Escalating West Asian Friction Shadows BRICS Summit
The 18th BRICS Summit hosted by India in New Delhi faces significant diplomatic hurdles as consensus on a Joint Declaration hangs in the balance. Sharp geopolitical fractures between newly admitted full members, particularly Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have surfaced during pre-summit ministerial meetings. What was envisioned as a unified forum for emerging economies is now grappling with deep-seated conflicts in West Asia, making the negotiation of a common consensus text exceptionally difficult for host diplomats.
Roots of the Iran-UAE Rift and Territorial Disputes
The core friction within the expanded BRICS bloc stems from escalating confrontations in West Asia and a long-running territorial dispute between Iran and the UAE. Central to their bilateral discord is the contested sovereignty over three strategic Persian Gulf islands—Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. Tensions spiked after Iranian officials made stern declarations accusing the UAE of making colonial claims over the islands. In response, the UAE and its regional allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned Iran’s presence on the islands as an illegal occupation.
Beyond territorial disputes, the ongoing conflict across the Middle East has exacerbated diplomatic hostility. During earlier ministerial sessions, representatives from both nations exchanged sharp rebukes, with Iran accusing regional neighbors of aligning with Western military strategies and the UAE rejecting Iranian allegations while condemning attacks on its regional stability.
Sherpas Scramble as Earlier Meetings Ended Without Consensus
The challenge of issuing a joint declaration became apparent during the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in New Delhi, which failed to produce a unified communiqué. Instead, the session concluded with only a Chair’s Statement after formal reservations were entered regarding clauses related to maritime security, state sovereignty, and regional aggression.
With the main leaders’ summit underway, BRICS Sherpas and senior foreign policy advisors are scrambling in marathon negotiation sessions to draft acceptable language. Diplomatic sources indicate that while there is broad agreement on economic cooperation, WTO reforms, and increasing intra-bloc trade in local currencies, political and security clauses remain heavily contested.
India’s Diplomatic Balancing Act in Navigating Divergent Views
As the host nation and current chair of BRICS, India is undertaking an extensive diplomatic balancing act. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Indian negotiators are drawing on experience from previous multilateral summits to broker a compromise. India has consistently advocated a “non-Western, not anti-Western” posture for BRICS, seeking to prevent the grouping from degenerating into a confrontational bloc.
While Russia and China have pressed for stronger anti-Western stances, a majority of members—including India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—prefer maintaining economic ties with Western financial centers while building multilateral alternatives. Analysts suggest that India may successfully draft a minimally acceptable compromise text, ensuring the summit concludes with a Joint Declaration even if security language remains broad and neutral.
