Date: September 12, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
The BRICS group of emerging economies has reached agreement on a joint declaration ahead of the bloc's summit in New Delhi, overcoming divisions among members over the escalating conflict in the Middle East and reinforcing efforts to give the grouping a stronger voice in global affairs.
Four sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that representatives of the BRICS countries had agreed on language for a declaration that is expected to condemn unilateral warfare without explicitly naming any country. The agreement came just hours before BRICS leaders began their annual summit in India's capital on Saturday.
The agreement is particularly significant because BRICS has struggled to reach consensus on the Middle East conflict. Iran and the United Arab Emirates, both members of the expanded bloc, have found themselves on opposing sides of the Gulf confrontation. Iran has faced military action from the United States and Israel, while the UAE has itself been targeted by Iranian missiles during the conflict.
The diplomatic divide had previously prevented BRICS foreign ministers from issuing a joint statement during their meeting in New Delhi in May. The ability of negotiators to find language acceptable to both Tehran and Abu Dhabi was therefore regarded as an important test of whether the expanded bloc could maintain unity on major international crises.
The latest agreement calls for restraint and opposes unilateral military action, according to the Reuters sources. The declaration is not expected to directly identify the United States, Iran, Israel or any other country, a diplomatic approach that allows members with conflicting interests to endorse a common position without directly confronting one another.
The development comes as the United States and Iran have resumed tit-for-tat attacks after a period of relative calm during much of August. The conflict has increasingly affected the wider Middle East, including shipping routes around the Gulf and Red Sea, while the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen has tightened its position in the Red Sea region.
The situation has placed BRICS members in a particularly delicate position. Iran is directly involved in the conflict, while the UAE has been affected by Iranian attacks and suspended trade and financial transactions with Iran in August. Bringing the two countries behind a single declaration therefore required negotiators to avoid language that could be interpreted as taking sides.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also met on the sidelines of the summit, marking their countries' highest-level meeting since the conflict began. Their encounter was viewed as another sign that diplomatic channels remain open despite the military confrontation.
The joint declaration is also part of a broader effort by BRICS to strengthen its influence in the international system. The grouping has increasingly presented itself as a platform for emerging economies seeking greater representation in global institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers.
BRICS is pushing for reforms of institutions including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization, arguing that developing countries should have greater influence over international economic decision-making. The bloc also opposes what its members describe as economically damaging unilateral sanctions and trade restrictions.
The grouping now consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Together, its members represent more than 40 per cent of the world's population and nearly one-quarter of the global economy, giving the bloc significant economic and political weight even though its members have major differences in foreign policy and strategic interests.
India's position is particularly important because New Delhi is attempting to maintain relationships with competing powers simultaneously. India has strong ties with the United States, Russia, Israel, Iran and the Gulf Arab states, making Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government a key diplomatic bridge within the expanded BRICS grouping.
Modi has also used India's leadership of BRICS to push for greater trade cooperation among member states, reduced barriers and expanded business opportunities. India's position reflects an effort to increase economic cooperation with the Global South while avoiding unnecessary confrontation with Washington.
The summit also carries broader geopolitical significance because it is taking place as major powers attempt to reshape the international order. Russia and China have long supported greater influence for emerging economies and a reduction in what they view as Western dominance of global institutions, while India has sought a more multipolar international system without abandoning its strategic relationship with the United States.
The current crisis has therefore provided BRICS with both an opportunity and a challenge. A unified declaration allows the bloc to demonstrate that it can coordinate its members on a major international security issue. However, the difficulty of reaching agreement also exposes the deep differences among the countries involved.
The joint statement is unlikely by itself to change the military calculations of the United States, Iran or other parties to the conflict. Foreign policy experts have suggested that its greatest significance may be symbolic, demonstrating that BRICS can produce a common diplomatic position despite internal disagreements.
The declaration also reflects the bloc's broader ambition to become more influential in international affairs. BRICS was created in 2009 as a grouping of major emerging economies and has expanded considerably since then. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE joined in 2024, while Indonesia became a member in 2025.
The expansion has increased the economic and political reach of BRICS but has also made consensus more difficult. Members have different political systems, security alliances, economic priorities and relationships with the United States and other Western powers.
The Iran-UAE disagreement illustrates those challenges. Iran's inclusion gives BRICS a direct participant in the Middle East conflict, while the UAE's membership brings in a Gulf Arab state with close economic and security ties to the United States. Reaching a common position requires careful diplomatic language that does not deepen those divisions.
Beyond the Middle East, BRICS leaders are expected to discuss reforms to global governance, economic cooperation, trade and development. The bloc is also seeking greater influence over international financial institutions and has promoted alternatives that could reduce developing countries' dependence on Western-dominated financial structures.
The New Delhi summit comes as global economic tensions are also increasing. Members have criticized unilateral tariffs and sanctions, arguing that such measures can undermine international trade and disproportionately affect developing economies.
The bloc's leaders have therefore increasingly sought to position BRICS as a voice for the Global South, advocating a more representative international system and greater participation by emerging economies in global decision-making. India's official New Delhi Declaration emphasizes sovereign equality, multilateralism, international cooperation and a more representative global order.
For the Middle East, however, the immediate importance of the summit lies in whether the diplomatic language adopted by BRICS can contribute to reducing tensions. The declaration's call for restraint comes at a time when continued military exchanges threaten to further destabilize the Gulf, disrupt energy markets and place additional pressure on international shipping.
The conflict has already raised concerns about the security of critical maritime routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Any prolonged disruption could have consequences for oil prices, global supply chains and economies far beyond the region.
The BRICS agreement therefore represents an attempt to demonstrate diplomatic unity at a moment when its members are divided by the very conflict they are trying to address. Although the declaration may not immediately influence the battlefield, its adoption gives the bloc an opportunity to present itself as an increasingly important diplomatic force.
The challenge now will be whether BRICS can turn the consensus achieved in New Delhi into meaningful diplomatic engagement. The successful negotiation of the declaration shows that compromise remains possible, but the competing interests of its members will continue to test the bloc's ability to act collectively.
For India, the summit provides an opportunity to strengthen its leadership of the Global South while maintaining its complex relationships with Washington, Moscow, Beijing and Middle Eastern governments. For Iran and the UAE, agreeing to the declaration demonstrates that their membership in the same international grouping can continue despite their differences over the war.
And for BRICS as a whole, the joint declaration is a significant diplomatic achievement after the failure to produce a statement earlier this year. Whether it marks the beginning of stronger political coordination or simply a carefully negotiated compromise will depend on how the bloc responds to the continuing Middle East crisis and other major global disputes.