Iran war reshapes Brics ties but also exposes divisions
The 2026 Iran war placed strain on BRICS' internal cohesion at the 18th Summit in New Delhi, with member states Iran and the UAE positioned on opposing sides of the wider West Asia conflict.
Despite these divisions, the bloc unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration, urging "maximum restraint" and condemning "attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities" in West Asia without assigning blame to any party.
The declaration notably omitted any specific reference to the Russia-Ukraine war, a departure from the language of some previous BRICS declarations.
Analysts characterised the summit's consensus as achieved by sidestepping the bloc's sharpest disagreements rather than resolving them, with India — as summit host and chair for 2026 — working to keep BRICS from being framed as an anti-Western bloc while pursuing broader "strategic autonomy" and Global South solidarity themes.
BRICS as a Consensus-Based Grouping, Not a Treaty Alliance
Unlike NATO, which is a formal collective-defence treaty organisation obligating members to mutual defence under Article 5, BRICS has no founding treaty, no collective-security clause, and no binding decision-making mechanism — all outcomes, including summit declarations, require consensus among all full members.
Key Details
- BRICS originated as an informal grouping (initially "BRIC" — Brazil, Russia, India, China) from a 2001 Goldman Sachs economic thesis, with the first leaders' summit held in 2009; South Africa joined in 2010, making it "BRICS."
- As a non-treaty grouping, BRICS lacks the institutional enforcement tools of formal alliances; its influence operates through declaratory diplomacy, coordinated positions at other multilateral bodies (UN, G20, WTO), and joint institutions like the New Development Bank.
- The consensus requirement means any single full member can effectively block or dilute language in a joint declaration, explaining why sensitive issues (Ukraine, Iran-UAE tensions) are addressed through vague, non-attributive phrasing rather than specific condemnation.
The Iran-UAE divide illustrates precisely why BRICS declarations use generalised language like "maximum restraint" instead of naming an aggressor: as a consensus-based (not treaty-bound) grouping, unanimity is the only path to a joint text, forcing the lowest-common-denominator framing that the 2026 declaration exhibits.
The Strait of Hormuz as a Strategic Chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman/UAE connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea, is the world's most critical oil transit chokepoint, giving the West Asian conflict direct global economic stakes beyond the immediate combatants.
Iran and the UAE's opposing positions within BRICS are magnified by their shared proximity to this chokepoint; a full BRICS statement naming a side risks alienating major oil-consuming members like India and China, who depend on continued freedom of navigation through the Strait regardless of the conflict's outcome.
India's Strategic Autonomy Amid Bloc Divisions
India's approach to managing BRICS' internal divisions during its 2026 chairship reflects its long-standing strategic-autonomy doctrine — engaging multiple, sometimes opposed, partners simultaneously without being drawn into bloc-versus-bloc framing.
Key Details
- India has consistently resisted characterising BRICS as an "anti-Western" platform, instead promoting it as a Global South-oriented forum for institutional reform (UN Security Council expansion, multilateral development finance) rather than confrontation.
- This mirrors India's historical Non-Aligned Movement (NAM, founded 1961) lineage, updated for a multipolar era in which India simultaneously participates in BRICS, the SCO, the Quad, and the G20.
- India's balancing act includes maintaining energy and defence ties with Russia, trade and technology ties with the West, and diplomatic engagement with both Iran and Gulf Arab states — a working example of multi-alignment under strain.
India's summit-chair role in brokering the New Delhi Declaration despite the Iran-UAE rift is a direct application of its strategic-autonomy approach — prioritising the bloc's institutional continuity and its own Global South credibility over taking sides in a member-state conflict.
- BRICS origin: informal grouping from 2001 Goldman Sachs thesis; first leaders' summit 2009; South Africa joined 2010.
- Strait of Hormuz: approximately 20% of global oil consumption and about 25% of world seaborne oil trade transits it; roughly 84% of that oil is Asia-bound.
- BRICS full membership (2026): 11 states, including Iran and the UAE (both joined as full members 1 January 2024).
- New Delhi Declaration (12 September 2026): urges "maximum restraint" in West Asia, omits specific reference to the Russia-Ukraine war.