War at home, unity in New Delhi: Iran UAE ice-breaker steals spotlight at the 18th BRICS summit

The backdrop to the meetings is revealing, earlier this year, BRICS foreign ministers failed to issue a joint statement after Iran and UAE could not overcome their differences. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, marking their first known direct meeting since the regional conflict began in February 2026.

The meeting comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the expanded BRICS grouping, with the war in West Asia exposing sharp differences among its members even as the bloc seeks to project itself as a stronger voice on global conflicts.

Pezeshkian’s meeting with Sheikh Khaled carries significance beyond Iran-UAE ties. It comes after months of regional tensions and against the backdrop of BRICS’ own difficulties in reaching a common position on the conflict.

A rare Iran-UAE ice-breaker amid war at home

The New Delhi meeting brings together the leaders of Iran and the UAE at a time when the West Asia conflict has placed enormous pressure on regional diplomacy.

While the two countries have maintained diplomatic channels, the direct meeting between Pezeshkian and Sheikh Mohamed is significant because it is the first known face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the conflict began in February.

Their interaction on the sidelines of a summit hosted by India also highlights New Delhi’s growing diplomatic space in a crisis that has far-reaching consequences for energy security, trade and regional stability.

Together, the meetings underline the importance of keeping diplomatic channels open even as the region remains caught in a prolonged conflict.

When BRICS struggled to speak with one voice

The backdrop to the meetings is revealing.

Earlier this year, BRICS foreign ministers failed to issue a joint statement after members could not overcome their differences over the West Asia conflict. Instead, the meeting ended with a chair’s statement and an outcome document.

The disagreement exposed a fundamental challenge for an expanded BRICS. Iran sought stronger condemnation of US and Israeli actions, while Gulf members, including the UAE, had their own concerns over Iranian attacks and regional security.

The result was a familiar problem for the grouping: BRICS could agree on the need for diplomacy, but struggled to agree on how the conflict itself should be described and who should be held responsible.

That ministerial failure made the leaders’ summit in New Delhi an important test of whether the bloc could move beyond those differences.

New Delhi Declaration puts West Asia front and centre

At the leaders’ summit, BRICS did manage to reach consensus.

The New Delhi Declaration places the West Asia conflict among the major issues confronting the international community. BRICS leaders expressed deep concern over the escalation and stressed the need for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy.

The declaration also underscores the importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, respecting international law and the UN Charter, and working towards de-escalation.

The carefully worded consensus reflects the reality inside BRICS: the bloc includes countries with very different strategic relationships with Iran, the Gulf states, Israel and the United States.

For India, the declaration also fits into its broader diplomatic approach to the conflict — pushing for dialogue and peaceful resolution while highlighting the wider consequences of instability for energy supplies, shipping and the global economy.

Xi asks BRICS to become peacemakers

China has gone a step further in defining what it believes BRICS should do.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on BRICS nations to act as peacemakers in the West Asia conflict, saying the ongoing war does not serve the interests of the international community.

Xi’s appeal is significant because it seeks to move BRICS beyond issuing statements and towards playing a more active diplomatic role in conflict resolution.

For a grouping that increasingly presents itself as a platform for the Global South, the West Asia war offers both an opportunity and a test. BRICS has the diplomatic weight and diverse membership to bring different sides into conversation — but its own internal divisions can limit how far it can go.

Although the meeting does not erase the differences within Iran and UAE. But it shows why the New Delhi Summit is becoming an important diplomatic stage for the West Asia crisis.

The question now is whether BRICS can turn dialogue between divided members into meaningful diplomacy beyond the summit hall.

Despite the internal disagreements, BRICS still provides space for conversations that would be difficult to stage elsewhere.
 

Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world news on Zee News.