BRICS nations call for ‘maximum restraint’ in shadow of worsening Mid-East war — SkimNews
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- BRICS nations (11 members including China, Russia, Iran, and India) issued a joint statement on Sept 12 in New Delhi calling for "maximum restraint" in the Middle East and condemning attacks on civilian infrastructure and IAEA-safeguarded nuclear facilities.
- India, as host, overcame divisions that had blocked a joint statement at the June foreign ministers' meeting, with negotiations running into the early hours of Sept 12 to secure agreement among Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE despite sharply divergent geopolitical positions.
- Hours before the summit began, Saudi Arabia closed a key alternative pipeline to the Strait of Hormuz following Iran-backed militant attacks; oil prices surged close to US$110 and Asian equities and bonds slumped.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian gave a defiant speech on Sept 11 in New Delhi declaring his country "never kneel[s] down" before the US and Israel and will "push back" if pressured, even as Tehran struck UAE and Saudi targets in retaliation.
- Prime Minister Modi is using the summit to advance a Global South agenda including greater trade in local currencies, cross-border payment links, and IMF and World Bank reforms, while resisting efforts to recast BRICS as an anti-US bloc.
- Xi Jinping attended in his first India visit in seven years, striking a positive bilateral tone with Modi despite the two countries' longstanding border dispute remaining unresolved.
Why it matters: The joint BRICS statement is a concrete diplomatic win for host India, which spent months bridging a Saudi-Iran-UAE split that had blocked consensus in June. The unity holds even as oil prices near US$110 reflect active Middle East disruptions — including the Strait of Hormuz pipeline closure — giving Modi leverage to project India as a neutral convener while his own ties with Washington fray under Trump's trade war.
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