Tehran welcomes India’s peace initiative; slams BRICS member over West Asia
Iran on Wednesday said it would welcome any peace initiative by India to de-escalate tensions in West Asia, while accusing one member country of blocking a consensus within BRICS on the ongoing regional conflict.
Speaking to a select group of journalists in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS foreign ministers’ conclave, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said differences within the grouping had prevented the issuance of a unified statement on the crisis.
“We want India’s BRICS chairship to be successful. It is not a good approach to send a signal to the world that BRICS is divided,” Gharibabadi said. “One country is insisting on condemning Iran.”
Though he did not name the country directly, his remarks appeared to be aimed at the United Arab Emirates, which, along with Iran, joined BRICS during the bloc’s expansion in 2024.
“We have not attacked neighbouring countries. They handed over their territories to the US to launch attacks on us,” he said. “We never insisted that Arab countries should be condemned because they allowed their military bases to the United States.”
The Iranian deputy foreign minister praised India’s role as BRICS chair, describing New Delhi’s approach as “impartial” amid sharp divisions within the grouping over the US-Israel conflict involving Iran.
The comments come a day before India hosts the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, which is expected to focus extensively on the West Asia crisis and its impact on global energy security. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are among the leaders attending the conclave chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
Gharibabadi said Tehran viewed India as a credible and balanced actor capable of contributing to regional stability.
“India has always supported peace. It is in favour of peace and stability in the region,” he said. “We will welcome whatever initiative India takes for peace.”
Responding to a question on Pakistan’s reported role as a facilitator between Tehran and Washington, he said Iran remained open to all diplomatic channels.
“Pakistan is only a facilitator. We will welcome all such initiatives,” he said.
Gharibabadi, who was part of Iran’s negotiating team during talks with the United States, accused Washington of undermining diplomacy and prolonging the conflict.
“The US is not serious about ending the war through diplomacy,” he claimed, adding that Iran would fully reopen maritime access once Washington lifted sanctions, ended what he called a naval blockade and released frozen Iranian assets.
The Iranian official also reiterated Tehran’s commitment to the Chabahar port project and said India could decide how to proceed given continuing US sanctions linked to the initiative.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded significantly in recent years to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE and Indonesia. The grouping now represents nearly half the world’s population and a substantial share of global trade and GDP.
