India steers BRICS summit past Iran-UAE dispute, issues only chair statement

India chaired the BRICS ministerial summit in New Delhi on 14‑15 May 2026. Deepening rivalry between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, both new members after the 2024 expansion, blocked consensus among the eight members. For the first time in the bloc’s history the summit did not produce a joint communiqué; instead India released only a Chair’s Statement and an Outcome Document.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on BRICS to condemn what he described as violations of international law by the United States and Israel, a demand rebuffed by UAE Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen Al Marar, who accused Iran of justifying attacks on Gulf states. The meeting coincided with a US‑China summit in Beijing, and China’s foreign minister was absent from the BRICS talks. The foreign‑ministers’ session had been meant to prepare for the September heads‑of‑state summit on trade finance, local‑currency settlement, UN reform and the New Development Bank, but the agenda shifted to the Middle‑East conflict. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar described India’s handling as “pragmatic realism.”