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3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 15, 2026 04:04 AM IST
India, which holds the rotational presidency of the grouping for 2026, is expected to host the summit of BRICS leaders later this year.
A DAY after Iran reached out to Delhi for a statement on behalf of BRICS, currently chaired by India, condemning the US and Israeli strikes, the External Affairs Ministry said on Saturday that it has been difficult to forge a consensus on the issue because of involvement of BRICS member countries in the ongoing conflict.
Without naming any country, MEA’s official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “Some members of the BRICS are directly involved in the current situation in the West Asia region, which has impacted forging a consensus on a common BRICS position on the ongoing conflict. As Chair of BRICS, India has been facilitating discussions among members through the Sherpa channel.”
He said the last virtual BRICS Sherpa meeting was held on March 12. In addition, “Indian leadership has been engaging with leaders of BRICS members in the region. India will continue to engage,” the MEA spokesperson said.
The Indian Express reported on Saturday that Tehran had reached out to Delhi to take the lead in issuing a statement on behalf of the BRICS, condemning the US and Israeli strikes against Iran in the last two weeks. This put Delhi in a diplomatic pickle since it has stayed away from taking sides in the ongoing conflict.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to leaders of the countries in the region hit in Iran strikes, condemned the attacks and thanked them for looking after the Indian community “in these difficult times”.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also spoke to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday night — their fourth conversation since the outbreak of hostilities on February 28. In a post on X on Friday, Jaishankar said they “discussed bilateral matters as also BRICS-related issues”.
The BRICS grouping has Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (the original five), besides Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which host US bases and personnel, have been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones. The fact that all three countries are in the BRICS has made diplomatic navigation difficult for Delhi.
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India, which holds the rotational presidency of the grouping for 2026, is expected to host the summit of BRICS leaders later this year.
PM Modi has spoken to leaders of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iran — all BRICS members — in the last two weeks. Jaishankar has also spoken to his counterparts in these countries, as well as in Russia.
The BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5% of the global population, around 40% of the global GDP and around 26% of the global trade.
Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
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