BRICS Summit Tests Bloc Unity Amid Wars, Dollar Push — SkimNews
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- BRICS leaders gathered in New Delhi on Saturday, with Modi hosting Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian, and counterparts from the bloc's 11 members representing about half the world's population.
- De-dollarization is a summit priority, with members promoting national currencies in trade and alternatives to Western-dominated financial institutions.
- Iran's Pezeshkian backed expanding national-currency trade among BRICS members, explicitly citing Tehran's need to shield from U.S. sanctions and blockade.
- India is balancing longstanding ties with Russia and Iran against efforts to deepen relations with the U.S. and Europe, while hoping the forum eases strained ties with China via expected Modi-Xi talks.
- A joint statement will be a critical deliverable, after BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on one in May over the Iran war, forcing India to issue a chair's summary instead.
- The summit convenes amid fears the Iran war — triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 — could expand amid escalating Saudi Arabia–Houthi tensions.
Why it matters: India must broker a joint statement after BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on one in May over the Iran war — a bloc representing half the world's population. Iran's concrete push for national-currency trade directly responds to its sanctions pressure, while member states like India and China still pursue divergent bilateral interests that complicate any unified stance against the U.S.
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