NEW DELHI - Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar opened a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers on Thursday by highlighting the vital role of uninterrupted maritime movement through international waterways, explicitly citing the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea as essential for global economic health.
"The conflict in West Asia merits particular attention," Jaishankar said, referring to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. He warned that secure and unimpeded maritime flows through international waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, remain vital for global economic well-being.
The war in Iran has had a profound effect on global energy trade, with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz described as one of the largest disruptions to energy markets in history. That disruption has choked tanker traffic and pushed energy prices higher, raising concerns about spiralling inflation and the potential for a broader global economic downturn.
The BRICS group, originally founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China, later expanded to include South Africa in 2011. More recent additions to the grouping include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. India is serving as the BRICS chair for 2026.
Foreign ministers from most member states are present at the New Delhi meeting, among them Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and the UAE's Deputy Foreign Minister Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar. Delegates are navigating a difficult diplomatic landscape: the war, which began on February 28, has intensified divisions within the group and made it harder to forge consensus on a joint statement, particularly given the opposing positions of Iran and the UAE.
Jaishankar also urged BRICS to confront what he described as an "increasing resort to unilateral coercive measures and sanctions inconsistent with international law and the U.N. Charter." He said such measures "disproportionately affect developing countries" and warned that they cannot replace dialogue or diplomacy. Jaishankar added that emerging economies expect BRICS to act in a constructive and stabilising fashion.
The meeting in New Delhi brings into sharp relief the challenge of maintaining cohesion within an expanding and diverse bloc as it confronts an active regional conflict with wide-reaching economic consequences.