran.

The meeting, hosted by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, includes top diplomats from the founding nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—alongside representatives from the bloc's newest members.

Notable attendees include Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while China is represented by its ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi remains in Beijing for the concurrent visit of US President Donald Trump.

Opening the discussions, Jaishankar emphasized that the talks would focus on regional challenges and strengthening cooperation, noting that the global situation is currently in a state of “considerable flux.”

He argued that emerging economies increasingly expect BRICS to act as a “constructive and stabilizing force,” particularly in helping developing nations manage rising pressures such as high energy, food, and fertilizer prices.

Jaishankar noted that BRICS could play a stronger role in helping the Global South deal with these "rising pressures," alongside health and financial hurdles.

Despite its ambition to serve as an alternative to Western-led institutions like the G7, the bloc’s expansion—which grew in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, followed by Indonesia in 2025—has brought internal friction to the forefront.

The conflict in the Middle East has proven especially divisive; Iran and the UAE, both members, maintain opposing regional stances.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, revealed to the Press Trust of India that disagreements over the conflict had prevented a unified position, stating that one member country had pushed for language condemning Iran.

"We want India’s BRICS chairship to be successful. It is not a good approach to send a signal to the world that BRICS is divided. One country is insisting on condemning Iran," Gharibabadi said.

These tensions underscore a broader challenge for the group, as long-standing rivalries between India and China for regional influence persist alongside differing foreign policy alignments regarding the West.

While the grouping has gained significant support in the Global South for its critique of Western-dominated financial systems, the consensus-building process has become increasingly complicated.

With the war in Iran disrupting energy supplies and the war in Ukraine exposing deep differences, the New Delhi summit serves as a critical test of whether the expanded bloc can maintain a cohesive voice on the world stage.

Source: AP