Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged BRICS nations to condemn the U.S. and Israel for what he called illegal aggression against Iran [1].
The request signals Iran's effort to leverage the BRICS bloc to create a diplomatic counterweight to Western influence and pressure in West Asia.
Speaking at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, India, on May 14, 2024 [1], Araghchi called for the member nations to explicitly confront Western hegemony. He said that the international community must reject U.S. coercion and bullying in favor of respect-based engagement [2].
Araghchi described Iran as a victim of "illegal expansionism and warmongering" [1]. He suggested that the current global political climate requires a shift in how nations collaborate to resist external pressure. "It’s time to step up and work together," Araghchi said [2].
The Iranian minister's remarks focused on the perceived illegality of actions taken by the U.S. and Israel. He urged the bloc to formally acknowledge these actions as aggression, a move that would mark a significant diplomatic shift for the BRICS coalition.
BRICS, consisting of major emerging economies, has frequently positioned itself as an alternative to the G7 and other Western-led institutions. Araghchi's appeal in New Delhi seeks to solidify this alignment by framing the U.S. and Israel as disruptors of regional stability [1].
He said that the pursuit of a multipolar world depends on the ability of nations to stand against unilateral sanctions and military interventions [2].
“Iran is a victim of illegal expansionism and warmongering.”
Iran is attempting to institutionalize its opposition to the U.S. and Israel by seeking a formal collective condemnation from BRICS. If the bloc agrees to such language, it would signal a transition from BRICS being a primarily economic cooperation forum to a more explicit political vehicle for challenging Western diplomatic and military dominance in the Middle East.
