Iran war: Why the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in India matters
The foreign ministers meeting is taking place before the 2026 BRICS summit in India in September.
A meeting of BRICS foreign ministers kicked off in the Indian capital New Delhi on Thursday, with the Iran war likely to cast a shadow on the two-day event, which coincides with United States President Donald Trump’s state visit to China.
In his opening remarks, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called for “safe, unimpeded maritime flows” through international waters, as the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes, remains under blockade.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi called on fellow BRICS member states to condemn the US and Israel over what he called their “unlawful aggression” against Tehran.
This meeting comes as the economic bloc of leading emerging economies has faced divisions over the war in Iran. Host India has to walk a diplomatic tightrope between Iran and fellow BRICS member UAE, as well as Israel.
Here is more about the foreign ministers’ meeting, who is attending and why it matters.
What is BRICS?
BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies seeking to coordinate security and economic policies to amplify the demands of the Global South within international organisations and on issues where the West has traditionally dominated economically and politically.
The acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The organisation was called BRIC in its initial form – Brazil, Russia, India and China – when its foreign ministers began meeting in 2006, and when it held its first summit in 2009. It became BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010.
In 2023, BRICS extended invitations to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after these countries applied for membership. Saudi Arabia has yet to join formally, but the others have. An invitation was also extended to Argentina, but was turned down as President Javier Milei, elected in December 2023, had campaigned on the promise of bolstering ties with the West.
Indonesia joined the group in January 2025, after its membership was approved during the 2023 summit in Johannesburg.
The group sets priorities and holds discussions at an annual summit, which members take turns hosting. Last year, Brazil hosted the BRICS meeting and, in 2024, Russia hosted the annual meeting. This year, it is India’s turn to host.
This week’s meeting in New Delhi will bring together the foreign ministers of BRICS countries, who are expected to discuss economic cooperation and coordinate their positions on key global issues.
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