The New Delhi summit brings Iran, India, China, Russia and other BRICS members together as divisions over the Iran conflict challenge the bloc’s push for greater global influence.
Web Desk: The ongoing Iran war is testing the unity of the expanded BRICS bloc as leaders gather in New Delhi for a summit aimed at increasing the grouping’s influence in global affairs.
The two-day BRICS Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for September 12-13, comes as Iran, a BRICS member, remains in direct conflict with the United States while other members maintain very different relationships with Washington and Tehran.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, among other leaders. The summit is expected to address the Iran conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war, global trade disputes and economic issues including alternative payment systems.
Iran War Creates Divisions Within BRICS
The conflict has exposed differences inside a grouping that operates largely through consensus.
Iran and the United Arab Emirates, both members of the expanded bloc, have found themselves on opposing sides of the conflict. The UAE suspended trade and financial transactions with Iran in August after Iranian missile attacks, according to Reuters.
The differences could make it difficult for BRICS leaders to agree on a common position regarding the war or Western sanctions on Iran.
Analysts cited by Anadolu said members may share opposition in principle to unilateral or extraterritorial sanctions but could take different approaches when deciding how to respond.
Expanded Bloc Faces Its First Major Unity Test
BRICS originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It expanded in 2024 with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, followed by Indonesia in 2025.
The grouping now has 11 members, while a further group of countries joined as partner states in 2025, including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The expansion has increased BRICS’ geographic and economic reach, but it has also brought together countries with competing strategic interests.
Analysts warn that the diversity that makes BRICS more representative of the Global South could simultaneously make consensus more difficult.
India Seeks a Delicate Balance
India faces a particularly complicated diplomatic task as host of the summit.
New Delhi maintains close strategic and energy ties with Russia while also developing relations with the United States. India is also seeking to manage its relationship with China and maintain ties with Iran.
Modi held separate talks with Putin and Iranian President Pezeshkian on Friday ahead of the summit. Discussions with Putin covered political, economic, defence and energy cooperation, while Modi and Pezeshkian discussed bilateral ties as well as regional stability and maritime security.
China and India are also arranging a bilateral meeting between Xi and Modi during Xi’s visit for the BRICS summit.
BRICS and the Dollar Question
The summit is also expected to renew debate over BRICS efforts to reduce dependence on the US dollar.
Experts cited by Anadolu said members are expanding the use of national currencies for trade, including the Indian rupee and Russian ruble. However, a single BRICS currency remains unlikely in the near term.
BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors have meanwhile called for reforms to institutions including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. They have also supported stronger cross-border payment systems and further work on BRICS payment mechanisms.
The push comes as US tariffs, sanctions and export controls encourage some emerging economies to seek greater protection from external economic pressure.
Oil Crisis Adds Economic Pressure
The Iran war has also created a direct economic challenge for BRICS countries.
Fighting and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz have affected global oil flows and pushed crude prices above $100 a barrel. The disruption has particularly complicated the energy calculations of countries such as India and China, which are major oil consumers.
The conflict has therefore made energy security, trade resilience and alternative financial mechanisms particularly important issues for the summit.
Can BRICS Present a United Front?
The central question in New Delhi is whether BRICS can translate its growing economic and political weight into a coherent diplomatic position.
Experts cited by Anadolu cautioned that individual members are likely to prioritise their own national interests, particularly their economic relationships with the United States and access to the dollar-based financial system.
At the same time, the presence of Modi, Xi, Putin and Pezeshkian under the same BRICS framework is likely to draw considerable attention in Western capitals.
The summit could therefore become an important test of whether BRICS’ expansion strengthens its collective influence or exposes deeper divisions within the grouping.
For now, the Iran war has placed that question at the centre of the New Delhi summit.
