Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on fellow BRICS nations to condemn what he described as violations of international law by the United States and Israel, as the war in the Middle East and the related fuel crisis dominated the two-day gathering in New Delhi.
Araghchi also accused the United Arab Emirates, a US ally, of direct involvement in military operations against Iran, marking a rare moment when Iranian and Emirati officials were in the same room since the US and Israel's war on Iran began in late February.
Araghchi said Iran was a “victim of illegal expansionism and warmongering.” He urged BRICS+ nations – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the UAE – 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,” he stated. Later, Araghchi told the gathering that the UAE was “directly involved in the aggression against my country,” according to Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency.
In response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran, Tehran launched strikes on US military sites and assets in Gulf States, including the UAE. It was not immediately clear how the UAE and other nations responded to Araghchi's remarks.
India is hosting foreign ministers from the expanded BRICS bloc, which now includes Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – countries at odds over the Middle East war. “We meet at a time of considerable flux in international relations,” said India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Disruptions around Gulf shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz continue to drive volatility in oil and gas markets, increasing pressure on energy-importing economies like India. India's Ministry of External Affairs also condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged ship off Oman as “unacceptable,” with all sailors rescued safely.
Araghchi insisted that the Strait of Hormuz “is open for all” commercial vessels that “cooperate” with its navy. The US and Israel's war on Iran has added strain to India's economy, which relies heavily on Middle Eastern energy and fertilizer imports. India normally sources about half of its crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
India will host a BRICS leaders' summit later this year. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Press Trust of India that “one member country” had pushed for language condemning Iran, complicating consensus-building. “We want India's BRICS chairship to be successful. It is not a good approach to send a signal to the world that the BRICS is divided,” he said.
Source: www.aljazeera.com