Deepening hostility between Iran and the United Arab Emirates dominated a BRICS foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi, preventing the bloc from issuing a unified closing statement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A summit of BRICS foreign ministers hosted this week in India descended into open confrontation after Iranian officials accused the United Arab Emirates of assisting Israel and the United States during recent military operations against Iran, exposing growing fractures inside the expanding geopolitical bloc.
The gathering in New Delhi concluded without a joint statement after disputes between Iran and the UAE overwhelmed discussions among member nations, according to an Associated Press report.
BRICS originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa before expanding in 2023 to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the UAE. Indonesia later joined the bloc. Argentina declined membership, while Saudi Arabia did not formally respond to its invitation.
The coalition, initially formed as an economic discussion group, has increasingly been positioned by China and other members as an alternative power center to Western-led organizations such as the G7.
India, serving as host for the latest ministerial meeting, faced mounting tensions as Iranian officials used the summit to publicly attack fellow member states.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has recently been issuing warnings related to shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz, directed sharp criticism at the UAE delegation led by Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen al-Marar.
The dispute intensified after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reportedly claimed he held a secret wartime meeting with Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan during the recent conflict involving Israel, Iran, and the United States. Netanyahu’s office described the alleged meeting as a “historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”
Reports also indicated Israel deployed elements of its Iron Dome defense system to assist in protecting the UAE from Iranian missile and drone attacks, with Israeli personnel supporting the effort.
The UAE publicly denied Netanyahu’s claim of a covert meeting, stating that its relationship with Israel is conducted openly and transparently rather than through unofficial arrangements.
Araghchi responded with a social media statement accusing unnamed regional governments of cooperating with Israel against Iran.
“Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran’s security services long ago conveyed to our leadership,” Araghchi wrote.
“Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable. Those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account,” he added.
At Thursday’s BRICS meeting, Araghchi defended his earlier remarks while accusing the UAE of directly supporting military operations against Iran.
“I didn’t name the UAE in my statement for the sake of unity. But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn’t even issue a condemnation,” Araghchi said during remarks reported by Reuters.
The Iranian foreign minister also insisted Tehran’s attacks on the UAE targeted only American military assets while warning Emirati officials against relying on U.S. protection.
“We must live side by side in peace, and this requires peaceful relations and complete understanding between the two countries,” he stated.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi escalated the rhetoric further by accusing the UAE of assisting Israel and the United States during military operations targeting Iran.
“The United Arab Emirates played a significant role in supporting and facilitating the military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Gharibabadi said during the summit. “Therefore, a party that itself contributed to the creation and escalation of tensions lacks any legitimacy to level political accusations and claims against Iran.”
He further declared that the UAE was “an aggressor, not merely an accomplice to aggression.”
“We had no option but to target all facilities of U.S. bases in the UAE, or any facilities and installations in the UAE in which the United States had a role or participation,” Gharibabadi said.
According to the Iranian deputy foreign minister, Tehran had warned regional governments before the conflict that cooperation with Israel or the United States could result in retaliatory strikes.
“We warned them that if they assisted the aggressors and made their territory and facilities available to them, Iran would have no choice but to exercise its legitimate right of self-defense by targeting those facilities in defense of its country,” he said.
The dispute overshadowed broader BRICS discussions and highlighted growing internal tensions among members with sharply different strategic alignments and security interests.
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