he BRICS India meeting on May 14–15 in New Delhi is drawing more attention than these gatherings usually do. Since US-Israeli strikes hit Iran in late February, the bloc has said nothing publicly — no joint statement, no condemnation, and also no call for restraint. Iran, a BRICS member since 2024, has kept pushing the grouping to act. The BRICS foreign ministers meeting will also mark the first time Tehran, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi sit in the same room since the war began — and right now, India holds the chair and the responsibility that comes with it.

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India’s foreign ministry confirmed what most observers already assumed — the bloc stayed quiet because it could not agree, with “some members of the BRICS are directly involved in the current situation in the West Asia region.” Fine. But that explanation does not really hold up as a long-term position, and the BRICS foreign ministers meeting is where it stops being viable. Iran has been making that argument directly. Araghchi got Jaishankar on the phone and pressed him on the silence — not through a statement, not through back channels, but in a direct call that the Iranian side also made public. The BRICS Iran narrative at that point was already uncomfortable for New Delhi. India BRICS diplomacy was being called out by name, and the May meeting is the response.

Iran’s Foreign MinisterSeyed Abbas Araghchistated:

“It is essential for the institution to play a constructive role at the current juncture in supporting regional and global stability and security.”

India has so far not issued anything along those lines through the bloc. New Delhi called for “dialogue and diplomacy,” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing “deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives.” The BRICS India meeting, though, is shaping up to be the moment when that quiet engagement either becomes visible or falls short.

The energy fallout hit hard and fast. QatarEnergy’s CEO told Reuters that Iranian attacks knocked out a sixth of Qatar’s LNG export capacity — worth $20 billion a year — and that repairs would take three to five years. Iran also moved to restrict the Strait of Hormuz, and at the time of writing, operators had rerouted over 1,000 vessels, with global freight costs climbing sharply as a result.

The conflict also strained Gulf states’ relationship with Washington. Iranian missiles hit the UAE during the fighting, and GCC governments learned about US strikes on Iran without prior consultation. Bahrain and Kuwait have since signaled interest in joining the bloc. Saudi Arabia appears on BRICS’ own website as a member but has not formally confirmed that status, though Riyadh kept sending ministerial delegations after the 2023 invitation. The BRICS Iran tensions, in short, are also pushing Gulf states to rethink how much they want from the grouping going forward.

India’s quiet posture during the conflict drew criticism. Pakistan ended up hosting US-Iran talks in Islamabad — a fact that landed badly at home and raised eyebrows abroad. Analysts who spoke to The Federal put the stakes around the BRICS India meeting plainly. US-Iran talks in Islamabad — a fact that landed badly at home and raised eyebrows abroad. Analysts who spoke to The Federal put the stakes around the BRICS India meeting plainly.

An expert speaking to The Federal said:

Source: Watcher Guru