New Delhi, May 14 (PTI): Sharp differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia conflict were on full display on Thursday during the opening day of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi, signalling the challenges the bloc faces in reaching a consensus position on the crisis.
It is learnt that there were heated exchanges between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar during the first sessions at the meeting.
As the situation appeared to deteriorate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov intervened to cool the tempers, it is learnt.
In his address, Araghchi said Iran is a victim of “illegal expansionism and warmongering” and urged the BRICS nations to “explicitly condemn” what he described as violations of international law by the US and Israel.
The Iranian foreign minister called upon the BRICS to resist “Western hegemony and the sense of impunity that the US believes it is entitled to”.
“Iran, therefore, calls upon BRICS member states and all responsible members of the international community to explicitly condemn violations of international law by the United States and Israel, including their illegal aggression against Iran,” he said.
“We believe that BRICS can and must become one of the principal pillars in shaping a more just, balanced and humane global order; an order in which might can never make right.” Araghchi, however, did not make any reference to the UAE in his remarks.
In his statement, Al Marar mentioned Iran and criticised Tehran for its attacks on several neighbouring countries, people familiar with the matter said.
Soon after, Araghchi sought to respond to the UAE minister’s remarks, referring to the UAE allowing its territory to be used by the US to carry out attacks on Iran, they said.
The UAE minister sharply responded to Araghchi’s remarks.
Iran and the UAE have been sparring in recent weeks over Tehran’s alleged attacks on energy infrastructure in the UAE, which has resulted in BRICS failing to issue a consensus statement on the West Asia crisis.
BRICS operates under a framework of consensus and it will be interesting to see whether the meeting of the bloc can adopt a joint declaration in view of the sharp differences between two of its member states on this crucial issue.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
The India-hosted meet assumes greater significance as the influential bloc grapples with the economic consequences of the West Asia crisis, particularly severe energy-supply disruptions, and Washington’s policy on trade and tariffs. PTI MPB RC
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