India has achieved a significant diplomatic breakthrough at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi by helping bridge differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), enabling the expanded BRICS grouping to agree on a joint declaration.
The development comes at a particularly sensitive time, with the ongoing conflict in West Asia creating sharp differences among BRICS members. The consensus on the BRICS New Delhi Declaration is being viewed as an important demonstration of India’s diplomatic role and its ability to build agreement among countries with competing geopolitical interests.
India Helps Break the BRICS Deadlock
The 2026 BRICS Summit is being held in New Delhi under India’s chairship. Negotiations over the joint declaration had become difficult because of differences between Iran and the UAE over how the declaration should address the ongoing West Asia conflict.
Earlier BRICS ministerial discussions had failed to produce a common statement on the issue. Iran wanted stronger language concerning the actions of the United States and Israel, while the UAE sought recognition of attacks against its territory and criticism of Iranian strikes.
Indian diplomats worked towards a compromise that focused on broader principles rather than directly assigning blame to individual countries. This approach helped create space for consensus among the 11 BRICS members.
Joint Declaration Agreed After Intensive Negotiations
According to reports, negotiations continued into the early hours before the BRICS countries reached agreement on the declaration. The breakthrough represents an important diplomatic success for India’s BRICS chairship.
The BRICS New Delhi Declaration reaffirms the grouping’s commitment to mutual respect, sovereign equality, solidarity, inclusiveness, cooperation and consensus. It also stresses stronger cooperation across BRICS’ political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people pillars.
What Does the BRICS Declaration Say About the West Asia Conflict?
The declaration adopts language centred on de-escalation and international principles.
Among the major themes are:
- Maximum restraint to prevent further escalation
- Protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure
- Respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Support for dialogue and diplomatic solutions
- Safeguarding international trade and maritime stability
- Opposition to actions that could further destabilise the region
The declaration therefore attempts to balance the different positions within BRICS rather than explicitly taking a side in the Iran-UAE dispute. Reuters reported that Iran and the UAE endorsed the joint statement calling for restraint amid the continuing conflict.
Why the Iran-UAE Issue Was So Important
The inclusion of Iran and the UAE as BRICS members has added greater geopolitical complexity to the organisation.
Iran became a full BRICS member in 2024, while the UAE also joined during the expansion of the grouping. Indonesia subsequently became a member in 2025. The expansion has increased BRICS’ global economic and political weight but has also brought countries with very different foreign-policy interests into the same forum.
The Iran-UAE disagreement over the West Asia conflict demonstrated one of the biggest challenges facing the expanded BRICS: how to maintain consensus when members have sharply different positions on major international conflicts.
India’s Diplomatic Role
India’s approach appears to have been based on finding common ground rather than forcing a particular country’s position into the final document.
Indian officials reportedly worked with the BRICS Sherpas to develop language that could accommodate competing positions while retaining references to principles such as the UN Charter, sovereignty, territorial integrity and protection of civilians.
This is significant because consensus is central to BRICS decision-making. A joint declaration from all members sends a stronger political message than separate national statements.
The successful negotiations also follow several months of diplomatic efforts under India’s 2026 BRICS chairship. India had already promoted cooperation in areas such as mediation and arbitration among BRICS countries earlier this year.
BRICS and the Changing Global Order
The 2026 summit comes at a time when BRICS is becoming increasingly important in discussions about the future of global governance.
The grouping originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining later. It subsequently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia.
The enlarged grouping represents a substantial share of the world’s population and economy and is seeking greater representation for developing and emerging economies in international institutions.
The New Delhi Declaration therefore has significance beyond the immediate Iran-UAE disagreement.
It demonstrates that despite substantial differences between members, BRICS can still negotiate a common position on major international issues.
Trade, Economy and Multilateral Cooperation
The BRICS agenda is not limited to geopolitical issues.
Economic cooperation, financial coordination, trade, energy security, supply chains and the role of the New Development Bank remain important components of the grouping’s agenda.
India has also pushed for reforms of multilateral institutions and greater cooperation among developing countries. Discussions around trade in national currencies and strengthening economic cooperation have formed part of the broader BRICS agenda during India’s chairship.
What the Development Means for India
The successful adoption of a joint declaration provides India with an important diplomatic achievement.
India has demonstrated that it can use its position as BRICS chair to facilitate dialogue even when member states have conflicting interests.
The Iran-UAE issue was particularly challenging because it involved an active regional conflict with implications for energy supplies, maritime security, international trade and global geopolitics.
By helping the two sides find acceptable language, India has reinforced its image as a country capable of maintaining dialogue with different geopolitical blocs.
A Test of BRICS Unity
The agreement should not be interpreted as meaning that all differences within BRICS have disappeared.
The grouping continues to contain countries with different strategic partnerships, economic interests and foreign-policy priorities. The West Asia conflict is only one example of the challenges facing the expanded organisation.
However, reaching consensus despite those differences is itself significant.
The New Delhi Declaration shows that BRICS can continue functioning as a platform for dialogue even when its members disagree on major geopolitical questions.
Conclusion
The agreement on the BRICS Joint Declaration in New Delhi marks an important diplomatic moment for India and the expanded BRICS grouping.
India’s efforts to bridge the differences between Iran and the UAE helped create the conditions for consensus at a time when the West Asia conflict threatened to divide the organisation.
The larger message from the summit is clear: BRICS is becoming more diverse and geopolitically complicated, but consensus-building remains possible through sustained diplomacy.
For India, the episode represents another opportunity to demonstrate its diplomatic influence and its ability to engage simultaneously with countries holding very different positions on global affairs.
Key Takeaways
| Issue | Key Development |
|---|---|
| BRICS Summit | 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi |
| BRICS Chair | India |
| Major hurdle | Iran-UAE differences over West Asia |
| Outcome | Joint BRICS declaration agreed |
| India’s role | Helped bridge differences and facilitate consensus |
| West Asia | Declaration calls for restraint, de-escalation and protection of civilians |
| Wider significance | Demonstrates BRICS’ ability to maintain consensus despite geopolitical differences |