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    EYE ON INDIA                                                              MAY 08, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 11

                                    Fractures in Consensus:

               Is the Iran War Testing BRICS Unity?

              Diverging positions on West Asia are exposing fault lines within BRICS, raising questions

                                       about the bloc’s ability to act cohesively on global crises.

            OUR BUREAU
            New Delhi
                  he inability of BRICS members to issue a
                  joint statement following a key meeting on
            TWest Asia has triggered fresh debate over
            whether the ongoing regional conflict—shaped in
            part by tensions involving Iran—is casting a shadow
            over the grouping’s unity and global ambitions.
                The BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and
            Special Envoys meeting on the Middle East and
            North Africa (MENA), held in New Delhi on
            April 23–24, ended with only a Chair’s Summary
            rather than a consensus document. According to
            the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the failure
            to agree on a joint statement stemmed from deep
            divisions among member states over the evolving
            conflict in West Asia.
                “A joint statement was not possible because a
            general consensus could not be reached among the
            members… regarding the ongoing conflict in West
            Asia,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said,
            rejecting what he described as “speculative and in-
            accurate reporting” around the issue.
                The development is significant for a grouping   Secretary (South), Dr. Neena Malhotra meets Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Borisenko Georgy, on the sidelines of the BRICS
            that has positioned itself as a platform for coordi-                MENA Consultations, in New Delhi (@MEAIndia X/ANI Photo)
            nation among emerging economies on global polit-
            ical and economic governance. BRICS—compris-
            ing countries such as India, China, Russia, Brazil   participants, including Palestine. The comparison   Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to visit New Delhi in
            and South Africa, alongside newer members in-  underscores how BRICS, despite its ambitions,   May for the Foreign Ministers’ meeting, which is
            cluding Iran, the UAE and others—has expanded   may struggle to align diverse geopolitical priorities.  expected to focus on strengthening strategic part-
            both in size and geopolitical scope. That expansion,   India’s own position has also come under   nerships and addressing pressing global issues.
            however, is now testing its internal coherence.  scrutiny. Jairam Ramesh alleged that New Delhi’s   Russian officials have described the upcoming
                At  the  heart  of  the  divergence  are  conflict-  insistence on “diluting the language on Israel and   engagement as a “valuable platform for substan-
            ing national interests and geopolitical alignments   Palestine”  contributed  to  the  deadlock,  claiming   tive discussions on current international issues and
            within the bloc. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh   that such a stance was unacceptable to several   prospects  for  strengthening  global  governance.”
            pointed to “divergent positions” between Iran and   other members, including Russia, China, Brazil   Yet, the shadow of recent disagreements suggests
            the United Arab Emirates as one of the reasons   and South Africa. While the government has not   that achieving substantive outcomes may require
            for the lack of consensus, arguing that such dif-  directly addressed this claim, it highlights the bal-  navigating complex internal dynamics.
            ferences were “only to be expected” in a grouping   ancing act India faces as it navigates competing   The Iran factor is central to this challenge. As
            with varied regional stakes.                 partnerships in a volatile region.            both a regional actor directly linked to West Asian
                The West Asia crisis itself is multi-layered, en-  The implications extend beyond diplomatic   geopolitics and a relatively new member of BRICS,
            compassing the Gaza conflict, tensions involving Isra-  optics. BRICS has sought to position itself as a   Iran brings with it strategic priorities that may not
            el, ceasefire dynamics in Lebanon, and broader insta-  voice of the “global majority,” advocating reforms   always align with those of other members. Its po-
            bility across countries like Syria, Yemen and Sudan.   in global governance and offering alternative   sitions on regional conflicts, particularly those in-
            According to the MEA, discussions at the BRICS   frameworks to Western-led institutions. However,   volving Israel and the Gulf states, can complicate
            meeting covered all these areas, including humani-  the inability to agree on a joint statement in the   consensus-building within the bloc.
            tarian aid, the role of UNRWA, a zero-tolerance ap-  face of a major geopolitical crisis raises questions   For now, the events in New Delhi serve as a
            proach to terrorism, and post-conflict reconstruction.  about its effectiveness as a unified actor.  reminder that as BRICS grows in ambition and
                The absence of consensus is particularly strik-  The timing adds another layer of complexity.   membership, it must also grapple with the realities
            ing when contrasted with other multilateral en-  India, currently chairing BRICS under the theme   of divergent interests. The shadow cast by the Iran-
            gagements. Jaiswal cited the India-Arab League   “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation   linked conflict may not define the bloc, but it has
            Foreign Ministers’ meeting earlier this year, where   and Sustainability,” is preparing to host the 18th   certainly exposed the challenges of speaking in one
            a joint statement was successfully endorsed by all   BRICS Summit later this year. Ahead of that,   voice in an increasingly divided world.

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