BRICS negotiators work late into the evening to find agreement on ‘Delhi Declaration’

As New Delhi prepared to host the BRICS summit of 11 emerging economies, negotiators worked late into the evening on Friday (September 11, 2026) to reach a consensus for the ‘Delhi Declaration’.

Diplomatic sources and officials said all member countries agreed to “almost the entire text, except for one paragraph”, indicating that references to the US-Israeli war on Iran and Iranian attacks on facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other West Asian countries were still unresolved.

BRICS 2026 Summit Update 11 September

Both Iran and the UAE are members of the BRICS grouping and have been inducted in 2024. Their tensions delayed a joint statement at all BRICS ministerial meetings this year, and at a key meeting of foreign ministers in mid-May, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar issued a “Chairman’s Summary” instead.

“We are continuing to work on the final document,” an official insider to the talks told The Hindu on Friday, while others said they still hoped for a breakthrough, as India did in 2023 by crafting a joint statement at the G-20 summit after Russia’s war in Ukraine divided members.

The “equal sentencing” requirement.

In the current round of talks, Iran is seeking clear condemnation of US and Israeli actions and the UAE wants “equal condemnation” of Iranian actions, a diplomat told The Hindu. However, Iran disputed this at Sherpa meetings, insisting that it would be akin to Iran criticizing itself. Tehran says its strikes on the Gulf region were in “self-defense,” limited to U.S. military and allied facilities, the sources said.

The top leaders of the eight BRICS countries, including Russia, India, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Indonesia and Iran, will gather around a table at the Bharat Mandapam complex in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon for the first time since the start of the Iran war. Brazil is heading to elections soon and President Lula da Silva will be represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, while the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MbZ), who is currently visiting Germany, will be represented by his son, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Saudi Arabia, which has been granted BRICS membership in 2024 but has yet to officially join, sent Foreign Minister Farhan bin Saud.

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have stressed the importance of a joint statement by the BRICS coalition in each of his bilateral talks, including with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who wields considerable influence as a strong ally of the Iranian government in Tehran.

All eyes will also be on Mr Modi’s meeting with the UAE crown prince on Saturday morning, ahead of the joint session. Diplomatic insiders say the UAE president’s decision to send his son rather than a minister is a sign of the importance of India hosting the summit.

Addressing the Iranian President

The government’s relationship with President Pezeshkian was evident from the moment he landed with a red carpet welcome. Mr. Modi was seen personally guiding Mr. Pezeshkian to the BRICS Business event while holding his hand tightly. On Saturday, as recommended by the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Pezeshkian will be the only BRICS leader to also meet President Draupadi Murmu.

The BRICS grouping was particularly affected by the war in Iran, which was launched by attacks by the US and Israel and the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February 2026. In addition to Iran and the United Arab Emirates, which were repeatedly targeted by Iranian drone and missile attacks, other BRICS members were hit hard by the economic attacks of the Strait. Hormuz for cargo trade, as well as rising energy prices and availability issues.

“In the context of geopolitical tensions and geo-economic uncertainties, the participation of all these leaders in the 18th BRICS Summit in Delhi is a reiteration of their collective confidence and commitment to BRICS,” said former Multilateral and Economic Relations Secretary Dammu Ravi, who has conducted many negotiations for BRICS and other groupings at the Ministry of External Affairs. “This is an excellent opportunity for India to focus on finding solutions to the challenges of the aspiring Global South in a tripartite framework by combining its strengths,” he added.

The main meeting of the BRICS leaders will be held on Saturday afternoon under the theme “Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism”. The session will also be attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who met Mr. Modi on Friday evening.

Mr Modi and other BRICS leaders will attend an exhibition showcasing Indian innovation and take part in a “joint tree planting” ceremony, the ministry said. This is the fourth time India is hosting the BRICS Summit, after 2012 in Delhi, 2016 in Goa and 2021 virtually.

Published – 11 Sep 2026 22:58 IST