Tehran reminds Modi about need to activate BRICS

• Under India’s chairmanship, the expanded bloc has remained silent • Pezeshkian, Araghchi urge Indian counterparts to spearhead a ‘strong and constructive’ intervention • New Delhi caught in a diplomatic bind amid domestic LPG crisis; balances pro-Israel comments with its ‘friend of Iran’ status NEW DELHI: Iran’s top leaders have urged their Indian counterparts to activate the BRICS to play a “strong and constructive role” in the escalating war with the US and Israel, according to Iranian government readouts of recent telephone conversations. The issue was raised during calls late on Thursday, March 12, between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and separately between Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Tehran pressed New Delhi, which currently chairs the BRICS bloc, to help address the West Asia conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies and shipping routes, The Wire reported, citing an Iranian readout. The Iranian account of the leaders’ call stated that Modi described India as a “friend of Iran”. Pezeshkian reportedly acknowledged the statement, but urged that BRICS should play an active role in the crisis. The same demand for BRICS involvement was made by Araghchi in his call with Jaishankar, their fourth conversation since the conflict began on Feb 28. Jaishankar confirmed the exchange in a post on X on Friday afternoon, saying the two had “discussed bilateral matters as also BRICS related issues”.

According to Iran’s readout of the leaders’ call, published by the state-run Mehr News Agency, Pezeshkian said Iran “did not initiate the war and has no desire to continue it,” but had targeted US military bases in the region in an exercise of its “legitimate right of self-defence”.

In his remarks, Modi expressed concern over the escalating tensions and reiterated that India considers itself a “friend of Iran,” the Iranian statement said. He reportedly added that New Delhi would make a “maximum effort” to advance diplomacy, noting that a wider conflict would not serve the interests of any party. The call for a robust BRICS response highlights a significant diplomatic challenge for India. The bloc, which expanded in 2024-25, now includes both Iran and the United Arab Emirates, two nations on opposing sides of the current conflict after Iranian strikes hit UAE territory. So far, BRICS has not issued any joint statement on the war under India’s chairmanship. This is a departure from last year, when BRICS, then chaired by Brazil, issued two statements on the June 2025 US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A June 25 joint statement expressed “grave concern over the military strikes,” calling them a violation of international law. A later summit declaration in July used stronger language, “condemning” the strikes. Neither statement named the US or Israel. India’s diplomatic position is further complicated by its prior statements. Just 48 hours before the war began, Modi told the Israeli Knesset that he stood firmly with Israel. Following Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US bases in several Gulf Arab states, Modi publicly expressed solidarity with the Arab rulers and condemned the attacks against them, without naming Iran. While India has refrained from criticising the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the other four original BRICS members — Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa — have each individually condemned them. Official sources told The Wire that there have been behind-the-scenes moves to est­a­b­­lish a common BRICS position, but the efforts have been unsuccessful, partly bec­a­use member nations are involved in the conflict. The conversations between the leaders come amid severe disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for India’s energy security. The strait’s near-closure has triggered a domestic crisis for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). India imports over 60pc of its LPG demand, with more than 90pc of those imports sourced from West Asian suppliers via Hormuz. The shortage has severely impacted the restaurant and hospitality sectors. Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2026