India forged a consensus of BRICS countries on Saturday (September 12, 2026), after Iran and the United Arab Emirates agreed to a last-minute compromise on the language used about the war in West Asia, allowing the 11-member grouping to adopt the New Delhi Declaration at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The statement — that did not directly mention the attacks against Iran by the United States and Israel nor Iran’s subsequent strikes on its Persian Gulf neighbours, including the UAE — called for “maximum restraint” in the war. It made no separate mention of the Russian war in Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by the leaders of eight member countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the leaders of Indonesia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Africa. Brazil and the UAE sent high-level representatives.
‘Not against anyone’
Addressing the leaders, Mr. Modi said that 20 years after the grouping of emerging economies was originally formed, BRICS was “coming of age” with a “distinct identity” not aimed against others on the global stage.
“We respect each other’s perspectives and move forward through consensus. We strive to move ahead with an approach that is not against anyone but instead seeks to take everyone along,” the Prime Minister said, in a possible reference to the criticism of BRICS in the U.S. as an “anti-western” grouping.
Mr. Modi suggested that BRICS build a “troika” system like the G-20, so incoming and outgoing Presidents of the grouping bring continuity to discussions. He also proposed a roadmap for global governance reform, a seafarer distress network, and a BRICS global south mechanism for skill development in new technologies. The New Delhi declaration called for “comprehensive reform” of the United Nations, including support for Brazil and India to get a bigger role in the Security Council.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who held an hour-long bilateral meeting with Mr. Modi after the session, announced that China would take over the presidency of BRICS for the next year. The grouping had become the “world’s most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries,” he said.
Delicate diplomacy
The joint declaration also called for the protection of civilians and expressed “deep concern” over attacks on civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities in West Asia, in a reference to the U.S. and Israel’s missile strikes in Iran.
The paragraphs on the war in Iran took delicate diplomacy by Indian negotiators at “various levels”, said officials, and was forged after overnight negotiations and talks between Mr. Modi and the leaders of Iran, Russia, and the UAE. In a rare diplomatic breakthrough, Iran’s President, Mr. Pezeshkian met with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the summit at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam official venue.
Strong criticism of Israel
Significantly, given India’s close ties with Israel and Mr. Modi’s own visit to Jerusalem in February, the grouping declared its strong criticism of Israel for its bombardment of Gaza. It expressed support for South Africa’s case against Israel in international courts, calling for the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza, where more than 70,000 civilians are believed to have been killed.
In addition, it supported a two-state solution for Palestine, with full rights at the UN, 1967 borders, and East Jerusalem as its capital. In an extended 8-paragraph reference to Israeli actions, it slammed the “forced displacement, temporary or permanent, under any pretext, of any of the Palestinian population from the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
It also criticised the U.S. blockade of Cuba, and expressed concern over violence in Sudan.
On economic issues, the BRICS countries resolved to increase intra-BRICS trade and payments in national currencies. Taking aim at the U.S. for its tariffs and western countries for their unilateral sanctions, the joint statement said that BRICS countries “condemned the imposition of unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to international law”.
Compromise and consensus
Previous ministerial meetings of BRICS this year had failed to issue joint statements on the Iran-UAE tussle. Sources privy to the negotiations said that Iran had wanted a strong condemnation of the U.S. and Israel for starting the war with strikes that assassinated its Supreme Leader, similar to the statement issued by the SCO grouping, which does not include the UAE. The UAE wanted “equal condemnation” of Iran’s attacks against its neighbours. Eventually, the text agreed to included non-specific references to the conflict.
The consensus was achieved through months of “threadbare” discussions, according to Sudhakar Dalela, Indian Sherpa at the talks and Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs. He was addressing a media briefing after the closed BRICS session on the future of global governance and strengthening multilateralism. Side-stepping a question from The Hindu on whether India had asked for support from other leaders in BRICS to help convince Iran and UAE to agree to the draft language, he said that the cooperation and collaboration of all members was “key”.
“In preparation of the BRICS summit, we have been discussing the Middle East situation (West Asia) for some time. In a grouping where members have diverse experiences, it is important to allow members to have a shared forum, and within that framework to build consensus,” Mr. Dalela said. He also underlined BRICS countries’ consensus against cross-border terrorism, with a specif reference to the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025.
On Sunday, Mr. Modi will chair a session of BRICS Plus countries and regional representatives for an outreach session that will include the leaders of Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Uganda, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan.
Published – September 12, 2026 11:29 pm IST
