BRICS nations, including Iran and Russia, met in New Delhi on Thursday, with India warning of “considerable flux” in global affairs amid conflict, economic uncertainty and energy security concerns.
The war in Iran and the related fuel crisis dominated discussions at the two-day meeting.
India hosted foreign ministers from the expanded BRICS bloc, which now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — countries divided over the conflict launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
“We meet at a time of considerable flux in international relations,” India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in his opening remarks before closed-door meetings began.
Foreign ministers attending the meeting included Iran’s Abbas Araghchi and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov.
“Ongoing conflicts, economic uncertainties, and challenges in trade, technology and climate are shaping the global landscape,” Jaishankar said, adding that many countries “continue to face challenges on energy, food, fertiliser and health security”.
Disruptions around Gulf shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz continue to cause volatility in oil and gas markets, adding pressure on energy-importing economies, including India.
India’s foreign ministry also condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged ship off Oman on Wednesday as “unacceptable”, adding that all sailors were rescued safely by Muscat.
“We deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian mariners continue to be targeted,” the foreign ministry said, without giving details on who launched the attack.
Speaking in New Delhi, Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz “is open for all” commercial vessels that “cooperate” with Iran’s navy.
“There is no such thing as a military solution to anything related to Iran,” Araghchi said. “We Iranians never bow to any pressure or threat, but we reciprocate the language of respect.”
The conflict involving Iran has added pressure on India’s economy, which depends heavily on Middle Eastern energy supplies and fertiliser imports, and has created uncertainty over the country’s growth outlook.
India, the world’s third-largest oil buyer, usually sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that has faced repeated disruptions since the war began.
Ship-tracking and import data show India has partly managed the disruption by increasing purchases from old suppliers, expanding ties with partners and reviving imports from countries it had not sourced from in years.
Russian crude has become the main support after New Delhi spent much of the past year attempting to reduce dependence on it under US tariff pressure.
Jaishankar met Lavrov on Wednesday evening.
“Our political cooperation is even more valuable in an uncertain and volatile global environment,” Jaishankar said during the meeting, adding that talks included “trade and investment, energy and connectivity”.
BRICS was formed in 2009 as a grouping of emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers.
The bloc originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but later expanded as members sought to increase its political and economic influence globally.
The grouping now also includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi did not attend the meeting, with US president Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday.
India will host a BRICS leaders’ summit later this year, and the foreign ministers are also scheduled to meet prime minister Narendra Modi, the foreign ministry said.
With divisions among members over the Middle East conflict and criticism of Western powers, it remained unclear whether the meeting would end with a joint statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
