BRICS Summit Opens Amid Iran War Tensions and Economic Push

Leaders from 11 nations convened in New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit, facing the challenge of forging a unified stance on the ongoing war in Iran while advancing practical economic cooperation. The summit, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brings together key figures including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, against a backdrop of major geopolitical tensions. Negotiators worked late into Friday evening to resolve a dispute over a paragraph in the Delhi Declaration referencing the conflict. Diplomatic sources indicated that while most of the text was agreed upon, the paragraph addressing the war in Iran and Iranian attacks on installations in the United Arab Emirates and other West Asian countries remained unresolved. The conflict, now in its seventh month, directly involves two BRICS members, Iran and the UAE, on opposing sides, posing a significant test for the bloc's cohesion. The summit's agenda focuses on strengthening financial infrastructure to enhance the group's economic autonomy.